A Week Aboard S/V Sabado: 6/30/2024 – 7/7/2024 

Hi, guys! Our latest video was a Patreon exclusive, but we plan to get a new public video up next Saturday. 

As most of you know, this week, Hurricane Beryl destroyed Carriacou, Petite Martinique, and the Grenadines- the islands we called home this time last year. If you feel inclined to contribute to their rebuilding efforts, follow this link to find which avenue is best for you. We’ve been most impressed with this organization’s immediate action in the islands. 

Last Sunday, we dug out the epoxy and sealed a crack in our generator exhaust elbow. This isn’t our preferred repair method, but it’ll work until we return to civilization. 

We’re still anchored in Raroia, Tuamotus. Since we have a long-stay visa, we’re in no rush to leave this beautiful oasis. Although we have gotten used to spending our days snorkeling, picking some sort of local basil variant, and cracking open coconuts, this week has been different. We’ve been hunkered down, waiting out a prolonged period of high winds and passing squalls. The silver lining? We’ve seen incredible rainbows multiple times a day! 

We’ve been keeping ourselves busy at home, cleaning, baking, and occasionally enduring a wet and bumpy dinghy ride to our friends, Bryan and Jen’s boat anchored nearby. It’s been so nice reconnecting with them, and as the cruising lifestyle goes, we’re not sure when we’ll see them next after this, so we’ve been soaking up the quality time while we can. They share beautiful photos and videos on Instagram (@thedangerz), so be sure to check them out! 

It has also been nice sharing resources as our supplies onboard continue to dwindle. Here are a few of this week’s exchanges: 

  • Two thick slices of banana bread for a jar of homegrown sprouts 
  • Two rolls of toilet paper for a hunk of yellowfin tuna
  • A container of homemade vanilla ice cream for a jar of fresh ginger shots 

Additionally, we’ve switched off hosting meals, with everyone contributing components. This way of life has become so fulfilling. Though stressful at times, there is joy and satisfaction in helping others and being helped. 

The four of us celebrated the Fourth of July together as two American boats abroad. In an attempt to combine boat life with classic American cuisine, we created the dogtopus, or perhaps, the octodog. If you think of a better name, please let us know.

When you’re in the middle of nowhere, holidays are easiest to celebrate through food. Hot dogs are Ray’s favorite, and we had a package in the freezer. I learned how to make soft, fluffy buns from scratch, and we all had a good laugh trying to figure out the best way to eat them. 

By Friday, we were feeling a little stir-crazy, so we took the dinghy to shore between squalls. We decided to make the trek to the windward side of the atoll. I am fascinated by the geography here. These atolls were formed when volcanic islands sank, leaving behind the ring-shaped reef that had grown around it. Over time, the volcano eroded away, leaving a lagoon in its place. Dead coral, shells, and sand built up atop the remaining barrier reef, creating these small islands called motus that separate the lagoon from the open ocean. 

We wandered around, searching for treasure. In remote places like this, there is no telling what could be washed up on the beach! We found several old fish aggregation devices, a beautiful purple sea urchin shell, a bunch of eels (and a million crabs!), but nothing that would help fund our next haul-out. 😉

A dark storm cloud appeared, and we knew our time on shore was limited. We began the journey back to our dinghy but didn’t make it before the rain started. We huddled under a tree and waited it out while the laundry we had hung out to dry back on the boat undoubtedly got soaked. We call that “an extra rinse cycle.” We popped back up on the lagoon side of the atoll, a ways away from where we had begun. So, we waded through the shallows, keeping an eye out for curious sharks until we reached the beach we had anchored off of. If you plan to spend time out here, invest in a good pair of water shoes! Even the sandiest beach we’ve seen here still has sharp chunks of coral and shells hiding throughout. We’ve been managing with wet tennis shoes and flip-flops, but it’s been a bit uncomfortable. 

We made it back to the boat just in time to watch our laundry go through another rise cycle. 

Thankfully, the rest of the day was extra-breezy, drying most of our laundry before dark. Ray popped some popcorn, and we watched a movie while the wind continued to howl. 

Yesterday was Bryan’s birthday. You’d think they’d be sick of us by now, but we were invited over for his birthday brunch. We shared eggs, biscuits and gravy, bloody marys, and champagne. Later, we came back to Sabado for the finale: creme brûlée. Bryan mentioned that it was his favorite dessert a few weeks ago, and I have been rationing our eggs and cream since then to make sure we had enough to make some for his birthday. It was a total hit and an absolute treat! 

That afternoon, the weather took a turn for the worse, so we slept off our over-indulgent meals at home, opening and closing the hatches as the rain came and went. We met back up for sundowners at their boat, then turned in early for bed. 

Today, the sun is shining, but the wind has stuck around. Our friends are moving on, but we may stick around longer! I hope you had a great week. ❤️ 

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