Descisions

They say that 10 years of doing something makes you an expert... 

But after 31 years of practice I'm so bad at making descisions that I can't even spell the word. 

I descided that my thirties would be a progressive decade where I leaped forward and lived a lot; grabbing life by the testicles and valiantly tackling all of life's problems as they were thrown at me. 

I successfully cycled over 5000 kilometers across Australia for the amazing charity that is Bikes 4 Life.

The last leg of the trip (and the first leg in lycra) down the Great Ocean Road (Feb, 2016)

I conquered both the Southern tip of Australia and Mount Kosciuszko with an over-sized teddy bear and a torn achilles.

Mount Kosci (Feb 2016)

Wilson's Prom (Southern tip - Feb, 2016)

I survived the first family reunion in 6 years (and Sydney).

NSW, Feb 2016

I braved the flight to New Zealand and valiantly hopped around by the power of onesy (and thumb).

South Island New Zealand, March 2016

I out-paddled a storm as we kayaked the Abel Tasman.

Day 1 of 5 paddling the Abel Tasman, March 2016

I tackled my first grade 4 white water rapids (only because I was too slow to hop out and carry my pack raft).

Hiking out to the Pelorus river (March 2016)

I licked the tip of the South and the top of the North.

Absolute South (Mar 2016)

Top of North, May 2016

And then I descided it was time to complete my circumnavigation by other-peoples sailing boats.

Whangerei, May 2016

I've spent the last few weeks hunched over with terrible back ache and chronic knots in the shoulder and what feels like cows roaming and grazing on the inner lining of my stomach. My heads been on a spin cycle for 25 days and I still struggle to get a clean thought out of it. I've been unable to function on any normal level; and as you might imagine, that's not quite fitting for my gypsy regime. Why you ask? I've had a terrible case of indecisiveness!

There were too many boats owned by far too many nice people heading in far too many exotic tropical directions and I just didn't know how to chose. Fiji or Tonga or Vanuatu or New Caledonia?? Sail with a family or a couple or a single hander? Do a delivery or go cruising? A mono-hull or a cat? Step aboard as crew or take plunge and go captain?... The descisions were endless!!! And every time I was about to comit (another word I can't spell) a new option would appear.

Yesterday I finally descided to cut the crap and I did it - I took the plunge and made a big life descision! I've just hopped aboard my new home and in the morning we set the sails and wish new Zealand goodbye and well... [watch this space] ... 

Apparently descisions are going to haunt us for the rest of our lives. And you know what? It's probably a good thing!  For most descisions it doesn't matter so much what you choose: The chicken or the beef... going commando or granny panties... it doesn't matter where you go and what you do ... but you only have one life so make sure you make epic ones!

Tahiti to Tonga - A Gypsies Tale by Adeena SomethingSomething

By looking back at pictures from the last few months I think I'm starting to realize why so many people have mistaken us for hippies - but in  fact we´re gypsies - there is a difference!!!´I shave my legs and beard sometimes...

While we had learned to overcome far too many adversities, and managed to keep the boat afloat (just),

I think the sea air finally started getting to us!

Still the ocean lured us on to new adventures. You´d imagine that there is a limit to the amount of beautiful places a person can visit in their lifetime, but each island group of the Pacific proved that wrong!

Tahiti was the exception, but at least there were other things to get us through:

Very few people in the Pacific still have functional outboard engines, those that have always lend a friendly tow!

Tahiti was full of good people

Karl´s chilling up the mast to construct our fourth, and hopefully final, new mast head thanks to the help of all our friendly neighbours

Good food:

The Swedes were happier than ever with their Knuckelbrood and pickled herring!

There was good beer (Albeit crazy expensive)

No, Tahiti was not nearly as nice as the rest of the Pacific, but it was an important stop.

Like so many others who have completed the 3600 mile landless ocean crossing, it's a bit of a shock coming to actual civilization. And for those who have had troubles on the way - either with the boat or worse, with the crew- its the first place you can dump either and I'm not going to pretend like we weren't thinking of leaving Yoldia behind....

The captain was getting tired of sailing

And the first mate was getting scared of it

But the more we spoke to other yachties, the more we believed we could and should carry on

And so the four of us continued into the unknown.

This time we were fortunate enough to have all our rigging, propane, and four helmsmen!

We did have a few minor problems (Shackles disappearing, halyards coming loose, sails getting ripped...) but this was all easily solved with duct tape, WD40 and fishing line - what more could you possibly need??

It took only 11 days days before we saw land again and the boys were stoked!

But with the sun setting, we heaved to and enjoyed a kask (Vodka and coffee) or few while we waited for the morning light.

Aittutaki (Cook Islands) in the distance

We're glad we waited too because the channel was the narrowest and shallowest yet!!

After licking land hello and meeting several friendly and bizarre immigration officers, we ventured off to explore

There had been far too many run ins with mangy mutts, so Karl was happy enough to find that there were no dogs at all on the island. They were banished after one of them ate a kings child back in a decade long gone

The other amazing thing about Aittutaki was their primary belief in the wrongness of Sunday flights.

And while we could understand some of their non communicable diseases, we're still trying to work out how physical activity can be bad for you.

The island was full of other beautiful surprises too

Apart from the $64 pp departure tax, it was a great visit and we were sad to leave.

But the ocean was kind to us once more

And while our diets got better, our hairstyles got worser.

The islands got closer together and it took only six days (7 vomits) of sailing to get to Niue and only three days to check in after arrival.

Duty free liquor was available too and the boys made the most of it.

We enjoyed other things about Niue too, even with the no nudity rules.

After our first few days, the seas turned crazy and, unable to dinghy back, we were forced to spend nights ashore - the first since October last year - man is it weird sleeping on solid ground!

While we were the only yacht about (apart from the one just confiscated after the owner was deported to the states for kidnapping his own son) we may have been a little too close to the supply ship that suddenly arrived in the middle of the night.... 

I love the size contrast of both the vessels and their tenders...

With the hurricane season upon us we had yet another serious crew meeting. The boat needed a rest, some paint, some waterproofing and some serious TLC. The crew were all tired of being mistaken as hippies. They needed showers, clean cloths and a psychiatrist or two. 

And so it was decided that Tonga would be the last destination for this year.

We set the sails one last time and ventured off into the abyss.