Niue Island

We are on our way to Vava’u group of Islands in Tonga. Our first stop will be Neiafu at Latitude 18 44’ S Longitude 174 W. We left Niue last Night at 10 pm. It is a short trip about 250 miles west of Niue (36 hours).

Today is a beautiful day for a passage, sunny and winds around 15 knots. This morning we caught a 30lb 4’ long Wahoo. We have the pirate spinnaker up and we are cruising along at 7 knots. It is hard to get better than this.

Niue was a great place, only 1100 people. It is a volcanic island but with large lime stone deposits. So over 1000’sof years the lime stone has eroded and left caves all over the Island and in the sea. So caving is a major activity here. In addition the visibility in the water is 100’+.

So Mike and I have dove with Mantas, sharks and whales, so what else is left?? Well on Niue they have SEA SNAKES. At this one place called snake alley there were 100’S of them mostly lying on the bottom, but at any given time here were 10 of them either on there way up to the surface to get air or on there way back down. We also dove through a large canyon and into a cave. I took Amanda diving and we went through a underwater chimney. You entered it at 80’and came out at the top in 10’ of water. She loved it.

Well enough of my writing. When ever I have a guest on board I am going to have them write bout their experiences. So here is Captain Amanda Leese.

The adventure continues.

Love Gary

As many of you have read and heard we recently sailed thru a tremendous storm….this is my account of those events:

Upon leaving a beautiful Island named Isle Maupiti on a wonderful Thursday morning we set voyage through the Passé Onoiau. This pass comes together with the ocean on the outside bringing 6 ft. waves and on the inside pushing a 3 plus knot current against it thus creating  rough water and turbulent seas. Shellette pushes her way across the waters with out any concerns as she is a great ship.

We set our coarse for the next Island of Rarotonga about 450 miles, a three day sail under normal conditions. The first two days are non eventful. Good seas, strong winds of 15 to 20 knots and Shellette moving calmly at 8 knots. We do our standard shifts that we agreed upon before leaving port at Maupiti. As time goes by it is now Saturday morning the sky begins to darken with clouds not of the ordinary for the Pacific Ocean nor of what we have experienced in the past 8000 miles of passage.

During the day on Gary’s shift about 2:30pm we find that the water pump for the refrigerator went puff and the temperature was rising to 55 degrees. I take over for Gary as he prepares to tackle the project at hand and gain our cold temperature back to keep from losing our food supply. During this time the winds begin to strengthen to 25 knots and the seas at 10 to 12 feet in height. Gary finishes his project about 4pm at which time his shift would have ended. I stay at the helm to do the next four hours of my shift. Gary begins to prepare dinner of pot roast, potatoes and carrots. The time is now 4:30pm. Gary retires to his cabin. Marnie’s up next on shift at 8pm . Dinner about 6:30pm.

Around 4:45pm the clouds begin to darken quickly. The sail is reefed at one reef which means less of the main sail is exposed to the wind to slow the boat down. Then all hell lets loose, the seas begin instantly to 12 to 15 ft and the winds blowing 35 knots and no sign of letting up. I take the helm off auto pilot to steer the boat to lessen the stress. The winds become stronger, the seas more violent soon we have winds exceeding 46 knots and seas at 20 plus feet. I grab the helm with all my strength to keep the boat from going sideways which could cause the boat to role over. After an hour of holding on I have Marnie get Gary up from his rest and takeover the helm. I am at wits end of stress and exhaustion. Gary grabs the helm again hanging on for all of ours dear LIVES. The waves are now reaching 25ft and the winds peaking at 50.9 knots . We are no longer sailing we are surfing the waves. The speed when we hit the wave increases from 10 knots to 20 8 knots . The boat begins to shake, rattle and nearly role over. Marine attempts to reach someone on the radios.  Yes two, one being the SSB and the other VHF. She puts in a distress call to anyone that can hear. We need to report our location incase we do not make it through the storm. Marnie’s shift was suppose to begin but no way were we going let that happen. The boys could hardly keep Shellette upright.

As the storm shows no sign of letting up Gary and I shift the helm control every 2 hours for a break. We are simply exhausted. The radar indicates that we are in the nucleus of the storm . It has adopted Shellette as the focal point and has no intention of letting her go. As tough as Shellette has held together she too is tried and finds the strength to continue on and bring us to a safe place .

This storm carries throughout the night. I  have fear in my eyes and I see fear in Marnies.  Mind you, fear is not a bad thing it reminds you to think about what you are doing to gain control of the problem at hand.  She carried about her duties of keeping contact with the outside in case we needed assistance. We did make contact with an island who in turn contact Rarotonga for us.  They remained in contact with us thru the night and were ready to send help should the need arise.

As the boat continued to scream across the surfing wind and waves, Shellette would make sound as that of a jet engine as she purged through the seas at speeds She should not be doing at her age or any age. We continue to hold the helm tight steering down wind which is all that could be done until the seas and wind subside. Finally, as the early morning of Sunday arrives we begin to see a relaxation of the two elements. Wind blowing 20 knots and the seas at 10 ft. Off in a far distance we see our destination Rarotonga and none to soon as we are all exhausted and spent of any energy to sail much more.

