Tag Archives: passport renewal

Returning to Society

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Matt and I spent 3.5 months in the outer atolls of the Marshall Islands.  It was an adventure to “get away” and experience remote living.  However, we were low on provisions, fuel, propane, and beer which means time to return to society.

We planned to return to Majuro around mid-to late February.  This limits the amount of time we have to spend in this anchorage. You can read the reasons why we don’t like this anchorage here and here.  But we have to endure the industrial anchorage in order to go shopping.  

Uliga Anchorage

The main anchorage is incredibly industrial and packed with supply ships, tankers, derelict boats, and lots of defunct, rotting equipment near shore.  It does not make for a scenic spot.

This is a far cry from the peaceful, scenic anchorages we’ve been in for the past 4 months.

Majuro Errands

We had a lot of errands to do in Majuro but tried to limit our time in the actual anchorage.  We anchored at Eneko and Enemonit when we were not running errands.  Here is our to do list:

  1. Fuel Station for both gasoline and diesel
  2. Propane depot to refill our propane tanks
  3. Markets for food, fresh produce, and beer
  4. U.S. Embassy to pick up Christine’s passport
  5. Bikini  Island offices to collect our refund
  6. Rongelap Island Office to give her drone photos of Rongelap, Rongerik, and Alinginae
  7. MOCIA office to discuss updating the Outer Island Permit for them
  8. NTA the local telecom company to get our local SIM card activated
  9. Post Office to update the phone and names on our PO box account. Pick up parcels
  10. Police Station and Ministry of Finance to get a Marshall Islands Drivers License
  11. General Shopping: hardware, marine, miscellaneous…

Fuel

We mostly sailed between the atolls and did not use very much of diesel.  However, we used a lot of gas as we took the dinghy to a lot of the surrounding islands inside each lagoon.  Sweetie, our dinghy went through 35 gallons of gas and we returned with 7 gallons.  $315 in Diesel ($5.25/gal) and $132 in gas ($6.60/gal).

Propane

Sugar Shack has (2) 4kg (8.8klb) bottles and (2) 9kg (20lb) bottles of propane.  We use propane to cook, bake, and grill.  It had been awhile since we filled our tanks and we were running low.  We took the (2) 9kg tanks to be filled to the closest and most convenient place.  However, when we arrived they informed us that they ran out of propane the night before.  Ugh!  So, we had to taxi over to the only other place called Marshall Energy Company.  They filled our two tanks for $76 and we were on our way!

Provisions & Markets

We were so low on provisions. The boat was completely out of fresh produce, cheese, milk, eggs, butter, peanut butter, beer and snacks.  No snacks!  We had plenty of meats and pastas.  We did not do a “full” provision run because we only have 6 weeks left on the boat.  Matt and I are both coming to the U.S. so we did not want any food to go bad while we were away.

The one ship I won’t complain about…the Costco delivery ship.

U.S. Embassy

My passport expires in October 2025.  It is not a big deal to renew your passport if you are living in the U.S.  However, renewing it while living abroad can be a challenge.  Lucky for me there is a U.S. Embassy here in RMI.  I completed and submitted the application in October 2024.  The new passport was ready for pick up in early December.  However, we were hundreds of miles away from the embassy at the time.  Against regulations, they agreed to hold my passport until I returned.  So,  when I returned in January, I scheduled an appointment to bring in my old passport to get a hole punch and picked up my new one!  Excellent.

It sounds silly to renew your passport one year before it expires, right?  Well, most countries require at least 6 months on your passport.  It was too risky to get it in the U.S. with a short visit.  There is no embassy in Kiribati or Tuvalu.  And I would not have the full 6-months left as we entered Fiji.  So, I had to renew a year early.

Government Offices

Can you believe I have errands with multiple government officials?  Here is the list:

  • Bikini Government Office:  Matt and I paid $250 USD to visit Bikini Atoll for 1 day.  We knew it would be unlikely that we would go for just one day.  However, we had to pay for 1 day for the option to go.  In the end, we were not able to sail to Bikini so we asked for a refund.  To our surprise they agreed to refund us $200 of the $250 which we consider a win!
  • Rongelap Government Office:  The woman in charge of the permits is incredibly nice.  We offered to take drone shots of her three atolls: Rongerik, Rongelap, and Alinginae.  So, we stopped by to drop off a SIM card with all of our land and aerial footage.  She was over the moon excited.
  • MOCIA Office:  This office is in charge of issuing most of the outer island permits (except Bikini and Rongelap). Chief Mabel, the woman in charge, asked if we would help her revamp the application.  We’ve been working with them to perfect this new online form.
  • NTA Telecom:  I had to visit the main office to reactivate my local SIM card and load it up so I have connectivity while on shore.  It also allows me to make local calls and have local businesses call us.
  • Post Office:  We have a “virtual P.O. Box” so we can receive mail and parcels here in the Marshall Islands.  Did you know that USPS is the mail service in the Marshall Islands?  Yep, the USA provides the mail service here.  Anyway, I had to update our phone number and remove one of our cruising friends from our account.  Plus we had lots of packages delivered from Amazon!

Drivers License

A new drivers license is not something I need, but rather something I want.  Why? Well, why not?  It is pretty easy to get a Marshall Islands drivers license.  You go to the police station on Tuesday or Thursday and fill out a form.  Then you go to the Ministry of Finance to pay a $20 processing fee.  A quick return to the police station to show your receipt and take a photo.  Five minutes later you have a colorful Marshallese drivers license good for three years!

