In the Track of the Trades The Account of a Fourteen Thousand Mile Yachting Cruise to the Hawaiis, Marquesas, Societies, Samoas and Fijis

The story begins with a restless yearning for sea, as the crew leaves the industrial haze of Southern California and heads for the Pacific’s endless horizon. Within days the schooner drops into the sparkling harbor of Honolulu, where the scent of plumeria, the sound of conch shells, and the swaying palms greet the newcomers. The first act paints daily life on the island—morning sails, evenings of hula and drum circles, and the thrill of catching reef fish fresh from the surf.

From the Hawaiian archipelago the voyage pushes onward toward the remote Marquesas, a chain of rugged cliffs and verdant valleys that feels untouched by time. Here the narrator describes towering volcanoes, coral‑stone villages, and the striking tattoos that mark the islanders’ identities. Encounters with local chiefs, traditional dances, and communal feasts reveal a culture both fierce and welcoming, all captured in the author’s own photographs.

Throughout these early pages the tone remains one of quiet awe, inviting listeners to feel the wind in the rigging, hear the ocean’s roar, and share in the simple, vivid moments of a fourteen‑thousand‑mile journey across the heart of the South Pacific.