We were fortunate to arrive in the Marshall Islands just in time to briefly cross paths again with our good friend Jeff Hartjoy, who we first met along with his delightful wife Debbie in the Marshalls in 2004. We picked up a signed copy of his new book "No Turning Back" which tells the story of his trip of his 2015 adventure making him the oldest American to circumnavigate solo, nonstop and unassisted via the Five Great Capes.

We completed our check in to the Marshall Islands on Monday (Sunday in the States as we have crossed the date line again) and have already managed to do oil changes on both the main engine and generator, clean the bottom, replace the spinnaker halyard that met its end on the trip, service the watermaker, refuel by jerry jug ($5.90 per gallon), do 5 loads of laundry, visit telecom to get set up for Internet access, and put in our requests for permissions to visit various outer islands. We've still got some more chores to do - restitch the genoa cover, refill propane tanks, fix a small oil leak on the engine, and rebuild a primary winch - but we're feeling pretty accomplished. Today we meet with the Mayor of Wotje atoll to see if we are respectable enough to be granted permission to visit the atoll.

Last night we had a great time meeting up with the Mieco Beach Yacht Club members at the usual Tuesday night dinner out at a local restaurant. There is a very large and active cruising community here this year so it looks to be a very social holiday season. Dryer trade wind conditions have returned to the islands making for wonderful sleeping with fresh breezes! Life is good.

Still can't shake the convergence. Another night and day of squally weather with winds from 9 to 35 knots, NE to SE. 4m swell on the beam and secondary swell aft made for a rolly ride today but now the seas are starting to lay down a bit.

We had squalls all night Tuesday (AS time), but nothing over 25 knots and wind of about 14-15k between the squalls. The biggest challenge was dodging the numerous fishing boats plying these waters, some not using AIS, and the ones that do are transmitting but don't bother turning on a screen for receiving signals. The winds picked up mid-morning Wednesday and much of the day blew 17-20 knots, save one 33 knot squall. We've been seeing boat speeds in the 8's up to high 9's but we're still dogged by an adverse current setting SSW at up to 2.5 knots, putting a serious damper on our SOG.

Nice sailing the last 24 hours with wind in the 8-18 knot range, averaging 10 or 11. Our hitchhiker stayed with us all night and after daybreak decided that the cockpit cushion looked much more comfortable than the winch or deck and made itself at home. It flew off sometime during our morning radio net, only to return an hour later for another short ride atop the bikini looking for breakfast. 370 NM to Majuro.

Sunday brought another night with 25-30 knot squalls and plenty of lightning interrupted by nearly windless spells.

Mostly light wind with confused swell from the west, south, and east made it difficult to keep the sails filled today as we watched the windex spinning in circles when the boat rolled side to side. The seas improved and wind filled in late afternoon so we're making better headway but still fighting an adverse current of 1.5 to 2.2 knots.

We are currently carrying a passenger on board - a brown tern who has decided that one of our winches is a nice resting place. It has not moved the last few hours and is completely unfazed as we move within a foot of it to perform boat handling tasks, turn on lights, and start the generator. We have a bad feeling that it is not well and put out an egg for it to eat (we once saved an exhausted storm petrel this way) but it has not shown any interest. 488 miles to go to Majuro.

A short time ago we made our seventh equator crossing on the good ship White Hawk. No wonder we can't seem to make it further west toward a circumnavigation - we keep going north and south! Not long after an impressive red sunset (Sailor's Delight?) we finally found the wind last night in the form of big squalls packing 25 knots, gusting 30 and of course, the ubiquitous lightning which has dogged us much of this trip. We got a bit of a scare in the midst of the largest squall when our radar display at the nav station conked out. At first we thought that stray atmospheric electrical energy had done it in and put an end to our squall tracking activity but we were relieved to find it working at the helm and the communication problem down below was rectified today. We had pleasant sailing today close reaching in 8-12 knots under cloudy skies but the squalls began late afternoon and we've tucked in a second reef. Though theoretically we should be under the influence of a helpful 2 knot west setting current, instead we find ourselves sailing to weather fighting a 2 knot east setting one! 545 NM to go to Majuro.

