Pacific · islands
French Polynesia
The Marquesas, Tuamotus, Gambier, Tahiti, Bora Bora and passages between the archipelagos.
Publications are arranged chronologically – from the earliest to the most recent. Select a title to open the full entry.
Polynesia. 3 Days in the Gambier Archipelago. Barely Time to Catch Our Breath, and Back Out into the Ocean Again—for a Thousand Miles
Polynesia. 3 days in the Gambier Archipelago. Barely time to catch our breath, and back out into the ocean again—for a thousand miles. — Andryukha, do anchorages like this really exist? —…
Chronicles of the Passage from the Gambier Islands to the Marquesas. A Little About How Cannibals Became Righteous—and, Unexpectedly, About Everest
Chronicles of the passage from the Gambier Islands to the Marquesas. A little about how cannibals became righteous—and, unexpectedly, about Everest. And yet, first, Mangareva Island (Fren…
On the Way to Paradise. Daily Life and Raising Children, Food and Exploration Plans, with 25 Knots of Wind for Three Days Straight.
On the Way to Paradise. Daily Life and Raising Children, Food and Exploration Plans, with 25 Knots of Wind for Three Days Straight. Seems like we’ve only been under way for a little over …
Fatu Hiva. One Day to Go
Fatu Hiva. One day to go. An unusual catch and Bastille Day celebrations. They’ve come up with a clever system here in the Marquesas... They’ve come up with a clever system here in the Ma…
Arrival in the Marquesas. From Ship to Ball
Arrival in the Marquesas. From Ship to Ball. Can you reach out and touch the shore from the deck? At dawn, the captain and I came up to the helm, and there... I would have written “what a…
Fatu Hiva. A French Holiday, Polynesian-Style, and a Hungry Young Sailor
Fatu Hiva. A French Holiday, Polynesian-Style, and a Hungry Young Sailor. You see the flames of Indian campfires dancing on the faces of chiefs from vanished tribes (from a song)... We ha…
We’re Heading into the Jungle
We’re heading into the jungle. The abandoned village of Omoa was already almost uninhabited 80 years ago, when the young and daring Thor Heyerdahl lived on Fatu Hiva with his wife. Now Om…
26 July: A Mini-Post About the Hike
26 July: a mini-post about the hike We’ve returned from a place famed for cannibalism: the island of Fatu Hiva. The Marquesas, Polynesia. Folks, find the coordinates 10.27 south latitude …
Mountain Pass or Abyss? – A Hike on Fatu Hiva
Mountain pass or abyss? A hike on Fatu Hiva. What our young sailor and Thor Heyerdahl have in common. Who gives yachts funny names. Trails, precipices, rain in the dry season, and mountai…
To the Dwelling Place of an Extinct Tribe. Ritual Platforms and the Mysteries of Fatu Hiva Island
To the dwelling place of an extinct tribe. A dangerous descent. Ritual platforms and the mysteries of Fatu Hiva Island. “The difficult descent begins here,” Audrey warns us. The vanguard …
Here a Tribe of Cannibals Vanished: An Abandoned Settlement on Fatu Hiva
Here a tribe of cannibals vanished. An abandoned settlement on Fatu Hiva. A deserted village. How a remote fishing camp is set up (or is it a hunting camp?), how to forage for food and sp…
Cannibals—or Us? Back to Reality
Returning from the abandoned village. Our payment for a night’s lodging. The legacy of the cannibals and a young sailor’s fortitude. What makes us strong, brother? (The story begins in th…
A Brazilian Captain, a Tahitian Frenchwoman Diver, and a Czech Captain’s Daughter. Plus Jules Verne, a Dream, and the Mystery of the Pacific Ocean
A Brazilian captain, a Tahitian Frenchwoman diver, and a Czech captain’s daughter. Plus Jules Verne, a dream, and the Mystery of the Pacific Ocean. We sat around the campfire until dawn, …
How the First Mate and Nastya Sailed the Yacht
How the First Mate and Nastya Sailed the Yacht. Squall-force winds and a gigantic catch. The strange ways of the trade winds and a reunion with friends. I Go to Haifa (have you read that …
Visa for French Polynesia
Visa for French Polynesia: how to obtain one in a third country—Panama, in Panama City—costs and formalities Each French overseas territory requires its own separate visa. In some places …
French Polynesia: Clearing In by Yacht
French Polynesia: Clearing In by Yacht How we turned ourselves in to the gendarmes. Can you enter Polynesia without a visa? Here’s what we started with: A visa for French Polynesia obtain…
Discoveries on Nuku Hiva
Discoveries on Nuku Hiva We have found paradise. And we also had a culinary revelation—a revelation about the whole truth of the breadfruit tree and why it caused such a stir 200 years ag…
How We Crossed Paths with National Geographic
How We Crossed Paths with National Geographic The trade wind has somehow died down over the past few weeks, and we had even begun to doubt that it was strong up here in the northern Marqu…
Ciguatera
Ciguatera Thank goodness Lada and I don’t like fish! At least, we didn’t like it that particular evening. Mum and Dad ate some toxic fish, and ciguatera came calling. Here’s how it works:…