We reach land and do the duties of anchoring the boat and sit and finally reminisce of the turmoil we just experienced and hope never to have that event again.

As for each of the crew, we all took something different from this event. For  myself I prayed hard and steadfast for the seas and wind to subside and promise to become a better version of my self. This will be hard yet I need to do what I said to the good Lord. The only thing I know that Marnie promised was if she arrived safe at land she would exit the boat and take a break.  As for Gary, I believe I saw a little bit of fear on his face yet he claims he only thought it was “awesome” now that we are safe on land.

Note; This event is not be tried at home or on any other vessels. Disney World does not have this ride yet nor should they ever.   Mike

Hello everyone.  Although I am back in Denver for a while we are still keeping the website updated. 

Mike, Gary and Amanda left Rarotonga on Saturday for 4+ day sail to Niue.  The expect to arrive late Tuesday or early Wednesday.  I spoke with Mike last night and they have decent weather and are making good time.

Once in Niue they hope to pick up some more boat parts and fix the hot water heaters, as they both blew a few weeks ago.  Yes, cold showers all the way around!!!!  After a few days there they will be off for Tonga.  Gary’s daughter and her husband (Nicole and Colby) will meet up with the boat there and sail to New Zealand with Gary.  Amanda will fly back home from Tonga and Mike will fly back to Denver for business.  We will continue to keep you updated.  Love to all….Life is Good…Marnie

Rarotonga is our first stop in the Cook Islands and they speak English. They are closely affiliated with New Zealand with a population of 12,000. So it is a pretty busy Island, they  even have a movie theater, the old fashion big screen kind and of course we went, but as usual I do not remember the movie name. (It was good)

The main reason for stopping here was to pick up Amanda Leese the captain of my boat in Michigan. She will be staying with us for a couple of weeks and h elping out with some of the passages between Islands.

So the first thing we did after Amanda’s arrival was to take a public transportation bus around the Island. Then we decided to take a hike through the jungle across the Island. The trail we took suggested that we should use a guide. But being the explorers that we are we did not heed the warning. Hey, how could you get lost it is only an Island. So it was to be a 3 hour hike. Now as far as calling it a trail!!! Maybe a path at best and not well traveled. So we made it about half way and then seemed to have lost the trail. So for 1 hour we hiked up and down a steep hill looking for the damn trail and we never did find it. So we retraced our steps, found the trail we took in and went back out the same way. It was interesting and a very good work out. (You always have to look at the positive side)

We are now on our way to Niue, which is a Island 600 mile s west of Rarotonga. So we will be at sea for 4 days. Hopefully it will be a peaceful trip and no night from hell… This will be Amanda’s first open sea passage, so I will let you know how she does.

So the adventure continues.

Love Gary

Since the Tsunami hit American Somoa Islands last week, we’ve heard from other cruisers that were there when the tsunami hit that the devastation is unimaginable. We’ve also learned that along with the many locals that were killed, so were some fellow cruisers that lost their lives as well. It’s very sad. We were very lucky and grateful to not have been closer to the disaster.

We left Maupiti on Thursday, heading for the Cook Islands. We headed for the island of Rarotonga which is the capital of the Southern Cook Islands. The seas were a bit rough for the first two days and then we hit a very bad storm with 25+ ft. seas and 50+ knot winds. It’s common to hit a squall or two along the way and they usually last about 20-30 minutes. This storm never left and lasted 15 hours. Without going in to the gory details let’s just say it was terrifying, at least for me. (Even Gary calls it “the night from Hell”) Miraculously, we made it to Rarotonga safely on Sunday morning.

Gary’s friend, Amanda is due to arrive in Rarotonga today (Wednesday). She will sail with Gary and Mike to Niue and then to Tonga. After our recent storm experience, I’ve decided to head back to the states for the next month and will meet up with the boat in New Zealand. One Tsunami and one Hurricane in one week is enough for me! We will still be keeping you up to date with everything that is going on so stay tuned….Life is even better!……Love to all!!!! Marnie

We are safe!!! As many of you heard there was a Tsunami yesterday in the South Pacific. It was 1,000 miles north of us. By the time it arrived here yesterday morning at 11am local time it was so small you couldn’t tell it hit. We are on a very small island called Maupiti (4.5 miles around) but surrounded by a large reef the entire way so we were very protected. Gary was on land taking a walk and Mike and I were on the boat when we heard sirens going off and announcements in French (that we couldn’t understand). These are not things you usually hear happening on an island so we knew something was wrong. The radio stared buzzing and all the reports started coming in about the Tsunami and when it was to hit here. We knew we were potected but we were prepared. Good thing because Mike refused to leave his boat anyway!!!!
Just wanted to put a note out there to let you all know we are safe and sound. The current plan is to leave Maupiti on Saturday after some weather passes and then head to Cook Islands, 500 miles away. (Good thing we weren’t there yet when the Tsunami hit….they made all the boats leave so they didn’t smash up against the island as it is not a protected island—-good timing on our part!
Life is Good, Love to all….Marnie

Well I got my first tattoo or should I say Tattoo’s. In Polynesia tattooing is a very a very ancient custom. They use to cover their complete body with tattoos. They did it not only for ornamentation and distinction but to guard their heath and spiritual well being. Each object is comprised of a number of symbols. There is even a dictionary of Polynesian tattoo symbols and what they mean. So I went a little overboard. I got a Hammerhead shark, Manta Ray and a Humpback whale all on or by my right shoulder, chest and back. (See attachment). These were the most awesome animals I dived with. It took about 3 ½ hours to do mine. Mike and Marnie also got tattoos. Any ways that was definitely the highlight of the week.