Friday night brought more light and variable winds dodging lightning squalls but on the plus side, another meteor shower at 5 AM. More light wind Saturday from every direction on the compass kept us busy with sail adjustments and alternating between sailing and slowly motoring. We've picked up a 3+ meter swell which knocks the wind from the sails and prevents us from sailing through the really light air as we did earlier with flatter seas. There are plenty of clouds about and the lightning started around sunset so it promises to be another interesting night. Majuro 2019 or bust?

Thanks to calm seas we were able to make way under sail with only 3-4 knots of wind Thursday night and John was lucky enough to witness a spectacular meteor shower at 5 AM. The breeze freshened a bit late Friday morning making for a glorious day of 5-6 knot sailing under sunny skies in 5-7 knots of wind, with an occasional brief gust to 8 knots. Wahoo! We took advantage of the pleasant conditions to get the house ready for Christmas - stainless steel polishing topsides. The breeze went lighter and the swell increased around 5 PM but at present we are sailing and enjoying stargazing and satellite spotting yet again.

The decision before sunset Wednesday to take the slightly less favored tack to the east of the rhumb line rather than sailing west into the Heart of Darkness - a huge area of thick black clouds reaching down to the surface - turned out to be a good decision. Unlike the prior two nights we didn't have to run squall avoidance maneuvers but saw plenty of lightening in the western skies. Our big excitement for the evening was coming within a mile of what we think were gill nets lit by flashing red and white beacons at water level and on poles - a hazard to navigation if those lights fail.

Thursday morning brought the return of sunny blue skies and trade wind clouds. Though the wind was only in the 2-3 knot range this morning the seas were so calm we were able to keep sailing and by late morning the wind had filled in to 5-7 knots, allowing us to make 5 knots most of the day. We were visited by small dolphins just before sunset and enjoyed stargazing in the cockpit to top off a wonderful day.

Another squally night Tuesday dodging lots of lightning. Additional excitement was provided by an unidentified ship on AIS speeding up on an intercept course in an apparent attempt to catch us. For over an hour we took evasive action by altering course and speed and were matched each time by the ship which would not respond to our calls on VHF. Eventually we were close enough to clearly see the lights on the ship which flashed us with different colors and about then the AIS signal of a second stationary ship emerged from the huge squall on radar. Though it was worrisome for a while, in the end we surmise that the first ship was a long liner trying to ensure that we did not get behind them and the second was the mother ship. Perhaps neither spoke English.

Very light and variable winds today in the 1-5 knot range with thick cloud cover but we managed some sailing along with some motoring. With all the wind shifts our recent track line looks like an EKG - straight lines interrupted by dips in the shape of a "V."

Slow day in very light winds after an "interesting" Monday night. Shortly after John declared "This passage has been so peaceful it almost feels like a vacation," (the kiss of death) things rapidly deteriorated. Large areas of convection were showing on the radar and lightening was lighting the skies nearby. We fired up the engine to implement squall avoidance maneuvers but it wasn't long before the engine overheat alarm sounded. Inspection revealed that 2 belts were shredded and a third had slipped off. After making a disaster of the boat to reach the needed parts, repairs were quickly made and we were back in business just in time for the encore production. This time the squalls were much larger and more numerous and we soon found ourselves surrounded by lightening in all directions. For four more hours we motored in circles at full throttle dodging convective clouds that were spitting out spectacular lightning bolts hitting the water on all sides of us many times only a mile away. Each time a semi-circular line of squalls would move on by, marauding replacement troops lined up to chase us down yet again. Twice the B & G instruments shut down and restarted themselves after flashing crazy colors, and the computer - disconnected from the boat at the time - crashed and came back up (whew!) with settings changed and minus some of the data in OpenCPN, our PC navigation program. Around 3 AM we were overtaken by squalls but by then they had expended their electrical energy and we were spared. The forecasts indicate that we should be north of the convergence/ trough at present and the skies, while cloudy, do not look as foreboding tonight but we are already seeing some lightening in the distance so our fingers are crossed. Hoping for a more peaceful night! 1005 NM to Majuro.

