Tahiti
After a weekend spent indulging in the rare angle of wave energy produced by the latest cyclone that turned southwest, I busily made the final preparations for Laurent, the yard’s in-house glasser, to get started cutting away the shaft log the following morning. The week prior, the mechanic had helped… Read the rest
The instant I plucked the wee bird from the soggy sticks, there was no going back…I was undeniably the mother of this orphaned baby seabird.
I was certain that the little creature must… Read the rest eat fish, but I had no idea how to raise it?! Shortly after the adoption, I rode
I couldn’t imagine how strong it was going to get as Simona and I finished taping the windows and bringing all the tables and chairs inside. As the gusts soared into the 40s, we gathered the last of the fallen mangos and prepared the boards to put in front of… Read the rest
“There is only room on the back lot of the yard,” Karin said. “And Nisha has been downgraded. Are you sure you want to haul out now?”
“Yes.” I replied. “I’m here, so let’s just do it.”
The crew hauled Swell and transported her to the back of the yard… Read the rest
Warm evening light danced between the shadows of the overgrown limbs and leaves on the jungle road. I bounced down the mountain in the back of Frederique and Teva’s truck, after they’d treated Tina, baby Matai, and a few other ladies to a day of pareo-making and a glimpse of… Read the rest
I popped my head out of the hatch around 10am after another brutal passage east from Bora Bora the prior day. Just then, the big gray French police boat pulled into the bay. My heart lurched. I had a letter from the yard stating that Swell was ‘unsuitable to take… Read the rest
“Hello, Liz? C’est Manuelle. My clients didn’t show up so we can go now to look for your chain if you wish?”
“Yes, great. I’m ready. I can pick you up in town with Swell.”
We loaded her dive gear aboard and headed off to the GPS point where, 125… Read the rest
Thick rain closed in and didn’t let up for our last two days together. But James and I were content to rest quietly aboard Swell, reading and chatting and enjoying our last bit of time. We laughed at the ways we were turning into our parents, discussed the state of… Read the rest
Here is a bit of everything from the last two months on the Presqu’isle… between my engine woes, the WCT circus, my recent submersion in a writing assignment (check out the upcoming October issue of Surfer’s Journal… Read the rest), a bout with Dengue fever (or Beamish flu?), a last minute haul-out,
It was the last weekend of the locals’ two-week vacation and there’d been lots of action around the marina lately. My empty refrigerator had inspired a ride down to the ‘Snack’ which had turned into a spontaneous gathering of many who’d been in the Teahupo’o line-up lately. I rolled back… Read the rest
