THE EXPEDITION CONTINUES: Aldebaran post confinement

It was almost surreal when quarantine was ‘relaxed’ here on April 29th. French Polynesia’s COVID prevention measures were extremely effective: there were only 60 cases on the is-lands, no deaths, and there hasn’t been a single new case since May 5th. Though they were slow to lift bans on inter-island travel, suddenly we had the freedom to move again, and a whole new appreciation for movement of every kind! We went surfing, snorkeling, paddleboarding, and enjoyed sailing, even if only 10 nautical miles up and down the south coast of Tahiti-iti. Particu-larly, it felt so good to go to shore and walk again, an oddly foreign feeling for two humans that had been locked down at anchor for 40 days! 

We have been focusing on what is important to us: connecting with the ocean, keeping ourselves happy and healthy, putting time and love into boat projects, communicating with loved ones, and building community, which is what spawned the idea of creating this newsletter as an outlet to keep ourselves con-nected with those that we care for, even from this far away chain of islands in the middle of the South Pacific. 

So what will we do with ourselves now? We are inspired and motivated to explore more, and we know Aldebaran is ready to spread her sails and take to the sea. Inter-island travel is once again allowed in French Polynesia. Therefore, we are in prepa-ration mode to sail back to the Tuamotus, this time on our boat, first destination Tikehau. 

We look forward to welcoming friends aboard Aldebaran for legs of our Tuamotus expedition.