Saturday and Sunday brought light and variable winds with some slow but pleasant sailing, some motoring, and a few hours under spinnaker late Sunday afternoon. The benign conditions even allowed us to do a bit of much needed stainless and fiberglass polishing. Had a lovely time both nights stretched out in the cockpit as we sailed along peacefully while staring at the starry skies under "cool" light breezes counting the plethora of shooting stars and busy orbiting satellites while listening to classic rock and vintage surf guitar music. After sunset Sunday the breeze filled in to 8-16k, mostly in the 12-14k range, through the night and much of today with many passing squalls. Wind has been trending lighter in the last few hours but we're sailing along nicely. We're well north of Funafuti, Tuvalu so a stop there is off the table.

On the rhumb line to Majuro, RMI. Departed Pago Pago on Thursday under sunny skies and light trade wind conditions but it was not to last as a new surface trough formed over us and our forecast of 12-15k wind turned in to 4-7k. So the first day we had a mixed bag of some pretty nice sailing in mostly light air, a few hours under half oz. spinnaker, and a half hour of motoring. After sunset the wind filled to 10-16k, mostly 10-12k, with squalls and lots of lightening.

Friday brought glorious sailing as the skies cleared, the wind went forward in the 10-16k range, mostly 12-14k. We were seeing boat speeds in the 8's to low 9's but fighting an adverse current of about 1.5k. The clouds built around sunset and the wind dropped but we sailed peacefully all night making SOG's in the 4k range in 6-7k of wind.

We were forced to turn on the engine at 5AM this morning when the wind went more aft and under 5 knots. The trough has expanded in size so we are seeing plenty of squalls, but not much wind in them - just lots of rainbows, and oddly a bit of hail on 2 occasions!

Departing shortly from Pago Pago, American Samoa bound for Majuro in the Marshall Islands with probable stops in Funafuti, Tuvalu and Tarawa, Kiribati depending on the wind.

Arrived in Pago Pago, American Samoa late Tuesday afternoon local (Wednesday Fiji time). We motored more than we would have liked but overall had a nice passage going the wrong direction. No complaints! Beautiful day here with a nice breeze keeping things cool.

Enjoying a nice view of the Samoan islands of Upolu and Savai'i - which we visited in 2003 - this sunny morning as we motor by in light winds. Yesterday evening our chart plotter/ radar displays stopped displaying data, including GPS, and we had no data input to the auto pilot, causing it to fail. After a few hours of troubleshooting and repeatedly recycling power, resetting, and reconfiguring, we were able to get the display to work with limited functionality at the nav station, though not at the helm, but at least the auto pilot is operational! We've got OpenCPN running separately with CM93 charts and a GPS puck on the laptop so all is well. If you are going to have an auto pilot and instrument failure, the best case is to have it under calm conditions, close to a familiar high island with a well-marked entrance and great postal service, along with phosphorescence and a rising mandarin orange moon to entertain you while hand steering. We're feeling lucky but have some work to do on arrival - 36 miles to go.

Happiness is sailing under tropical skies on a calm moana blue sea listening to the Beach Boys on a great stereo as we pursue an endless summer. Life is good!

We had some peaceful sailing yesterday afternoon enjoying the light cool breeze in the cockpit but the wind shut down in the evening and we've been motoring since last night on calm seas. It is beginning to get light around 4 AM Fiji time and we had a peachy sunrise this morning at 5 AM - a sign that we have made some progress to the east. 166 miles to go to Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Motoring on calm seas. 290 mi to go to Pago Pago.

Departed Savusavu, Fiji bound for American Samoa Friday morning. Sailed nicely in very light winds a good bit of the day and night with one 20 kt squall overnight. Saturday brought winds in the 12 kt range and heavy rain. Winds dropped to 1-2 knots for a short time Saturday evening then went from 1 to 35 knots in a matter of seconds and remained around 28-30 kt, gusting over 30, with lightening for an hour and a half. Winds then moderated to the 20-25 kt range, gusting higher, and remain there, but White Hawk and crew are handling it well going hard to weather.