Chronicles of the Floating Infirmary
Chronicles of the Floating Infirmary Situation report: the parents are no longer dying, just lying around )). In fact, they’re feeling better and ordering us about doing household chores …
Ciguatera. Recovering from the Illness
Ciguatera. Recovering from the illness. Hi, guys. We’re alive. Though it’s hard to call this a full life just yet, but today I can finally write. This is about ciguatera, day six. For the…
How We Ate a Parrot
How We Ate a Parrot. With this post, the Captain makes his contribution to the expedition chronicle: I recently remembered a joke about a parrot. A man got a parrot, but it had one flaw: …
On Plans, Changes and How We’re Feeling
On p lans, changes and how we’re feeling How we practised moving around and rescued a yacht along the way. Nuku Hiva, Marquesas Islands, Pacific Ocean. There’s this joke. Must be the cigu…
After a Parrotfish Dinner, Day 15
After a Parrotfish Dinner, Day 15 Nuku Hiva, the village of Taiohae. Lady Mary covered the first 25 miles after that fateful fried fish dinner under sail three days ago. Along the way, we…
The Last Days on Nuku Hiva
The last days on Nuku Hiva. How the first mate torments the sailor, how attempts to go ashore turn out, and when we set off again For the third day running, the sailor has been trying to …
From the Marquesas to the Tuamotus. Day Two. Pacific Ocean
From the Marquesas to the Tuamotus. Day Two. Pacific Ocean. Transmitted via satellite. Two days ago we weighed anchor in Hakatea Bay, which we simply call Waterfall Bay. That is because i…
Passage from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus. Into Our Fifth Day
Passage from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus. We’re into our fifth day. During the night, the captain got in touch with outer space. “What are they saying?” I ask. “Better have a look at wh…
Approaching the Tuamotus. “Wind Smack in the Face.” Day Six
Approaching the Tuamotus. Wind Smack in the Face. Day Six. By morning, we had 100 miles left to Kaeuehi Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago. So the hardships of bucking into the wind are sof…
Now That’s an Atoll! Anchored in the Tuamotus
Now that’s an atoll! Anchored in the Tuamotus. That evening, the captain assigned the watches in a more exotic fashion than usual. Nastya was told to stay up until 2300, I was on until 02…
An Outing to a Village on an Atoll. Tuamotu
An outing to a village on an atoll. Tuamotu. Sent via satellite. How many ships were lost before French baguettes became the national food. In the Tuamotu Archipelago (formerly known as t…
An Atoll by Yacht — On Board, Underwater and Ashore
An atoll by yacht—on board, underwater and ashore. Judging by the nationalities of most of the first itinerant Europeans to turn up there, the Tuamotus should have gone to the Netherlands…
Tuamotus: Under Sail with Just My Young Sailor and Me
Tuamotus: under sail with just my young sailor and me. How we became self-reliant 🙂 How about we answer some of your questions? We do read all your comments, but the only way we can repl…
How We Spent the Night in the Dinghy. Part One
How We Spent the Night in the Dinghy. Part One. An airstrip, coral, and a headwind dying away almost to nothing. When I was a child, Mum always told me: A girl should sleep at home. In fi…
How We Spent the Night in the Dinghy. The Climax
How We Spent the Night in the Dinghy. The Climax. The beginning of this adventure is in the previous post . Exposition 🙂 ...And we set off for home. We-e-ell... Set off how, exactly? The…
On Reckless Parents, Risks and Adventures
On reckless parents, risks and adventures. I think I’ll write a concluding post, I said while reading the comments on the report How We Spent the Night in the Dinghy. The Climax . “Why?” …
Uninhabited Paradise. Scrubbing the Yacht, Feeding a Rat, and Unexpectedly Changing Our Plans.
Uninhabited Paradise. Scrubbing the Yacht, Feeding a Rat, and Unexpectedly Changing Our Plans Friends, we managed to overcome our website’s reluctance to upload new reports. And we’re sta…
Tahiti Bound! Halfway There
Tahiti bound! Halfway there. Who is the chief Cinderella aboard? How we sailed out of the atoll and how fast we are flying towards Tahiti. This report has been compiled from two dispatche…
The Roast Rooster: How We Made a New Film :)
The Roast Rooster: How We Made a New Film :). We’ve released a new film about transiting the Panama Canal on a sailing yacht! We tell you about the totem animal that helps us live, create…
How We Came to Tahiti to Find the Round-the-World Sailors of “Blagovestie”
How we came to Tahiti to find the round-the-world sailors of “Blagovestie.” Where to spend the night between the reefs, how to miss your target properly, and what’s missing for complete h…
Tahiti — Two Round-the-World Sailing Voyages with Children in One Place
Tahiti — Two Round-the-World Sailing Voyages with Children in One Place. How we kept the others from working, whether coral grows in a marina, and where flying saucers splash down Maxim c…