We are Sylvia and Frans, living on a sailboat in the South Pacific with our 2 sons (Dylan and Jayden), couple of guitars, several surf, wind and kite boards, a ton of books and a nice little wooden train set for the boys!
Read more about our sailing adventures over last 8 years, or join as crew! www.oceannomads.org
Sailing back to New Caledonia - it was great to return to this wonderful country on 'Moet', this time with 2 children with us. We have been living on board and travelling by yacht for almost 9 years now in the Pacific, and feel we could spend a lifetime here and enjoy the place and the people as much as we do now. From Tanna in Vanuatu to Noumea was a fast trip for us, 270 miles in 50 hours. It was great just to have a short passage after the two long ones. Dylan couldn't believe how quickly we saw land again! Some dolphins came to greet us on our way in. Flipping, spinning and diving under the bow, welcoming us into the lagoon. We saw them again a week later in exactly the same
... read morePapua New Guinea is a crazy place. I've seen dogs swim half a mile across the harbour to escape the torment of their owners. We've tied our boat up to a jetty and had wizened old men and women with black teeth try to sell us gold and parrots. And when I took a local boat to Alotau I experienced the genoristy of the wantok system and was treated by the owner as well as if I had been one of the family. This is a record of the 4 month journey we took in the Louisiade islands of PNG on our sailboat in 2003. We arrived in Budibudi, first landfall in PNG, in February and were greeted by a pod of pilot whales, happily swimming and puffing around 'Moet'. Budibudi is as picture perfect a
... read moreLandfall in Port Vila, Vanuatu was made by Moet and her crew on Wednesday 25th September, 7:00am Island time. After 7 days at sea land was a treat - warm showers, cold beers and finally somewhere to stand on that wasn't moving! We were escorted into Vila bay by a pod of about 20 dolphins, dancing around the bow in the early morning sun calling to each other and playing in our wake. It was a perfect welcome to Vanuatu. This is a record of the trip we made on our boat 'Moet' to Vanuatu in 2002, so if you are planning to sail to Vanuatu yourself, or to travel overland, I hope you find it enjoyable and informative! So by now the crew have been well initiated into the experience of boat life. Frans and
... read moreThe colours of this place are amazing! The finest whitest sand and some of the bluest seas we have seen in the Pacific. Visited New Cal in 2003 and going back in September 2008 for a few months of cruising, swimming, surfing, kiting and swinging happily at anchor. Things I loved about New Caledonia: - buying warm crossiants from the market and having a big bowl of chocolat chaud - surfing the reef breaks - one time a pod of dolphins joined me on the wave! - hiking from one side of Grand Terre to the other - cycling around Isle of Pines - sailing from motu to motu and in Bay du Prony - hanging out with crazy local rodeo champ Tino who brought us big beautiful lobster direct to our boat in the morning
... read more