Anchored off Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort outside of Savusavu since Friday. Took advantage of the break in the weather yesterday to snorkel the reef and found a new (to us) nudibranch and shell. Heading back to town today to prepare for possible weather window to American Samoa later this week.

We arrived Monday afternoon in Savusavu under torrential rain after an overnight passage from Fulaga. The trip started with light air, about 12 knots, but built as the day progressed to the 20's by early evening. The rest of the trip the wind averaged around 22-25kt, gusting 32kt in the numerous squalls, accompanied by buckets and buckets of rain. There was occasional lightening about, but nothing too close. The seas built to the 8-12' (and then some, as we had some 15 footers on approach) forecast on the Honolulu High Seas while the GRIB had forecast only 1.4-1.7m. Love those folks in Honolulu! Thanks to our deep heavy keel, White Hawk handled the conditions marvelously and we were able to sail fairly comfortably the whole way under double reefed main and full genoa.

We departed the Bay of Islands, Vanua Balavu, early Saturday the 6th after having had a wonderful time visiting with friends on Eye Candy and doing lots of snorkeling. We especially enjoyed the gorgeous soft corals, bright sea fans and many species of nudibranchs.

The sail down from Vanua Balavu to Fulaga was fabulous! The seas were so calm we were able to sail the whole way under sunny and starry skies in only 3-8 knots of breeze, arriving just around daybreak. There were dolphins on the bow near Namuka-I-Lau and as there was no moon, we could not see them but could hear them take a breath each time they surfaced. Our time in Fulaga has gone quickly, catching up with friends on Roxanne, last seen 2 years ago in Tonga, snorkeling, and attending the big village celebration of Fiji Day. Unfortunately, the calendar is telling us it is time to get moving north toward Savusavu and beyond to escape the South Pacific cyclone season so we will depart on Sunday, destination TBD depending on the wind.

Enjoying lots of snorkeling in the Bay of Islands taking in the exceptional soft corals, plentiful fish, and new to us nudibranchs. There are so many great spots to explore we could easily spend another week or two here but will head to Fulaga in a few days as the season is rapidly drawing to a close.

Anchored in the beautiful and calm Bay of Islands, Vanua Balavu, Fiji - a welcome change after a not-so-fun passage from Ovalau! We're sharing the well protected anchorage with only the cackling birds on shore and the active schools of bait fish swarming around the anchorage.

Bashing to weather from Ovalau to Vanua Balavu.

Came in to Levuka, Ovalau yesterday to top up on diesel before heading off to remote islands. Enjoyed checking out the small museum and seeing the colorful historic buildings of the original capital of Fiji, now a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Anchored in a beautiful little bay with a white sand beach backed by dramatic rock structure on the north end of Naigani Island, NW of Ovalau. We enjoyed a wonderful snorkel on the extensive reef yesterday and are heading back out today to try to get another photo of the striking parrot fish - or possibly wrasse - that we can't find in our reference books!

Anchored overnight at Curly's "hurricane hole" near Wainaloka village on SW Ovalau, Fiji. Yesterday's snorkel nearby revealed 10 nudibranchs!

Anchored this afternoon at Leleuvia Island, southwest of Ovalau, Fiji where we were greeted by two boatloads of friendly, smiling locals offering use of the resort's mooring for free. Shortly after sunset we watched a spectacular 45 minute lightening show lighting up the sky and sending many bolts down to earth beneath the clouds on the thankfully distant horizon to the southwest of us.

We arrived back in Suva on Monday for fuel and re-provisioning after having had a fabulous time in Beqa, Yanuca, Kadavu, and the Astrolabe Reef swimming with oceanic manta rays, laughing with the dolphins escorting us across the lagoon, glimpsing elusive sea turtles that rightfully hide from humans (locals still eat them even though it is illegal,) photographing "new to us" nudibranchs, flatworms and bottom dwelling jellyfish, and meeting up with good friends on Free Spirit and Wavelength.

We planned to head to Fulaga but the weather doesn't look promising any time soon so rather than wasting time in port we sailed to weather today in fresh 20 knot winds to Nukulau Islet in Laucala Bay, a nice protected anchorage for the night. Sunday morning we will head to the western side of Ovalau to explore the reef while waiting for more favorable weather to make the crossing to the Lau Group.