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events.  We returned to society in early February 2025.  See what it is like to sail between the island chains in the Marshall Islands.

Marina Papeete Sunset

Tahiti Madness Part I

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A big part of me dreads coming to Tahiti.  First, because it is the epicenter for the pandemic.  The majority of the cases in French Polynesia are in Tahiti and people visiting this area have brought the virus back to the outer islands.  So, we have to be extra careful here to avoid catching covid.  Second, it means we have tons of chores, errands, and tasks which are exhausting.  And third, we will be spending loads of money.  It is why I call it Tahiti Madness when we come here.  A whirl wind of organized chaos and this visit is no different.

We arrived in Papeete around 10:15 from Huahine.  We had hoped to arrive much earlier.  In retrospect, we should have left on Sunday and arrived on Monday, but you know, hind sight is 20/20.  Our goal was to find a slip at Marina Papeete so we would have easy access to the downtown stores for a few days.  Then we thought we would move out to the anchorage and finish the rest of our errands from a different location.

The wind was blowing pretty darn good causing white caps in and around the marina.  Not a good sign as it can be challenging to maneuver the boat into a slip in those conditions.  But we got lucky as our friends on Garulfo helped us into the slip (after two false starts).  

Off to the Races – Day 1

After we secured the boat, we had to run to an appointment with the U.S. Consulate.  We were scheduled to meet him at 1100, but missed that time.  He graciously said he would wait for us if we could get there before 1200.  Well, that ruled out the bus because their schedule is on island time.  So, we hopped in a cab for the 10-mile journey.  $30 later we arrived, hopped out, and ran to the photo store to get Matt’s passport photo.  Then upstairs to the U.S. Consulate. (Stay tuned for a blog post called “Passport and Visa Mess” coming soon)

It was a huge relief to get that passport renewal process started.  Once we returned downtown, we headed for the marina office.  We needed to let them know we arrived, pay for the slip, obtain a security card, and load money on another card for our electricity and water.  Super nice folks at Marina Papeete!  Now that we are legal we headed to a late lunch because we were starved.

After lunch, we swung by two sporting goods stores to see if they had a volleyball and volleyball net for our friends in Gambiers (Herve and Valerie).  Remarkably, we found both, noted the prices and headed back to the boat. We needed to confirm with them that they still wanted these items and had not bought them since the last time we were there.

Marina Work

Back at the marina, Matt took advantage of the cheap water and washed down the boat.  It was incredibly salty from our passage and needed a good rinse.

As Matt was working on the outside, I was working on paperwork for our long-stay visa renewals and Matt’s passport. 

Before we knew it, it was time for the net and I was net controller.  As I’m wrapping up the net, I hear someone tell Matt that we have to move.  We are in their private slip.  Seriously!  Ugh.  I wrap up the net quickly, enlist our friends on Garulfo again, and we move 4 slips down on the same pier.  This spot was taken earlier so we were super happy it was available now.  The winds had virtually stopped and with the help of our friends, we eased in with no issues.

To wrap up our first day of Tahiti madness, we had happy hour on Garulfo.  It was a short night as we were exhausted from the lack of sleep during our previous passage night.

Tahiti Madness – Day 2

We slept long and hard waking up refreshed and ready for our busy day.  There was lots of ground to cover so we got started early.  Left the boat at 0730 and headed for the industrial area which is 1.2 miles away.  Matt needed to purchase bearings for the water maker.  Lucky for us, the guy had exactly what we needed and within 5 minutes we were walking toward our second stop, the Champion grocery store.  This will be the first of many grocery runs.  Back to the boat to drop off the first load.

Ocean 2000, a marine store was our next stop.  They close at 12n so we had to hustle to make it there on time.  We picked up the red button for the Yamaha kill switch, teak oil for our exterior wood, fuses, some other bits.  On the way back toward the boat, we stopped in Maxi’s which is a store where you can buy food in bulk (like Costco or Sam’s).  We had to be careful here as we could only buy what we could carry.  Unfortunately, we went overboard buying in bulk (minced garlic, snacks, ziplock bags, salsa, peanut butter, etc…).  Will have to come back for round 2.

Loaded down, we started the long walk back to the marina.  On the way, we made one more stop to Olympian Sports to buy the volleyball net and ball.  It was on the way, but seriously I needed a break from carrying the bags.  We continued on to the marina and unloaded our 2nd load.  This photo shows only the first load, we return to the market and bulk store the next day and the fresh market right before we left Papeete.

The Madness Continues

A quick lunch at the market, and off we go again.  We are in full blown Tahiti madness mode.   A mile later we arrive to Sing Tung Hung another marine store where we grab a few items.  Then we stop at Ace hardware (2 stores) for more boat supplies (cleaning agents, brushes, silicone, blue tape, etc…). A quick stop at the bank for local currency and back to the boat for the 3rd time.

Finally, back at the boat, but we are not done yet.  The sun is still up and there is work to do.  Matt starts working on removing the main sail.  (Look for the post “Main Sail Maintenance” coming soon).  As Matt is working outside, I work on stowing our goodies.  It’s not as easy as you’d think as we remove all packaging (cardboard attracts bugs), label all lids with content and expiry date, wrap blue tape on all metal items (cans), and then stow it safely on the boat.

We walked over 8 miles today, most of it schlepping bags.  No wonder my body is protesting!

Sunset in the marina

Coming up next, more of our Tahiti madness adventures.

Events from this blog occurred on 21 October 2020.  Our blog posts run 8 weeks behind our adventures.