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We are a couple who took a leap of faith, sold all our land possessions, and bought a sailboat. Our goal is to live more deliberately and sustainably while continuously traveling around our beautiful planet. Join us here for inspiration, practical tips and tricks, and direct engagement with us to make your dream lifestyle a reality. Discover sustainable living, sailing lifestyle, travel tips, and eco-friendly travel ideas to inspire your journey.

Sailing Life

  • Top Places for Cruisers in America Samoa

    By

    Scott Birdzell

    on

    Everywhere we stop there are local businesses that tend to be more helpful to us than others.  We don’t live in a house, so we need some unique items to keep us going.  When your cruising takes you to America Samoa, and it should, these are some places we recommend you check out. In addition to these businesses, don’t miss the top sites in America Samoa for a complete experience.

    A beautiful image of Pago Pago harbor from high atop Mt Alva. You see the harbor with puffy clouds and the amazing blue water of the Pacific Ocean

    Boat Stuff

    Mee Won Commercial Fishing Store – If you’re looking for something for your boat, we recommend going to Mee Won.  If they do not have it, they will know who might.  From Pago Pago, take the bus to “Leone.” Tell the bus driver where you are going, the first time, because by the time you see the sign they will be passing it.

    Niel’s Ace Hardware – This is a local home hardware store just like ACE all over the world.  They have a ton of stuff there but what we found interesting was plumbing, electrical (wire), cleaning supplies, oils, and stainless items.  Most of the time when Mee Won doesn’t have it, they will send you to Ace.  Take the local bus to “Leone” go past Mee Won, you can’t miss it on the right.

    Car Quest – This is an American brand auto parts store.  They are also a Caterpillar dealer, so you can get a fair amount of diesel parts there.  We found this to be the best place to get marine batteries as well.  Mee Won has a Chinese brand of batteries.  Honestly, I have never owned that brand, so I can’t say good or bad.  Take the local bus to “Tafuna” and get off at the second traffic circle and turn left.

    Local Activities and Hikes

    A panoramic view of the facility from the ocean. This is a beautiful structure made of local materials by local artisans.

    Tisa’s Bare Foot Bar – Every Wednesday Tisa hosts a traditional meal cooked in a Umu, right onsite.  You need to make a reservation ahead of time and the cost, at the time, was $65 USD per person and well worth it.  Additionally, if you are looking for a place to swim, snorkel and/or hang out on a beautiful beach, Tisa’s can accommodate this as well.  Super cool place with an awesome vibe.

    National Park of America Samoa – Did you know that this is the most southern National Park in the US National Park system?  If you are in America Samoa, you need to stop by and check out some of the sites.  To ensure you spend your time wisely, we recommend visiting the National Park Visitor Center, located in Pago Pago.  The wonderful young ladies who work there can help you plan your trip.

    NOAA America Samoa Observatory – We did not make it to this spot.  However, we spoke with many people that did.  The short story is the NOAA has four of these incredibly special observatories and one of them is on America Samoa.  You must make an appointment for the tour, but we hear it is worth it.

    Blunts Point Battery – We love hiking, this is one that is walking distance from the anchorage.  If you find the laundry mat, the trail head is just behind it on the left.  Once on the top of the ridge you will find old WW II gun placements.

    America Samoa Cable Car Memorial – America Samoa had an incredibly unique feature in the 60s and 70s- a cable car that stretched all the way across the harbor. However, in 1980 there was a terrible accident. This short hike takes you to the lower end of the cable car and represents a good way to stretch your legs as it is a steep, but short, climb to the memorial.

    Tauese PF Sunia Ocean Center – This is a great stop to learn all about the ocean and its conservation around America Samoa. They offer displays and on certain days of the week they show films inside a super cool auditorium. This is a short walk from the anchorage and a nice way to spend some time inside when it rains. Did we mention it rains a lot in Pago Pago?

    America Samoa Public Buses – This the best and most entertaining way to get around America Samoa. For $1, sometimes a little more depending on the distance, you can get anywhere on the island. Most of the places we have mentioned here you will take the “Tufuna” or “Leone” bus. But there is also a “Seahawks” bus that will take you to the furthest point west. If you are not sure, just ask. Pro tip, the names on the front of the buses are the villages they are going too which you can look up on Google Maps. Or Samoan’s are super freindly and happy to help you find your way – so ask someone. We met some really amazing people on our bus rides – you will too.

    Sadies Thompson Inn – Straight acros the street from the marina is this little gem. They have a full bar with a pool table! Also on site is the fanciest restaurant on island, check out their menu, you will see what we mean.

    Two Dollar Beach – This is another great place to hang out when the sun is shining and you need to get wet.

    Provisioning

    Cost U Less– This place is amazing, a site for soar eyes that have had a tough time provisioning.  Cost U Less is a small version of Costco, a US brand warehouse style retail store.  “Buy in Bulk and Save.”  You can be the judge of that.  However, we do recommend that you know the Bio Security requirements of the countries you will make landfall not too much further down the road. We would hate to hear you had all your pork chops confiscated. Take the local bus to “Tafuna” and stay on it for a while.