Beautiful sail to weather on calm seas today from Beqa to North Astrolabe Reef under sunny skies with 10-12 knots of ENE breeze. The lagoon is gorgeous but the surrounding reef is low offering little protection - at low tide think Minerva Reef at high tide - and the swell comes in from all directions creating a washing machine with occasional waves breaking over the stern into the cockpit. We're anchored mid lagoon behind Solo "Island," more aptly named Solo "Rock," home of an old non-working lighthouse inhabited by sea birds. We did a snorkel off the boat today but will move on tomorrow to big Astrolabe or Kadavu in search of a less rolly anchorage. As we always say, if you don't go, you don't know! :)

We arose Sunday morning at 6:30 AM to the harmonious sounds of a cappella singing coming from the nearby Lalati village church in Malumu Bay before moving the boat to the west side of Yanuca Island. We're anchored off a beautiful beach and a small abandoned resort rumored to have been owned by an American that lost the lease. The enterprising care taker is charging a "visiting fee" of $10FJ per person to walk on the beach. Last night we were joined by the 180' Dutch built mega yacht Driftwood which was launched in 2017, and is owned by Nicholas Woodman, the 43 year old founder and CEO of GoPro - net worth 1.8 billion. We have seen lots of toys zipping by but so far have had no invitation to join them for the disco dancing last night or the movie they are watching tonight from the giant theater sized projector screen they have raised on the foredeck. Tomorrow after a morning snorkel we head back to Malumu Bay to meet up with friends.

Anchored in peaceful Malumu Bay, Beqa Lagoon, Fiji.

The winds shut down to 4-8 knots dead downwind Sunday night and we were forced to motor all night. When the winds picked up to 10-15k from 191 T Monday morning, we tried sailing but ETA for Suva was 8PM. We didn't want to stand off all night so added a little power assist and got the anchor down in Suva harbor just before 5 - in time for a gorgeous sunset with pink and orange sun rays shooting up from behind the misty layers and layers of mountains on Viti Levu. Currently waiting "patiently" for officials to arrive for clearance.

Passing by beautiful Kadavu. Nice to see some patches of blue sky after heavy cloud cover yesterday. 52 miles to go to Suva.

Awoke yesterday (Sat) to a glassy lagoon but by 8AM the winds filled in to 10-12kt. We exited the South Minerva pass bound for Suva, Fiji at 10AM with wind 18-19k and building from 241T, putting it just forward of the beam. The fishing gods blessed us with a nice mahi mahi as we passed about 20 miles west of North Minerva. We sailed in 20-25 knots, with gusts to 28, under doubled reefed main and partial genoa with wind and swell on the beam much of the day but by early evening the wind moved aft and the seas began to align for some wonderful fast sailing with speeds in the 9's. Overnight the winds went lighter - and at times slightly east of south - so we've slowed enough that we might not make Suva on Monday as we had hoped.

Mission accomplished in South Minerva and waiting for a weather window to Suva. Most of the day yesterday (Wed local) winds were 22-27 knots, gusting just shy of 30, from 340T as low passed to the south, but winds moderated over night. Showers, some heavy, yesterday morning but clear all afternoon Wednesday.

Anchor down in lovely, sunny, warm and blue, blue, blue South Minerva Reef at last! We've got the place to ourselves so we're playing the White Hawk "Sunshine Mix" up loud while we launch the dinghy and tidy things up wearing shorts for the first time in 6 months - at least for one of us :) We arrived after dark last night and stood off the NW side keeping watch while fore-reaching away from the reef at 0.7 knts. We waited until 10 AM to make our way back the 5 miles to the pass to enter in good light and perfect calm conditions at 11 AM. We're happy to have survived a passage from NZ without breaking anything - just a cover that chafed through on our Spectra core reefing line. Life is good on White Hawk!

