Mainland Visit

To all thee concerned and not so concerned - James will be visiting Ohio for the holiday season. He'd love to hear from you and even go out for a beer or two. So send him an email or call his mom and dad's house!

callahj2@gmail.com

Mele Kalikimaka!

The Swan Passage: Episode III

The much anticipated final episode of the Good Ship Evening Star trilogy has finally arrived. To recap events leading up to Evening Star III - Captain Dark and the First Mate Jimmy have set out on a voyage to deliver the Good Ship Evening Star from Savusavu, Fiji to the Port of Bundaberg, Australia. Along the way they encounter glass seas, fierce winds, and wash machine seas. Nearly 7 days at sea the ship nears the French Island Territory of New Caledonia just as an unforeseen circumstance comes to play.

Parts One and Two of the trilogy can be viewed in the previous entry.

P L A Y video "Evening Star III" 04:25

The Swan Passage

The month of June brought about the swan voyage of the good ship Evening Star, a 45' trimaran. The vessel was moored in the port of Savusavu, Fiji Islands and needed to be delivered to Bundaberg, Australia. Our journey was to be the last passage for her Captain as the boat is going up for sale. It would also be the last passage for her Crew, as James momentarily departs from his swashbuckling ways to make studies at the University of Hawai'i.

The crew included James "Jimmy" and Bob "Captain Dark." Together we would sail just under 2000 miles non-stop to our port in the Land Down Under. The conditions idealic. The Southeast trade winds would push Evening Star all the way to Australia as we sat back and watched the world go by. Our biggest concerns would be the wind and what to eat. Ticking away the days we would find life aboard to go buy very easily. We would talk about women, the weather, and food. We would watch the stars each night and the swells in the day. Though sometimes just when things are perfect a bada-bing, bada-bang, bada-boom sneaks around the corner. Afterall, the best laid plans of mice and men of times gang aft aglay.

The following collection of videos tell the story of Evening Star's Swan Passage. Please click on the link below to view part one: "Never begin a passage on a Friday"

PLAY Video "Part I" (.mp4/18Mb)

Part II "An Unlucky Circumstance" has arrived - stay tuned for the final episode in the trilogy.

PLAY Video "Part II (.mp4/6.7Mb)

iQoliqoli Management

At the beginning of the year I had the opportunity to work with a Conservation Society in Fiji. The organization is working with communities on Vanua Levu (second largest Fiji Island) to educate and collaborate on ways to preserve near shore reef systems. As it is, Fiji is extremely fortunate to have mostly healthy coral reef systems unlike many other places in the World. Thus, the work was based on preservation rather than nursing the ecosystem back to health. Below is a short clip of Ratu Ravulolo, the highest chief of the Kubulau District speaking of the neccessity for protecting their iqoliqoli (n-gollie-gollie). This is a defined fishing ground that is governed and cared for by the people of the District. The fishing ground is a source of income mainly through Eco-Tourism. The Kubulau People declared a marine protected area within their iqoliqoli which means no fishing and has thus has fostered an abundance of marine life making it a hot spot for dive tourism. As it stands today, anyone wanting to dive in the Marine Protected Area must first pay a small fee before the diving. The money then goes to scholarships to send children from the district to school and even University.

PLAY Video "Ratu Ravulolo" (.mp4/5.2Mb)

The Star Reach Conclusion

Dear Swashbuckler Fans,

As some of you may know and others not as much, I began my swashbuckling ways aboard the sailing yacht Star Reach. It brought me to Savusavu, Fiji where I unknowingly pursued how to be a Fijian. Walk slowly on the street, eat plenty of dalo, fish, and pineapple, hold my own in grog fund raisers, smile, bula shirts, and love rugby sevens are just some of the bits that consumed me, not to mention Fiji Bitter. I departed Fiji in late November aboard Star Reach for Auckland, New Zealand. It was a 10 day sail, and along the way many interesting things occured which I can't possibly share. However, I would like to share with you a small part of the journey in the following video clip. It was an excellent sail with two very fine individuals.


PLAY video "s/y Star Reach" (.mp4/13.3Mb)

Fly Guys

There are those of us in the world who swat, spray, smack, and even stick those pesky buzzing insects we call flies. They love to prance on our freshly laid picnics, perch on our bare feet, and even sometimes take a bite of our tender flesh. Yet, there are a few in the world with a passion for such small creatures. Their sole job is to collect, classify, and understand the behavior of the fly. They travel the world from the jungles of Brazil to the islands of the Pacific in search of new flies. Recently, some fly guys visited Fiji and invited me to join them for a morning of fly collecting high in the mountain rainforest. The result of their visit was the identification of some 40 new fly species and one that is only found on continents, suggesting Fiji separated from a continent millions of years ago.

I invite you to take a look at a moment in the life of a fly collector. As you will see it requires excellent vision, a quick hand on the fly net, and lasting patience. Sometimes though other bugs are discovered - check out this newly discovered spider.

PLAY FlyGuys Video (.mp4/12.7MB)
PLAY Spider Video (.mp4/7MB)

Hassling the Hoff

On a casual Sunday afternoon stroll leading to the Maritime Museum I bumped into the professional American entertainer, David Hasselhoff. For those of you new to the name, he's the dude from the popular television series, Baywatch. I was particularly surprised to have had this occasion as he's plastered all over Australia on Pepsi Cola billboards. A massive celebrity in Australia, David Hasselhoff is one not to be missed.

Some Background:
Below is a rough cut of Dave's appearance for a local Sydney radio station promotion. At the time of the recording Sydney was experiencing some racial riots at a nearby beach between European Aussies and Immigrant Lebanese. This temporarily resulted in the closure of some beaches. Also included are three girls contesting for the Pamela Anderson titty run. There was a competition for the guys as well though filming became impossible.

PLAY video (.mp4 / 9.2MB)