Widago - Crossing the Coral Sea

Day 4 underway on our passage from Vanuatu to Australia. We crossed into Australian waters after breakfast this morning, and now have just over 300 miles to the Great Barrier Reef.Not gunna sugar-coat, this passage has been a bit of a doozy. Winds have been consistently in the mid to upper 20s, just abaft abeam. Sea swell has also been abeam at 8-10 feet, sometimes breaking. We've been set up with white sails double reefed and prevented way out, cooking right along around 8kts, and surfing at times well over 10.Needless to say, I have been less than enthusiastic to spend much time in the galley, or anywhere inside. Puking, no - seasick, sort of. It's like being a little bit pregnant, or day two after a nuclear hangover. Nauseous, headache (My name is Ali, and I am a caffeine addict.. read more...

Widago - Bye Bye Bora Bora

WIDAGO is on the move again, this time heading direct for Fiji.After two awesome months in French Polynesia, we have weighed anchor and set a course for Fiji. Unfortunately we will miss the Cook Islands, Niue, and the Kingdom of Tonga, as we are jumping ahead of the fleet, giving me a window of time fly back to the States to be with family. Bummed to miss those spots, but glad to have a chance to see my folks & sibs. Brief review of island hopping through the Society Islands:1. Unless you have unlimited time, or a time machine, or you plan to stay in the South Pacific for several years, pick your stops wisely. There are literally thousands of little islands, atolls, and individual spots, anchorages, bays, and villages that are all incredible. Too many to see in a lifetime. We chose. read more...

Widago - Next Stop: Rangiroa

Next stop: Rangiroa....We bailed on going to Fakarava, and should arrive in the morning to Rangiroa. After finding out that Fakarava resort was shut down, and services limited (aka no restaurant, but maybe a "snack bar", and unknown internet capacity), we turned right. Also helping was that the wind angle / sea state greatly improved when we came up 30 degrees. We had a couple great days sailing fast with white sails on a beam reach, but seas were festive - no water glasses left on the tables. After a couple days flying Big Blue in 12-15 kts, the wind finally crapped out last night about 10. Been motoring (and making ice) all day. Gorgeous out. Caught & released a pretty good size Marlin this afternoon, followed by brownies and homemade empanadas. Boys declared them top-notch bar. read more...

Widago - Final Night: Galapagos-Marquesas Leg

Before setting out on this adventure almost a year and half ago, the most common question I heard was, "What's the longest you'll go without seeing land?" After my reply of about 3,000 miles, just under three weeks, most non-seafaring folks would stare back, glassy eyed, in horror."Three weeks. No land. Trapped on a boat. With your husband and three kids. No way."But what does that really look like? Feel like? My best guess is that most people don't care too much about day 3, or 7, or even 12. Morbid curiosity seems to linger in the dark corners of extremes. What is Day 18 or 19 like? Have you turned to feral cats, unbathed, blackened scurvy teeth, chapped crispy skin, hugging yourself with dilated pupils, rocking back and forth in hopes that a tiny crest of terra firma will magically. read more...

Widago - Bringing up the Rear....

WooHooo!!! Time to break out the peanut m&ms I've had hidden since Panama City, as we have just dipped under the 1000 miles to go mark on our way to Marquesas. A thousand miles...that's still a really long way to go. Winds just won't drop into the teens, so we continue to sail almost dead downwind with a double reefed main jacked and prevented waaaay out. Hopefully we can deploy a parasailor soon, but we're making decent headway for the time being. Choosing safety and comfort over speed and chaos. Boys took a detour off traditional curriculum to practice the fine arts of domestic engineering. Happy to report it's clean sheet night with sparkling heads over on the port hull. Continued success on the bread-making front. Banana bread, corn bread, biscuits, white sandwich bread, wheat. read more...