Surprisingly consistent wind the last 24 hours, mostly 16-21 kts from the SE. Nice downwind sailing much of the day yesterday with the wind going forward late in the day and remaining there all night at about 18-20 kts, with gusts to 26. Still dogged by an adverse current of about 1.8 kts. Weak squalls began just after 5AM local this morning. 100 miles to go to S. Minerva.

Fabulous 24 hours. What a difference a day makes! Yesterday we sailed at about 6 kts under mostly sunny skies with 12 knots of breeze and swell on the beam. By evening the winds filled in from the SSE to SSW and the seas began to align. Had a wonderful night with winds mostly 17-21kt, dropping to the occasional 14kt and gusting to 24kt. White Hawk was comfortably humming along (literally at times) downwind with boat speeds in the 8's and 9's, though an adverse current of 1.3-1.9 kts (with us the last 2 days) reduced our SOG. We don't expect this wind to last, but we're happy to have it for now. 262 to go to S. Minerva.

Interesting 24 hours with a bit of everything. In recent hours, the boat was pounding to weather at nearly 9 knots with double reefed main and partial genoa, so we just now furled the genoa and turned on the engine to reduce speed. All well aboard.

We had a slow but pleasant day of sailing yesterday under 6-8 kts of wind until sunset when the wind shut down to less than 5 kts from behind (SSW). We saw mostly 1 to 2 kts overnight so we motored until sunrise when the wind picked up to 6 kts and shifted to the ENE. At present, we are sailing very comfortably to weather on course for S. Minerva under beautiful sunny skies. Wind is continuing to build slightly so we should make some good progress today.

Dropped the dock lines at Marsden Cove, NZ around 11:15 AM Monday. Mostly motored in light air to just past the Poor Knights when winds filled in to 12-15k from SW. Starry night with nice sailing. Clouds building near sunrise today with first squall around 7 AM local bringing wind of only 23k. Winds going lighter as day progresses. All well!

Spending our last night on Kawau Island at South Cove near the old Copper Mine. We've had a great time cruising the Hauraki Gulf. Tomorrow we head to Whangarei to pay our dues and start the boat work.

Fantastic weekend at the Mahurangi Regatta viewing the classic yacht parade and races!

At anchor in lovely Mansion House Bay, Kawau Island, NZ cleaning the bag limit of scallops John nabbed in 20 minutes of diving on the shoals.

Anchored at North Cove, Kawau Island, NZ. Lin Pardey, who lives here and runs the boat yard, dropped by in her skiff Jay Dee to welcome us to the harbor.

Anchored off the abandoned copper mine on the glassy water of Dispute Cove on Kawau Island, NZ feeding a lonely duck and watching 3 yellowtail kingfish swim about the boat. Great Tuesday morning enjoying nature! We're off to dive the scallop beds at slack tide around noon.

Anchored at Bostaquet Bay, Kawau Island. Beautiful relaxing sail to weather yesterday from Putaki Bay, Waiheke on the semi-sheltered waters of the Hauraki Gulf in 10-14 knots of breeze. It was great fun watching the many local boats out enjoying the sunny but cool summer Saturday afternoon and the changing clouds and landscapes as we sailed by the numerous small islands scattered about the Gulf.

Nice sail Saturday from Motuihe Island to Putiki Bay on the south side of Waiheke Island.

Anchored at Motuihe Island, NZ.

Beautiful sail Sunday from Great Barrier Island to Waiheke in 8-18 knots, gusting 23k, with whales breaching and spouting off the NE end of Little Barrier Island. We were hard to weather but it was fun on the protected waters of the Hauraki Gulf. Too bad the open ocean isn't this flat! Monday we explore Waiheke by bus.

Our last night at Great Barrier Island was spent in Smokehouse Bay - a beautiful end to the stay here after the atrocious weather the last few days. The wind finally eased and the clouds broke late afternoon making for a nice peaceful evening taking in the interesting scenery, birds, and Kiwis (the human kind) on holiday being Kiwis - fishing, cannon balling into the euphemistically speaking "refreshingly crisp" water, laughing with friends, and in general just enjoying life. We depart for Waiheke or Kawau Island in the morning depending on weather.

Anchored at Port Fitzroy, Great Barrier Island, NZ. All is well.