Sailing Kaihanu

Majuro, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands |

A little assortment of Majuro memories from the last few weeks. 💕

Birthday parties, parties just because, a DJ coming to town, good friends, good times… and, because apparently life in Majuro wasn’t quite entertaining enough, helping pull a boat off the reef! 😆

In between all that, I squeezed in some boat projects, tried to break my pinky toe on a deck fitting 🥴, and had the sweetest surprise run-in with Jasia, the student Anna and I tutored in math. 🥰

Have I mentioned how much I dislike these bloody westerlies?!?!

They certainly know how to keep things interesting. 🌬️🌊

Anyway, enjoy a few snapshots from life in Majuro lately. 🏝️💕

Majuro, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands |

Oh, and I forgot to mention…

It was absolutely imperative that the crew of the superyacht check out some of the local dive sites before taking their guests out. Obviously. 😜

So we headed back to my favourite place… Calalin Pass.

And it did not disappoint!

Hammerheads, reef sharks, huge Napoleon wrasse, dogtooth tuna… the underwater cast of characters was impressive. 🦈🐟

We may have, however, mistimed the tide.

So instead of gracefully drifting through the pass, we spent a good portion of the dive holding on for dear life while the current tried to whisk us away. 🤣🌊

Definitely one way to make a dive memorable!

Great fun!!! 🤩

Majuro, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands |

Then this group of absolute nutters came into my life… the crew of Douce France. 😝

This superyacht needed a little help getting shipshape, so I did some stretches, warmed up my polishing arm, and spent a week helping them get the boat sparkling for the owner’s arrival and upcoming charter.

In return, I got something far more valuable: a brilliant bunch of humans to spend time with.

There were some great karaoke evenings aboard Douce France, plenty of laughs, and, of course, another stunning Marshallese sunset or two. 🥰🌅

Not a bad way to spend a week in Majuro!

Majuro, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands |

After learning the reality of those yucky westerlies, it was time for Jovan to head home.

With Jovan gone, I settled back into Majuro life, and what better way to do it than celebrating the 4th of July with a birthday bash for a friend at the Australian compound, Wallaby Downs. 🇦🇺🎆

All my favourite Majuro friends gathered together, and it was such a fantastic night! Good people, plenty of laughs, and of course… those spectacular sunsets. 🌅

After weeks of exploring the outer atolls, it was lovely to be back amongst my little Majuro community.

Back to island life. 💙🏝️⛵️



Kai spotted by Jonas on shore rocking and rolling in the anchorage. Jovan and I decided this was super uncomfortable and went sailing instead!

A Majuro icon…the windowless church

Jovan got to have his last dinner in Majuro with the Misco Beach Yacht Club crew 🥰

Time to say goodbye 🥺

Happy birthday, Claire!!!

Love this girl!!!! 😍

Just another magical Majuro sunset!

Majuro, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands |

On our last afternoon at Calalin Pass, we went ashore and met the landowner, Daniel, and his cross-eyed kitty cat.

If you’ve never seen a cross-eyed kitty… OMG. Is that not ridiculously adorable?! 😻

We asked Daniel if we could take a stroll along the shoreline and eventually came across this boat that had washed ashore.

Then Daniel suddenly appeared from the coconut trees and started laughing at us!

Turns out we’d taken the long way. 😆

We sat and chatted with him about the new-to-him boat, and then he showed us a shortcut back through the interior of the island.

What a beautiful way to end our time at Calalin Pass. 💙🏝️

Majuro, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands |

We had a second crack at the underwater dream at Calalin Pass… and it absolutely did not disappoint! 💙

This time we got an incredible close-up encounter with a scalloped hammerhead, plus a beautiful big nurse shark cruising by. 🦈

Jovan also spotted some very promising-looking crays. Unfortunately, they were considerably better at escaping than we were at catching them. 😆

So… no lobster mornay tonight!

Still, another spectacular few hours beneath the surface. I could get very used to this. 🤿💙

Majuro, Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands |

It was hard to leave Mili, but Jovan’s flight was looming and we had a party to get back for.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately for our social calendar, the party was delayed.

So we found ourselves with a few unexpected days to bliss out at Calalin Pass. And what a gift that turned out to be!

The snorkelling was quite possibly the best I’ve ever experienced.

Huge, healthy coral. Fish everywhere. Spotted eagle rays gliding through the blue. And sharks… so many sharks! 🦈

On one three-hour snorkel alone we saw gray reef sharks, blacktips, whitetips, a silvertip and even a scalloped hammerhead!

And then, as if the reef hadn’t already shown off enough, we found a whole garden of spotted garden eels gently bobbing in the current. 💙💙💙

Three hours underwater and I still didn’t want to get out.

It was an underwater dream come true.

A little drift dive at Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbwLAuETHtr/?igsh=NmZjcTIwdXp1b2Y5

Tokewa, Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands | The next day we went for a drift dive in the pass… Wooooo weeeeee! 😳🌊 I think we may have mistimed the tides because that water was MOVING! Instead of leisurely swimming around, we spent much of the dive hanging on tight and letting the current do the driving. 🤣 But there was a silver lining. Being swept along meant I had to slow down and really notice the little things around me. Tiny reef creatures tucked into the coral, while the bigger guys cruised past in the blue. Sometimes the ocean decides the itinerary for you. All in all… a fantastic dive! 💙🤿 #SailingKaihanu #DriftDive #ScubaDiving #UnderwaterPhotography #MarshallIslands

Tokewa, Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands |

The next morning we packed up, said goodbye to the wonderfully dodgy-looking “narco boat,” and made our way back to the pass we’d entered through a few days earlier.

This time, instead of passing through, we dropped the anchor and went ashore to explore the little village.

We arrived just as the church service was beginning, the sound of singing drifting across the lagoon.

After checking in with the local policeman and asking permission to anchor off the motu, he proudly showed us the copra operation behind his house. It was fascinating to see where the copra journey begins. I’d toured the Tobolar factory back in Majuro and seen the final processing stage. Here, on this tiny island, I was looking at the very first step, where coconuts are dried into copra before being shipped to Majuro for processing into coconut oil and other products.

It’s amazing how this small backyard operation connects to an industry that supports communities across the outer atolls.

After wandering through the village and soaking up another glimpse of life on the atoll, we headed back to Kaihanu.

Then it was time to spread out the charts, compare notes, and plan our next underwater adventure.

Narappu, Mili Atoll, Marshall Islands |

While exploring our new island and admiring the wonderfully homemade-looking “narco boat,” we noticed the conditions on the outer reef looked just about perfect.

Masks on. Fins on. Off we went.

What a snorkel!

Blacktip reef sharks cruised by, huge schools of parrotfish drifted over the reef, giant clams flashed their iridescent colours, and enormous corals clung to deep ravines that disappeared into the blue abyss.

We drifted along for hours, completely immersed in this underwater world.

Days like this are why I sail. 💙