Island Suitors Part 2: An Official Change of Heart
I evaded the second lunch with Jacques the following day when a customs boat circled outside the quay around midday… They launched their tender, and a group of uniformed men came speeding toward the quay. The captain scrambled out of the dinghy, then stormed over to Swell. “What are you doing here?” he asked in […]
Island Suitors Part 1: Age Matters!
When the door to the propeller plane closed, Crystal was on her way and I was alone again…but not for long! I sat under the shaded airport waiting area for less than a minute before an old man teetered over to greet me. I was used to being approached by the locals here; it was […]
Finding Sea Rhythm… … … …
After rising to our great challenge, the sea rewarded us with smooth sailing through the afternoon until the wind dropped off entirely and we motored on into the calmest, starriest night I could ever remember in this wind-worn belt of the Pacific. Rotating on 3-hour watches, I relieved Crystal just after 3 am. Swell plowed […]
A Higher Elevation
We’d both hardly taken a breath upon setting the sails, when…POP!!!! The headsail let go at the mast head and tumbled down into the sea?!! What!?!?!?!?! I scrambled to the bow, followed by Crystal, and we heaved the wet mess aboard. Swell proceeded to drift quietly in the light wind, while Crystal and I stood […]
Runnin the Tidal Rapids…
With a brief window of calm winds, Crystal and I readied Swell to move east among the atolls. With the news of Barry’s passing, I wanted to check out what was rumored to be a new boatyard on an obscure strip of coral a few atolls east, plus with a swell on the way, we […]
SO Many Ways to LOVE the OCEAN: Crystal Thornburg-Homcy airdropped into the Swell life…
A few days later, my friend and fellow Patagonia Surf Ambassador stepped off the plane onto the airstrip just a half-mile south of where Swell was anchored inside the atoll. A year prior, Crystal showed me two weeks of unforgettable fun at her North Shore residence, so I was anxious to give her the best […]
A Sinking Feeling…
We’re going all the way back to April…On my way home from the surprise surf session on the other side of the island, I passed a lovely sailboat named, ‘Namaste’. Chris and Jessica waved me over. They invited me aboard for a timely warm meal, where I I learned more about their prior adventures as […]
Cigua-what?
After my recent ‘knockdown’ from ciguatera poisoning, I’ve tried to gather some information on the subject, mostly through local knowledge due to the extremely limited internet access here in the outer OUTER islands. As the symptoms dwindle now on Day 20 since the poisoning, I realize there is more to this occurrence than just another […]
(Wo)man Down
I made it safely back to Swell via the cargo ship, but my luck fell short upon my return. I ate a fish contaminated with ciguaterra poisoning last Sunday and have been extremely ill for the last few days. The good news is that I’m healthy enough to have walked across the boatyard to the […]
