goodbye to Fanning

local 1930
N03 53 W159 24

What an awesome time we had on Fanning Island. After 5 days of exploring and resting at this beautiful atoll, we waited for the current to change in the pass, weighed anchor as the ebb began, and motored out the narrow pass just as the sun set and the moon rose.

Yesterday was our favorite day on the island. MJ and Colin did a "drift dive" in the pass, where they drove out the pass in the dinghy and then drifted back into the atoll under the water. Liz and Dan and I got dropped ashore with our boards and beach bags. But before we could hike over to the other side of the island we were surrounded by a group of children who were very interested in our surfboards. So we let the kids swim around on them for a while, which was a blast for them and for us.

After a while we picked up the boards and started walking, our little posse in tow. They stayed with us for the whole day, watching us surf and even getting a yoga class from Liz. They were some of the loveliest, most polite children we've ever met, and before we said goodbye one of them adeptly climbed a palm tree and picked us 3 coconuts to drink.

Dan just fed us a spaghetti dinner that everyone is hoping to keep down, and we're wishing for some good wind (as much east as possible) as we head the 1050nm north to Honolulu. It's blowing NE 17-kts right now and we're moving 6-knots on a course of 010-degrees T with a double-reefed main and jib. All is well back out at sea on Confetti!


Liz helping Dan rewire the fridge.


Scrabble on the real board (instead of the plastic travel set) and yoga (look closely) are much easier at anchor!