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 […]
5’4” Blonde Boardless Bully
The kid couldn’t have been more than 12 years old…I felt like the bully on the playground, but I could NOT help myself…I started along in stride with him as he walked by… “Iaorana. Um, my name is Liz. I was wondering if I could borrow your board for a couple waves? Maybe just 10 […]
At the End of the Road…
There’s nothing like seeing a place for the first time…Imagination and reality collide, with fresh eyes soaking up the colors, sounds, smells, and details that make a place its own. Surprise lurks everywhere when the mind is untainted by familiarity! I’d spent a day and half resting and cleaning Swell; it was time to go […]
