After four years of sailing around the islands of the Carribean, we were ready to cross the Panama canal the gateway to the Pacific.

On april, we departed the island of St Martin with a fair wind and within 5 days, we reached the city of Colon. A record for this type of sailing boat : 272 miles in 24 hours with an average speed of 11.3 knots.

The Panama canal is a trip unto itself : passing through the locks, sailing through the freshwater lakes of Gatun and Miraflores in the company of crocodiles.... Jubilence and festivities reign on board with the crossing of the Bridge of Americas on May .

The Pacific Ocean lays before us : Las Perlas Islands off the coast of Columbia, the Galapagos Islands where we share our anchorage in Puerto Ayora with seals and where we encounter giant tortoises and enigmatic iguanas.

On May 25th, we leave  the island of Cristobal and head for the Gambier Archipelago which we reach 19 days later. 

From a feeble wind at the start, the breeze gathers strenght with each passing day and ultimately, we had no calm.

Near the Elizabeth and Pitcairn islands, the sea becomes rough : it is impossible to moor, so we steer north towards the Gambier Islands in the direction of Mangareva. Through the night, we have a strong and chilly wind of 50 to 55 knots.

The next morning, we sight Akamaru, our first landfall in the Gambier Archipelago and French Polynesia. 

We continue our journey through the Pacific to the Austral Archipelago, stopping at Raivavae et Tubuai.

We sail heroically against the wind to reach the Marquesas Islands at the beginning of December through the enchanting atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago : Tahanea, Katiu, Makemo, Raroia.

We ride out the hurricane season in the Marquesas, spending Christmas and New year's eve in the company of other yachting friends.

On our way back to Tahiti, we lingered in the Tuamotu atolls of Tahanea, Fakarava, Toau for several weeks. 

In July, we reached Huahine, where we have begun a new adventure which we hope you will share with us.