We also did a couple of dives during the week, but nothing out of the ordinary. I also road a bike around the Island (25 miles). It was a great way to see it all. Today I even went to church. Of course the service was in Polynesian and the signing sound just like the movies with Polynesian songs. Very Nice

While in port most days just involve buying food, cooking and eating it. We also read a lot. I try to exercise every day for an hour or so. Every night we watch the sun go down (6pm) then eat dinner and either play a game, bowl with Wii or watch a movie. I am usually in bed by 8:30 reading.

We are still in Bora Bora, but we plan on leaving tomorrow for Maupihaa which is the furthest west Society Island (130 miles west of Bora Bora).

So next week I will have some new Island to report on as the adventure continues.

Love Gary

Hello from Bora Bora! We managed to sneak a few extra days in to our stay here. Bora Bora is a great island and we are pleasantly surprised. We had heard many stories of how commercialized it is and we have found that not to be true. There are many over water bungalow resorts on the outlying motus that surround the island however, the island herself remains a lovely tropical island with friendly natives.

All three of us are sad to leave French Polynesia….we’ve been here for 3 months and have learned much about the culture and people. Aside from learning a wee bit of French, we’ve learned some Tahitian, which the locals appreciate very much. Well, they might just be laughing at us because our pronunciation isn’t all that great…but we like to think of their smiles as appreciation! Mike, Gary and our friend, Brad went lobstering one night while we were in Tahaa but not luck. Mike, Gary and I have done a few dives here. They have lot’s of beautiful coral and many, many different kinds of fish but nothing compared to the lemon sharks Mike and Gary dove with on Moorea. Mike and Gary have bought fish from the locals here since we have not been fishing lately. Nothing like fresh caught Wahoo….Mauna Mauna (delicious in Tahitian).

Gary, Mike and I all rode bikes around the entire island, about 25 miles. Mike and I enjoyed our ride through a tropical rain storm….it was great! Riding 25 miles was the least we could do since Esther Dawson rides her bike at least 7 miles per day!!!! Mike and I went on a Safari tour and climbed some fun mountains. We even saw some of the cannons left here by the U.S. in World War II….very interesting. Bora Bora has been quite the social seen too as we have met up with many boats and friends we’ve come to know along the way.

Lastly, Mike and Gary each got the Polynesian tattoos they have been wanting. Okay, I got a small one too. Yes, we were sober!

Today, we are off to Maupiti, only 28 miles from here. Then to Maupilia and very small island on the way to the Cook Islands, our next country. We think of you all often and keep you in our prayers. Life is Good. Love to all…Marnie

Well here we are in Bora Bora! Finally! We left Raitea and Tahaa on Saturday and arrived here 4 hours later. Bora Bora is a more commercialized island but still quite beautiful. This is a big destination for Honeymooners and the famous. Mike spoiled the two of us by staying at the brand new resort here, The Four Seasons….WOW what a place. Over water bungalows that aren’t bungalows but houses….just beautiful. We’ve done a few dives here but nothing like the shark dives Mike and Gary like. We are exploring this island for a few more days before our visa is up on Saturday….than on to a few tiny islands before setting sail for the Cook Islands. We will hit the Cook Islands before October 5th as we are picking up a friend of Gary’s there (Amanda). Amanda will be with us until the end of October and will help us sail to Cook Islands. I’ve just been having a hard time with being able to download pictures so I apologize for that…..We have many to download so hopefully by the end of this week we can do that. All for now…Life is Good…Love to all

After swimming with the whales our life is going to sound boring. That was such a highlight. Anyways we left Huahine for Taara last Saturday and stayed there for one week. Taara is about 20miles from Huahine. We visited about four different anchorages in that time. It was a very pretty island, but we mostly just hung out on the boat.

Yesterday we left for Bora Bora, another 20 mile (4hr) sail. Bora Bora is the oldest of the Society Islands at 7 million. Were as Tahiti is a mere 3 million. The atolls we were at, oh about a month to 6 weeks ago (Rangirora) is 25 million. Remember an atoll was an Island that sank and now only the outer reefs exist. (See below for atoll formation). So you better get to Bora Bora within the next 18 million years or it will have sunk.

The main stay of this island is tourism unlike Huahine which was agriculture.

So since we just arrived I do not have a lot to report yet. But we plan to do a lot this week, so next week I will give you an update on Bora Bora and the continuing adventure.

Love Gary