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Mi sik blong sitsit woto

One of the common languages spoken in Vanuatu is the primitive yet logical language called Bislama. Along with English and French, most Ni-Vanuatu speak Bislama as well as their native village language. There are approximately 113 native languages in…

Birthday in Vanuatu

How do you spend your 47th birthday in Vanuatu? Attend an official village ceremony complete with warrior dance, taste your first Vanuatu kava at a kava bar called a nakamale (pronounced knock-a-mall), and invite all the boats in the anchorage over f…

Tanna

We traveled the 60 nm from Anatom to the island of Tanna yesterday, arriving early afternoon.   It was an easy crossing and we were joined by our friends Jacqui and David on their sailboat ‘Jackster’.   We have traveled with th…

First Days in Vanuatu by Bear

On the 30th of August, Oso left Fiji heading for Vanuatu (the next island group). It took us two and a half days to get to Vanuatu. On the crossing, the ocean (at some times) was as calm as a lake! It was a fairly crossing. I had very little schoo…

Sunday shakes but no Quakers

Today was a mellow Sunday morning, taking it easy and messing with small boat projects, anchored off a small village in Anatom, Vanuatu.   The generator was running and the new batteries were happily charging.   When one of our…

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Cruise ships in Paradise

Of course cruise ships go to beautiful places or why else would people go on cruises. But when we read about Vanuatu being one of the most remote and primitive places in the South Pacific, we didn’t think cruise ships would have found it as well. However, a day after arriving at the southern most […]

Beating on Rocks

I spent the afternoon sitting on smooth rocks in the middle of a cool, mountain stream doing laundry with seventeen year old Serafina from the island of Anatom (Aneityum), Vanuatu while Bear played hide-n-seek and swam with six local boys all abo…

Hello Vanuatu

We arrived Anatom, Vanuatu at 1230 on Thursday after a great 55 hr / 453 nm passage.   There is a large bay fully protected by a barrier reef, so we are settled and looking forward to a smooth calm night.   Anatom has only recently b…

Passage progress

It’s 4 pm on Wednesday and we have 165 nm to go to Vanuatu.   Expect arrival around noon on Thursday.   Passage has been good with sunny sky and mild to moderate wind and seas, mostly on the beam.   12kt – 16kt wind…

Moce Fiji

Good-by Fiji   It is 5 pm on Tuesday and we are approximately 100 nm west of Fiji, in route to the southern most island of Vanuatu, Anatom.    We left an anchorage in Fiji at 6 am.     Like Mexico, Fiji ha…