    TSM Mart – The Commander of Tartaruga deemed this place the best place in Samoa to get perishables.  It also has an excellent selection of grocery items, make sure you take your bags.  Easy enough to get there, just take the local bus to “Tafuna.” Just past the first traffic circle you will see it on your right.

    Shipping

    United States Post Office Pago Pago – Next to provisioning most cruisers come to America Samoa because they need somethng shipped from the US. As the Soggy Paws compendium points out the US Post Office in America Samoa recevies US Priority shipments rather quickly. However, there is a caveat to that. As per local employees, if during the sorting process at a postal facility, the machine thinks there is a lithium battery or “could” be a lithium battery then the package is removed from air travel and put in a container. That means shipping by boat and it takes two months – or MORE. You will not know this has happened because this information is not in tracking, but the local US Post office can see it in their system. Here is our advice. If you’re buying electronics ship it to a freind in the US. Then have them take the item to a place that can ship US Priority Mail directly to you, in Pago Pago. The difference here is that Amazon doesn’t describe what is in the package, however a person will have too becase the package is being shipped “apo/fpo”. We did this once and our package arrived very quickly, actually faster than any Amazon package.

  • Lightning Strike – Our First anchorage aboard Tartaruga

    By

    Scott Birdzell

    on

    The feeling of terror

    First came the sound. The kind that makes your heart skip a beat, launching you into action while every fiber of your being is paralyzed with terror. You know what’s coming next. It’s deafening, louder than any rock concert or auto race I’ve ever attended.

    Then comes the light. So blinding you can’t keep your eyes open. It’s like the largest camera flash just went off right in your face. The kind of light you can feel the heat from, raising the hair on your arms—and everywhere else. It brings with it a distinct taste, the taste of pennies. This lasts only milliseconds, but the result is devastating.

    What began as a celebration of our transition to our new boat ended in a catastrophic lightning strike. A bolt struck our VHF antenna, towering several feet above the top of our mast. I know this because, as these sensations played out, I was making my way to the salon to help Tami load as many electronic devices into the oven as possible. I looked up through the deck port light and watched, ever so briefly, the Finger of God strike our mast. As horrifying as that was, it only got worse.

    Panic – Are we sinking?

    In that brief moment, the light brought darkness. I ran up the stairs to find Tami on the floor, shocked while holding the oven handle. We lay on the floor, in total darkness, as the storm that came out of nowhere, with no warning, continued to unleash bolt after bolt all around us. My mind was racing. I thought the strike had to exit the boat somewhere—please don’t let it be the hull. But there was no way to check as the storm raged on for what seemed like an hour, but was only minutes.

    The next sound we heard was our buddy boat on the handheld radio I didn’t even realize I was holding, let alone had turned on. “Hey man, I think you guys took a direct hit. Are you okay?” “Yes, we’re both alive and very shaken up. The boat has totally lost power, and I have no idea if we’re sinking.” I first peered over the side to see if the bilge pumps were pumping water out, especially the side with the earth ground—a large copper ingot grounding the entire boat. No water, but then again, there’s no power, and who knows if they’re even operational anymore. We frantically ran through both hulls with our flashlights, confirming no water was entering the living areas. This meant we were either extremely lucky or the watertight bulkheads were working, but we had no idea how much time that would buy us.

    We needed the motors, just in case, but what if the water was covering the motors and we turned the key? I know from experience that this can be catastrophic, so I turned the key to see if the panels would light up. Our first win—the panels survived, meaning the start batteries were working. But we needed some light.

    What about the lights

    As I moved around the boat, it felt like I was walking on shards of glass, but there was no glass. I located my multimeter and started testing circuits. Nothing, no voltage—again and again. I finally got to the batteries, our beloved Battleborn lithium batteries. They all showed voltage, the correct voltage for the last state of charge—they appeared to have survived as well—but still no power. I quickly realized the battery cutoff switch had been damaged, and luckily, we had a spare switch.

    After replacing the switch, we confirmed power to the panels, and the LED ceiling lights came on—win number two. That’s when we realized the shards on the floors were actually pieces of switches, fuses, and LEDs the strike had blown to pieces as it barreled through our home. If we weren’t overwhelmed by the actual event, the amount of damage would have pushed us over the edge.The Damage

    The Damage

    The damage was incredible. We lost every piece of our navigation package—chart plotter, control heads, anemometer, radar—everything, even the wiring. Anything that touched the wiring in the mast was destroyed. The inverter charger I had just installed—toast. All the navigation lights and deck lights—gone. To make a long list short, everything would have to be replaced. A cruiser’s worst nightmare come true.

    The list of things that survived, beyond Tami and me, was equally long. We had our health, and the dogs survived. Poor Tessie, who had recently gone blind, could only listen to the screams of her master—a scream I never want to hear again. The boat engines did start. There weren’t any exit holes in the hulls of the boat. It will take time, but we will get her fixed up and move on. Nothing in this life comes easy. Was this perhaps Neptune’s test for us as we just took ownership of Tartaruga? Whatever the case, I wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone.