We've spent the last few days enjoying Musket Cove. It's our third time in Malalolailai's largest anchorage, and it feels like home. We are gearing up for our upcoming passage to Vanuatu, so we've spent the mornings inspecting and deep cleaning Helios, the afternoons enjoying long lunches at the cafe and hiking around the island, the evenings breaking bread and hanging out with friends at the beach bar.

We are upping anchor in a few minutes to head in to Latoka for our final provisioning and completing our departure paperwork. We made our rounds in the dinghy this morning saying final good bye's to boats we've been cruising with since we first arrived in the Marquesas 18 months ago and boats we've grown close with during our travels in Fiji. Not surprisingly, the experience was something of a tear jerker.

But after a final jump off Helios' deck and into the lagoon, we comforted ourselves knowing that our passing sadness is only a testament to the good times we've had. Not to mention we still have eight weeks of tropical cruising, a few new countries, and many more adventures ahead.