Checking in From Out There
"I remember the sun rising over the peaks and the spicy floral smell of the island; the giddy feeling that we had actually sailed our home to the South Pacific." That’s Livia Gilstrap‘s recollection of making landfall in the Marquesas two and a half years ago aboard the Victoria, BC-based Wauquiez Pretorian 35 Estrellita. At the time, she and her boyfriend Carol Dupuis intended to make New Zealand at the end of that same season. Not surprisingly, though, that game plan was radically readjusted several times — especially because these young cruisers were able to get long stay visas for French Polynesia in two consecutive years.
A note from Carol and Livia came in this morning just as we were fine-tuning plans for the 2014-2015 Pacific Puddle Jump season. Having finally pushed west from French Polynesia recently, they’ve been exploring the tiny island of Niue and the Kingdom of Tonga: "We swam with whales in both places and have been picking our way through the maze of fantastic anchorages and kiteboarding spots in Tonga." Nice.
Look for more on Estrellita in upcoming Latitude 38‘s, and if you have an urge to head west yourself, check out details of the 2015 Pacific Puddle Jump rally in November’s Sightings. Online registration for the 2015 Jump will begin in mid-November via the PPJ website.
