Since sailing to Japan in June, subsequent to a VERY thorough clearance, we have had FOUR unexpected visits from officials requesting information, paperwork, photographs, and to board and inspect Totem—in just four weeks. 😖 Why? And why does it matter?🤷‍♀️

AWESOME ENERGY at this festival in Fukuoka! It's a UNESCO "Intangible Cultural Heritage" - feeling very lucky to experience Hakata Gion Yamakasa during our stay. NB: feed preview is cropped, recommend clicking to view full frame.

Where our fellow cruisers at?! Tell me you're cruising without telling me you're cruising. We'll start: This morning, I floated/removed about 100 weevils from this quinoa, because when will I be able to buy quinoa again?

Next stop: Japan! 🇯🇵

This is a steal of a deal!

Lamotrek (Yap state, Micronesia) is amazing and I wish we could stay for weeks and weeks and weeks! Departing for Guam on Sunday.

Need a brain cleanse from the headlines? Steal away and join our Micronesian passage on Totem for a bit!

It is hard to communicate the sheer awesomeness of the WALL of coral on the pass into Ahnd atoll. Heading out to drift-snorkel the pass again today.

Micronesia, sprinkled with lush green islands and… not so many greens! This salad lover did not fully appreciate how few fresh fruit and vegetables would be available for our months in this beautiful region. What to expect, and what we're enjoying.

Beach walk at Ahnd atoll: watching black tip sharks in the shallows, spotting coconut crab in the littoral palms, marveling at the crashing seas in the ocean side of the reef.

What Is NOAA? - A Primer

New luff track going on today! UV damage thoroughly cooked the old one in less than 5 years. 1. Everything on a boat is consumable 2. Routine maintenance ✅ 3. Exotic location ✅ 😜

Sailors: remember how the GFS weather model tanked in comparison to what other countries offered during the 45 administration?

Fun fact: forgetting the date is 100% normal when cruising, and we're sometimes kinda proud of ourselves for guessing it correctly. Go Nica! 👏😆

THIS! it is SO much work - and at ever stage, not just the "routine maintenance in exotic locations." yes, we love it and woudln't want it any other way. OK, except maybe the sorta less work way? Well captured, TBG!

Home for February: Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. Totem is on the right.

Sailing towards a sunset again, cleansing breeze and golden light making all feel perfect and beautiful for just a little while. 500 NM to Pohnpei, more or less

How lucky am I?! Snorkeling in the Marshall Islands, seeking cephalopod friends to commune with in the tide pools on the ocean side of the atoll. We've been waiting for the trade winds settle; next week has a window to depart, we hope, to Pohnpei, Micronesia (as in, Federated States of).

WHOA #menugoals We're adapting our own very different Thanksgiving here in the Marshall Islands. There was turkey? More at www.sailingtotem.com/blog/a-cruis...

Friday tiki cocktails with my new bottle of delicious Rosalie Bay rum. Rum, coconut liqueur, pineapple juice, creole orgeat, frozen pineapple and coconut water ice cubes. Shake it til you hear it go to foam; dirty dump into a glass with sea life on it. I’m calling it the Turtle Egg.

New picture of our floating home, Totem, might be my favorite - even if you can barely see the boat! Taken in Majuro, Marshall Islands

How it's going: coaching and consulting to help others embrace life on the water. Currently cruising in micronesia.

Thirteen years in: college kid returns for winter break in Mexico's Sea of Cortez, two teens still boatschooling aboard

How it started: our family in 2008, setting sail for a sabbatical aboard our sailboat Totem. Little did we know 🙃 Eight years in: most of a circumnavigation complete, hanging in the cockpit in 2016