Cruising Nomad

Musket Cove, Malolo Island, Fiji

2025-10-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

Musket Cove, Malolo Island, Fiji

M/V Nomad

2025-04-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Nomad underway in Fiji.

Thanks Garret for video. https://youtu.be/Dl0EPSDjcDg

Gizmo the Shellback Boat Cat

2024-01-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

We crossed equator this morning, Gizmo is no longer a pollywog.

Sailing toward Marshall Islands

2024-01-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Departed Fiji waters Tuesday our time. Headed for Marshall Islands. Light winds so a bit slow going.

1500 nautical miles for this trip.

Update, fairly comfortable except for a few squalls to keep us alert.

Starlink working great.

Starlink

2023-12-20T12:01:00.000-08:00

Starlink working great in Fiji.

Get one month free with this link https://www.starlink.com/?referral=RC-15123-20232-40

Good in New Zealand or Australia.

2022-09-11T04:35:00.001-07:00

Back in Fiji. Finally got out of cold wet New Zealand. Very happy to be back in the tropics and nice warm weather.. Back to the cruising life!

Boat did great, no issues, new 14kw lifepo4 batteries and 2kw solar panels doing stellar job, better than expected. Starlink not working in Fiji, rats, but have good cheap cell service.

Checked in at Vuda, caught up with some friends and will head to Musket Cove for the Regatta this week.

Gizmo the boat cat has adapted very well, first couple of days of passage she was not too well(like us) but sprung back up third day and got her sea legs very quickly.

2020-07-29T15:04:00.004-07:00

Holding in Whangarei, New Zealand until the world gets back to almost normal.
Will more than likely stay here until May or June 2022.
Plenty of Boat projects to keep Chuck busy.
Lauri has plenty of Social and art groups to keep her Busy.

2020-03-24T20:50:00.003-07:00

Social Isolation..........

New Video, Rotuma Island, Fiji

2019-09-29T19:50:00.003-07:00

2019-08-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

Photos of WWII Japanese airplane on Maloelap Atoll, Marshall Islands.
This atoll was a fortified Japanese base in WWII.
We believe all of the airplanes in photos where destroyed while on the ground.

2019-05-13T00:15:00.001-07:00

Wotje Atoll, Marshall Islands

New Video

2018-10-31T19:07:00.003-07:00

Enjoying Fiji, have explored the west islands up to the top of Yasawa.
The weather on this side of the country is nice, sunny days, cool nights, very little rain.
Met some new friends and will be prepping to head north to the Marshall Islands.

Back in the Saddle

2018-08-16T03:55:00.000-07:00

After an eight month sabbatical from cruising in cold wet New Zealand, it is now we are just about to land in Fiji on "new" Free Spirit..
Renewed our cruising vows and will be cruising and upgrading/improving boat to our standards for reliable, comfortable cruising the South Pacific and beyond!
I will try to update blog as much as possible and look forward to creating some new videos.

NEW VIDEOS

2017-10-31T18:18:00.001-07:00

We've been traveling through the South Pacific, haven't updated blog in a long time, but here are a couple of videos form Vanuatu.

2017-04-19T18:31:00.005-07:00

We've really enjoyed New Zealand. Getting ready to head up to Vanuatu in a few weeks. We have our wonderful, blue water proven "Free Spirit" up for sale! Please check out all of her new equipment on the separate page of our blog! Free Spirit details

You can also find her on Yachtworld

On Our Way to New Zealand

2016-11-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

We departed Fiji on Sunday(Saturday in the states) and are steaming toward Opua, New Zealand.
It has been mostly motoring(expected) and will be for the first couple of days. Then we will time our arrival into NZ between weather systems that are so common down there.

We departed with our buddy boat "Learnativity
" with Wayne and Christine aboard and have been in sight of each other so far.
We are about 20 degeers 31 minutes South, 175 degrees 43 minutes East.

Cheers
Chuck & Lauri

New Video....Fulaga, Fiji

2016-09-29T01:21:00.003-07:00

New Video

2016-08-11T23:29:00.004-07:00

Okay, not so new, this is from Tonga, August 2015. I just got around to finishing it.
Still a lot more video/pictures to process, tough to do when I'm lazy and enjoy relaxing.

New Video

2016-08-03T13:16:00.002-07:00

We are anchored at Taveuni Island, Fiji.
Took a day trip with our friends Malcolm, Dina and Zophia from s/v Good As Gold to waterfalls and natural waterslide.

New Video Page

2016-04-27T15:09:00.001-07:00

I added a link on the right to video page....
We are currently back in Majuro, doing necessary repairs and provisioning for our trip south to Fiji. Hope to be underway in a week or two.

Milestones

2016-04-08T13:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of milestones; we passed the 10,000 miles traveled since Long Beach and have been "off the grid" for over a year since leaving Mexico. Have not been plugged into power or water so we make our own electricity from solar or diesel generator when there is not enough sun. We desalinate seawater for fresh water.
We are currently anchored at Rongerik Atoll, an uninhabited atoll, beautiful, been out for five weeks now, have visited several atolls, seen lot's of interesting things, amazing sea life, WWII remnants, including a crashed Japanese Zero fighter and sunken ships and have met some local inhabitants, interacted with them, even took a ride on a sailing canoe.
Our plan is to be out for a couple more weeks, next stop Bikini Atoll....Yes where the hydrogen bombs where tested, break out the lead undies....oh wait a minute, we're already sterile, no worries!
Should be back in Majuro(civilization) in two to three weeks, will have internet again and will try to update blog with pictures.
Ciao for now.

Update

2016-02-29T16:06:00.001-08:00

I know, I know.....no updates.
We have been lazily hanging out at the Majuro Atoll in the Marshall Islands.
With a U.S. post office here, we have ordered many, many items for us, and to replace/upgrade electronics etc. on the boat. There are a couple of real nice hardware stores too, so spending money isn't a problem.
There are other cruisers here, so a social scene at the main island and a real nice anchorage just 5 miles away for solitude.
We plan on leaving in two days for a six to eight week tour of some atolls north of here, Maloelap will be our first stop. Real nice snorkeling there.
We will try and catch this blog up to us..........we have internet here, just need to find the time..ha!

Dichroic Glass Pendants!

2016-01-19T16:57:00.003-08:00

New Dichroic Glass Pendants available on Lauri's Jewelry page. These pendants are one of a kind, fired on the boat using solar power! Go to my page to see what is available! You will need to page down a little bit.

Back in the Northern Hemisphere

2015-12-11T19:09:00.000-08:00

We are enroute to Tarawaw Kiribati from Nanumea Tuvalu.
Crossed the equator at 19:00 UTC, 7:00 AM our time.
Very good sailing conditions, one of the more comfortable passages we have made.
We are enroute with five other boats scattered apart but we keep in contact with SSB radio.
Our plan is to spend Christmas in Kiribati with the other cruisers.

Enroute to Nanumea

2015-12-01T11:40:00.000-08:00

We are half way (125 nm) to Nanumea.
NIce conditions, a bit lite for wind, we have sailed and motored(about 10 hrs motor last 24 hrs.)
Lauri was on watch last night and saw some kind of bio-luminescent jelly fish or something....she was impressed.
We are meeting up with a few other boats at this atoll and will wait for good wind to continue to Tarawa, Kiribati.

C