Category Archives: Locations

Places around the world

Kiribati is the Center of the World

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Kiribati (pronounced Kiribas) is an independent Republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.  It gained its independence in July of 1979.  Kiribati is located 360nm from the Marshall Islands, 1100nm from Fiji, and 900nm from the Solomon Islands.

This country has 33 coral atolls divided among three island groups: the Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and the Line Islands.

Kiribati is the only country in the world that is located in all four hemispheres.  It crosses the international dateline and the equator.

Approximately, 110,000 people call Kiribati home with more than half of those people living on Tarawa.  21 of the 33 islands are inhabited and are mostly located in the Gilbert group.  

These 33 atolls are spread out over 1 million square miles of ocean.  The average height for the islands is a mere 4m tall.

We only planned to stay in Kiribati for a few days.  Afterward headed to Funafuti, Tuvalu and then on to Fiji.

Passage to Kiribati

Sugar Shack departed from the Majuro anchorage at 1600 on a nice sunny day.  We anticipated a 3.5 day passage covering 363nm.  What we did not really consider was the 2.5 hour sail inside the Majuro lagoon to get to the pass.  We also did not really consider the fact that we had to go all the way around the Majuro atoll to get to the rum line.  So the overall trip was a little longer in miles but shorter in time.

  • Total time travelled:  63 hours
  • Total miles travelled: 415nm
  • Average Speed: 6.5kts and max speed 11.6kts
  • Motoring / Motorsailing time: 18 hours

The first 45 hours provided great wind and boat speed.  However, the wind died down to 5-6kts forcing us to motor the last 18 hours.  But, overall a decent passage.

What broke?

It is not unusual for something to tear or break during passage.  On this trip, we lost the steering gear box on Starboard.  Yikes!  Lucky for us, auto pilot was still working and we have use of the port steering.  We will have to wait to be at anchor to evaluate the damage.

We also noticed that the bearings in the roller furler will need to be replaced (we just did this in NZ 1.5 years ago).  It is still functional but will have to be babied.

Formalities

Upon entry into Kiribati waters, we hoisted our “Q” flag and hailed Tarawa Radio on VHF 16.  The official who took our call organized Customs, Immigration, and Bio Security to come onboard.  It took us about 45 minutes to complete the paperwork and show them around the boat before we became welcomed into their country.

Short Stay

We had a very short stay in Kiribati.  However, we were able to sail over to Bikenbeu where we cleaned the waterline and enjoyed the pretty scenery.  We then headed back to Tarawa so we could do a WWII tour (see next blog) and clear out of the country.

All in all we stayed for 2.5 days.  Short time, but enlightening.

Interesting sites on Kiribati:

  • Visit Kiribati: www.kiribatitourism.gov.ki/kiribati-experiences/culture-island-explore/
  • Kiribati Tourism: www.kiribatitourism.gov.ki/kiribati-experiences/culture-island-explore/

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  We sailed to Kiribati from 4/8-4/11.

Be sure to read about our last days in Majuro.

The Return to Majuro

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It was time to return to Majuro after spending a month in the States.  We started our long return trip back to Monday on Monday and arrived on Thursday.  It is not as bad as it seems.

Texas to California

We woke up in Boerne (San Antonio, TX) at the Melnar’s house.  Matt and I drove the 1 hour 45 minutes to Austin.  We enjoyed our last TexMex meal at Maudie’s before we went to the airport.  We had a 3hr15min flight from Austin to Los Angeles where we arrived at 7:30pm.  Finally, we collected our 3 bags totaling 150lbs and went to Kimberly’s house.

My sweet sister made a delicious meal for us and then we spent the next 3 hours repacking our bags.  I had left one bag full of new stuff at her house.  We had to make sure each bag weighed less than 50lbs.  It was tricky but I managed to get each bag right in at 50lbs!  Lucky me.

Kimberly took us to the airport the next day.  We ended up having to pay for one extra bag each on United.  A mere $200 to go with the other $300 in baggage fees we’ve paid.

Our flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii was 5.5 hours.

Honolulu, Hawaii

We arrived at 5:00pm, collected our 4 bags plus our 3 carry on bags.  The Pacific Marina Inn sent their shuttle for us.  We had just enough time to Uber to dinner on a pier.  This is not a particularly nice place to stay, but they have a free shuttle, are close to the airport and have wifi.

The next morning we left the hotel at 4:00am.  We could not check in online and we had a ton of bags so we wanted to arrive early.  We were first in line but by the time the desk opened there were 50 people behind us.  See photo below with the carts filled with coolers.  Thank goodness we arrived early.

The flight to Majuro is 5 hours.

Majuro, Marshall Islands

We made it!  Matt with our 7 bags weighing in at over 250lbs.  I am so glad we made it back with all of our luggage.

Welcome to Majuro

Welcome to Majuro

Oh No!!

We get back to the boat and it is a HOT MESS! 

  • The waterline and bottom were disgusting and covered in growth. 
  • The inside was moldy and smelled dank.

This all despite the fact that we hired a friend to come to the boat daily.  

