Caribbean or South Pacific?

By Nicole

There comes a time in every journey when you reach a major fork in the road—a juncture where two completely different paths diverge in front of you. Sometimes the choice is obvious, but sometimes you’re forced to choose between two amazing opportunities, both of which will challenge and inspire you. In those rare instances, how do you possibly choose? Flip a coin? Consult the Magic 8 Ball?

Perhaps you just go with your gut.

We’ve spent an incredible year and half cruising the beautiful and diverse west coast of Canada, the U.S., Mexico, El Salvador and Costa Rica. And now that we’ve arrived in Panama, we hope to keep exploring for a few months before we’re locked into a decision on what to do next. That is:

Do we transit the Panama Canal and enjoy the gin-clear water, sandy beaches and laid-back lifestyle of the Caribbean?

--OR--

Do we “puddle jump” across the vast Pacific Ocean and explore the remote, tropical islands and atolls of fabled Polynesia?

Well, we’ve given the decision tons of thought, and right our gut is saying we should cross the Pacific! But just for good measure, I asked the Magic 8 Ball, too. It responded “Yes,” so I guess that settles it.

The Caribbean is undeniably beautiful and cruiser-friendly, but we can’t shake the feeling that we want more. We want to cruise somewhere remote and unspoiled, somewhere slightly outside our comfort zone, somewhere that virtually every sailor dreams of going—the South Pacific. Besides, Aaron’s had Red Stripe in Jamaica, and now he wants to drink Hinano in French Polynesia.

Of course we must include the caveat that everything about cruising is, by its very definition, written in sand at low tide. Until we actually set sail westward, anything could change. But that doesn’t mean we can’t start dreaming and planning and getting ready for 25–35 days at sea (and countless days in paradise), right?

South Pacific, here we come!