Sailing on Midnight Blue: More Pictures from Fanning Island Trip

The basketball court and soccer field just up from the pier where we landed our dinghy daily.

Finally making some time to post a few more of my many pictures from our trip to Fanning Island (part of the chain of the Line Islands, and part of the nation of Kiribati - pronounced 'kiribas'). On our first day there, they had several classes of canoe races - we were amazed at how fast these things sped across the lagoon. All the while the men sailing them were bailing out the water filling in from the cracks...

Outrigger canoe sailing race -- ready to start!

Several times we went exploring across the lagoon in our dinghy -- being careful to avoid the super shallow sand flats. The whole lagoon is nearly 9 miles across at the furthest - so we'd make a day of it. But we still didn't get to some corners of the lagoon!

Picturesque spit on the far side of the lagoon.

Many days were spent at the surf break on the ocean side of the island. When the surf was up, I became surf photographer, in between playing with the kids that would join me to hang out and watch Timmy surf.

the *beach* on the ocean side was really just piled up coral & rocks -- getting in & out of the surf was tricky - beware of staph infections if you get cut!

The folks who lived in the house at the surf break - the boy, Mata, would bring us coconuts :-)

Playing catch & learning to juggle

Jungle girl

this was one of our favorite girls - she was a tough cookie!

We could see the surf break from where we anchored for the second half of our stay on Fanning. We were across the cut, in a protected bay.

Surf's up!

We could also see the cruise ship when it anchored outside the cut one day. Nearly a thousand visitors descended on the island - where there were no facilities for them to use, just trinkets to purchase and sightseeing tours by truck around the island.

Holland America's *Westerdam* ship -- it was BIG!

Midnight Blue at anchor in the second spot across the channel.

We made some good friends - here's bruno showing off his new *cottage* - also known locally as a kiakia. These are the typical houses the locals use for sleeping in, then there is usually an open area for eating and cooking and hanging out.

the unfinished version of the new kiakia

the finished version - super cute!

Below is the kia kia (one of Bruno's several guest houses that he rents) we stayed in the night we spent on land was called 'fare Nancy' - I think my sister would have loved it.