21 March 2012
19 March 2012. Galapagos. Red throated frigates, blue footed boobies, forests of green cacti, schools of golden eagle rays around the main dock, it’s a beautiful, exotic place, a sea teeming with life and a land of natural wonders. “It is not necessarily the strongest that survives, it is not necessarily the most intelligent, it is those most capable of adapting to change.” Charles Darwin said it better, it’s poorly quoted but that’s the guts of it. The giant tortoises of the highlands survived in recent years, not because they adapted quickly, but because they were so big it was difficult to get them back to the early sailing/whaling boats so the sailors/whalers took the smaller ones from the around the c... READ MORE
15 March 2012
2012.03.11-50 - from the Uto ni Yalo at the start of day #2 on our voyage of discovery in the Galapagos Islands. Our first port of call is the island of San Cristobal one of the five major islands that comprise this archipelago. This is a minor milestone in that it's the half-century of articles written in an eight week time frame! Fifty articles in fifty-six days makes for a considerable volume of "yame yame"! Undaunted and like the drua that is our home we will both voyage on toward whatever truths lie before us. For each of the sixteen crew members of the Uto ni Yalo [what a terrific name for a drua - the heart of the spirit], there is no one answer, no Golden Fleece or gold medal simply the inner confidence built from a... READ MORE
15 March 2012
Sunday 11th March. Kia Orana Tatou, We are now a day's sail away from Cocos Island and we are all still recovering our energy after all the activities we did there and still reminiscing about the fantastic experiences we had there. As mentioned previously the rangers on Cocos Island were very hospitable people and made sure to allow us access to all the adventures available on their island as well as their resources and facilities, like some much need fresh water. They guided us on numerous treks around the island, allowed us access to the designated diving/snorkeling spots, they also allowed us use of their washing facilities for showering and washing clothes, and for those who had computers they allowed us use of their Wifi net... READ MORE
14 March 2012
As we near, the Galapagos Islands. Our next destination. We begin to plan for our next re-provisioning. It has been 27 days since our last big addition of ‘kai’ or food for the canoe. And we are running low or completely out of a lot of certain foods. Meat is a rarity; fresh fruit and vegetables have long since been consumed, and are now limited to canned supplies, bar a few onions and a pumpkin. And to top it off the fishing has been poor lately, perhaps due to the intensive long lining for shark fins and palagics in this area. As a game to torture ourselves we play ‘name the food’ from A to Z. The mere mention of a fat steak, of ice cream or the like, causes salivation to the mouth or neurons of the brain firing... READ MORE
13 March 2012
For days, nature has been speaking to us with heightened intensity in the Hawaiian Islands. Winds sing through the valleys with fervor and trees follow the dance, bending impossibly in all directions. A thick blanket of cloud molds to the contours of the Waianae range, caressing her shape seamlessly. Streams rage to the sea, and every crevice of the Ko’olau range holds a waterfall. Sheets of lightening illuminate the night, while thunder resonates vibrations through the Earth. This has been nature’s mood for days but in the pre dawn hours of March 8, 2012, she seems to stop and take a deep breath, and the elements subside into calm. Today, Hōkūle`a returns to the sea. A canoe is reborn, and with her, so too are we…all ... READ MORE
