We’re going, we’re going, we’re going. Can’t believe I’m going to actually do that hideous sailing trip again. Did I not learn anything the first time, about seasickness, terror, feeling stupid, out-body experiences because the reality was too much? I’ll just think of sunrises, flying fish (can’t be miserable when you see a little fish fleeing across the surface of the ocean) and opening a bottle of champagne on arrival. It can’t be as scary the second time. Can it?

When I came back from our 2015 South Pacific trip I said to Dean that I can’t return to the Pacific again unless it has some meaning other than sipping wine on the back of our boat. Well, this year I’ll be doing my Master’s in Development Studies, hanging out at the University of South Pacific in Suva and outer islands. I’ll be looking at the linkages between climate change adaptation and development.

We’ll leave some time in May, and return in November. Avoiding the cyclone season doesn’t have the same surety as it used to, thanks to human-induced climate change…but that’s for another time. For now, it’s time to head back to uni to expand and deepen the world once again, and to our excel spreadsheet with an endless list of boat things to do.

PS…Just to keep it real, I thought I’d share this photo of Dean unblocking our toilet!