Dirtiest Diesel Ever & Our Routine in Paradise (Sailing French Polynesia)

Nikki Wynn

Oct 7, 2018 — 3 min read

We’re creatures of habit. So, it should come as no surprise how little time it takes to slip into a routine. But, not all routine is bad…especially when it’s in paradise.

As full-time travelers we’re hyper-aware of routines. As a general rule, we try not to let ourselves slip into one. We’ve all heard the famous quote, “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine; it is lethal”. I think the routine Paulo Coelho is referring to, is the one that keeps us in our comfort zone.

The warm embrace of our comfort zone can be challenging to part with. It’s a safe place where we have a false sense of control. We humans create a routine because it feels controlled and predictable.

What little feeling of control or predictability Jason and I had left, we threw out the window when we bought a catamaran to go sailing about the world (with zero experience). However, stepping outside the comfort zone doesn’t have to be quite this dramatic. Any form of travel is an adventure that takes us outside our comfort zone.

So, creating a routine in a completely new environment is a small adventure…because it’s not yet predictable.

We’ve been anchored here in Hiva Oa for a little over a week. Most of our time has been spent cleaning up Curiosity, sourcing replacement parts and catch up on the massive pile of editing, emails and work that amassed while we were sailing across the Pacific. But, the other slice of life, the really good bits, have been spent slipping into island life.

Click the play button and we’ll take you through our little routine in paradise. Oh, and as the title gives away, we also discover we have a batch of the dirtiest diesel we’ve ever seen. Its good and gunky!

I still can’t get over how early they get going here in the Marquesas, and how early they call it quits. Who knew island time was 5 – 11 am? But oh, the bounty of fresh foods you can score around 6am is legendary!

I honestly didn’t expect the local produce to be this good. I’d heard tales of the massive grapefruit but had no idea we would find such an agriculturally rich gold mine. Our vegetarian hearts were in constant cartwheel mode. Add freshly baked $0.65 cent baguettes to the mix and now I know why everyone calls this place paradise! If I didn’t have a bad case of sedentary lifeaphobia, I might join the tiki gods and call this place home too.