Sailing with Pussycat & Boobies (Ontong Java to Micronesia)

Six days across the equator from the Solomon Islands to Micronesia, with a cat, a hitch-hiking red-footed booby, 40-knot squalls and a midnight reef pass that spat us back out to sea. Our longest ocean crossing yet: we left Ontong Java in the Solomon Islands bound for Kapingamarangi Atoll in Micronesia, tacking upwind towards the equator. The easy sailing didn't last. Torrential rain and gale-force squalls hit night after night, and with no windscreen we were drenched for most of the passage. Then a red-footed booby moved in on the solar panel, Solly the cat signed on as deck crew, and the equator crossing turned into a party. At Kapingamarangi there's only one way in through the reef, with currents up to six knots. We tried it at night, one engine cut out, and we spent the next 12 hours drifting outside the atoll waiting for the tide. (A note from us: Solly loved her fish dinner, but we've since learned cats shouldn't eat a lot of raw fish. It contains thiaminase, which destroys vitamin B1. Please don't copy us!) 00:00 Leaving the Solomon Islands for Micronesia 01:21 Is Solly seasick? 02:46 A night of squalls 04:14 Hit by 40-knot winds and torrential rain 05:20 The calm after the storm 07:29 A red-footed booby hitches a ride 08:58 Solly joins the deck crew 11:54 Tacking towards the equator 13:28 Crossing the equator! 15:34 Fish for dinner (and why cats shouldn't eat raw fish) 16:41 Arriving at Kapingamarangi Atoll 18:01 Night entry gone wrong: adrift for 12 hours 19:56 Safe at anchor 🎥 Episode 1 – Sailing Micronesia · Watch the series in order: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYjxERb_kNZk 📍Location: Ontong Java (Solomon Islands) → Kapingamarangi Atoll, Pohnpei State, Federated States of Micronesia (1°04'N 154°46'E) 💡 Become part of the crew on PATREON ☞ https://www.patreon.com/c/onceuponareef ☕ Support Our Journey ☞ https://buymeacoffee.com/onceuponareef 🌍 Follow us: 📸 INSTAGRAM: @onceuponareef & @wheres.poppy 🎥 Poppy's YouTube Channel ☞ https://www.youtube.com/wherespoppy 📧 BUSINESS INQUIRIES - onceuponareef@protonmail.com Hey there, we're Ryan and Poppy, a couple of adventure junkie sailors out to explore the most amazing reefs and islands in the world. We hope by documenting everything this lifestyle encompasses, we will inspire, raise awareness and support on going research to do our part in protecting these natural life systems. Subscribe if you're on board! #sailing #Micronesia #sailingcat