It took me 2.5 days to go through our bags and stow the junk.  Then I spent another day cleaning the interior of the boat.

We decided to go out to eat our first night back. 

While we were at dinner a massive rain storm hit Majuro.  Winds were blowing upward of 40-50kts, trees were blowing sideways, streets were flooded, and the power and internet went out. Gesh! 

Of course we had a 1/2 mile to walk back to the dinghy and mile dinghy ride to the boat. We were soaked.

When we got back to the boat we discovered a massive leak over the master bed. Great.  Everything was soaked through (sheets, pillows, mattresses, topper).

A trip to the laundry place was in order.  Luckily they have decent machines and it only cost $8 to do 2 loads of laundry (wash/dry).

We have a washer machine onboard but our water tanks are low and it keeps drizzling outside. 

We provisioned at two different stores to prepare for our upcoming voyage.  Then we left for Enemonit.

Cleaning the Outside

We wanted to use our pressure washer and wash down pump to clean the anchor chain as it came up.  We knew it would be filthy based on the waterline of the boat. 

Unfortunately, the wash down pump didn’t start so we had to bring the chain up dirty.  Not ideal!

We motor sailed the 5 miles to Enemonit, picked up a mooring and called it a night. 

The next morning there was a horrible fish smell in the house. 

We could smell the anchor chain – oh goodness! We quickly dropped all of the chain on the sea bed so we could clean it later.

It was time to clean the waterline and the bottom of the boat. I’m in the water at 7:30am and spend the next 2 hours cleaning. 

I scrubbed the chain as it slowly came up.  It took a long time and I was exhausted!  I spent 4 hours in the water.

We prepared our passage meals, got out our passage safety gear and headed back to town to clear out.

Meal Preparation

One of the things we’ve learned along the way is that having pre-cooked meals prior to leaving is a must have. 

Matt and I spent the better part of a day preparing and cooking the following for our 3 week trip:

  • Pulled pork (perfect for tacos, migas, and sandwiches)  (4 meals x 2 ppl)
  • Gumbo (just add rice and it makes a healthy hearty meal) (5 meals x 2ppl)
  • Butter Chicken (with curry) (4 meals x 2ppl)
  • Pot stickers (great for a snack or light meal) (2 meals x 2 ppl)
  • Eggplant Parmesan (1 meal x 2 ppl)
  • Snickerdoodle cookie dough (just bake)
  • Peppermint cookie dough (just bake)
  • English Muffins

We have to eat through all of our meats, dairy (milk, butter, cheese, eggs), produce (fruit, veg, onions, potato’s, fresh garlic), nuts, popcorn, honey and any seed product. 

None of these things are allowed into Fiji.  So, we either eat it or feed the fish.   

Checking out of Majuro, Marshall Islands

We returned to Majuro at the beginning of April 2025. 

Be sure to read our blog post “A Magical Wedding.”

Stateside Merrymaking: OK and TX

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Tulsa Oklahoma is my next stateside stop.  I came here to visit my dear friend Jamie whom I met in Austin over 25 years ago.

We spend a lot of time catching up at her house and enjoying some fine dining.  She also takes me to get the best pedicure of my life.  The pedi included warm neck towel, free refreshments, sugar sub, hot stone rub and gorgeous toes.  We also attend a fabulous balance and posture class.

We Are Back in Austin, Texas

Our first stop is Gonzales where we meet up with Donald and Ruth.  We used to sail on their boat called “Ruthless” and learned so much from them!  They’ve become family since we first met in early 2005.  We met at the Cow Palace and camped out for hours as we caught up.

Of course Matt and I had to stop at the world’s largest Buc-ees!  I love this place!  They are known for having the most gas pumps and the cleanest bathrooms!  But I love it because you can buy groceries, home goods, have lunch and oh so much more.

Lake Day!

Our friends Josh and Sara and their daughters Avery and Riley took us out on Lake Austin!  It was a perfect day with beautiful weather, decent waters, and few boaters!

Avery showed off her wake boarding and surfing skills!  This girl has talent!  Matt got up and surfed goofy footed!  He did an amazing job considering it has been years since he surfed!

We passed by the 360 bridge (iconic to Austin) and Ski Shores restaurant which was packed. 

We also came across some great art on the lake front.

The Barkers

We enjoyed spending several days with Matt and Diana in Austin. We are hoping they come back to Sugar Shack soon.

One of my priorities was to fix my hair! I had not had it colored in over a year and it was a HOT MESS!  

Wendy at Deseo Salon has been taking care of me for over 27 years!

Restaurants and Eateries

There were several places we HAD to visit including: Maudie’s, then Torchy’s Tacos, Taco Deli, Hula Hut, and Rudy’s BBQ.

Hula Hut dinner with John and Missy!

And it would not be an Austin visit without a stop at Amy’s Ice cream!

Our stateside visit was been packed full of good friends, great food, and fun adventures.  We are so blessed!

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events. 

Matt and I visited the stateside (OK and TX) the last two weeks of March.

I played hard in LA and SFO.  Check it out in the last blog post.