Category Archives: Locations

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The Abundant Treasures of Alinginae

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We had so much fun exploring the outer islands of Alinginae. We walked 10 islands and found some great treasures.

The first island we visited was Ucchuwanen Island.  Our friend told us he found lots of glass floats here.  We ended walking over 5 miles, searching through the bush, rocks, and debris.

We found one 6” float, one rolling pin, and 9 various sizes of small floats.  It was a big haul out for us!  Read about the origin of glass floats in our blog “Rare Japanese Glass Floats.”

Animal Treasures

A large coconut crab hid inside a dead tree stump. 

These coconut crabs taste absolutely delicious.  However, we let this one live despite our desire to have him for dinner.

A log of birds, bird nests, and babies can be found on several islands. 

I love this fuzzy baby bird.  His mama sat on him to keep him warm and happy.

Remnants of a whale washed ashore on the windward side of the island.  It was a heartbreaking find.  The head, jawbone, ribs, vertebras, and jaw were laying on the beach.

Whale carcass on Alinginae

Whale carcass on Alinginae

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events. 

We visited Alinginae in late January.  Our last blog post has a lot of gorgeous photos of Alinginae’s waters.

The Blues of Alinginae

The Blue Hues of Alinginae

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Alinginae is a relatively small, uninhabited atoll. There are only 25 islands that total 2.8 square kilometers (1.1 sq. mile) that enclose a lagoon of about 105 square kilometers (40.91 sq. miles). Its location has the atoll positioned east to west making it hard for cruisers to go there as there is not much protection from the tradewinds.  We  were the 4th boat to visit the atoll in 6 years.  A true pleasure and adventure for us.

Only yachties get to visit this pristine atoll as there is no other way to get here.

Ailinginae supports habitats and species that are otherwise vanishing from earth. At present Ailinginae’s continued protection is essential for the survival of many species and habitats and related natural and cultural values in the Marshall Islands.

In Route to Alinginae

Our sail from Rongelap to Alinginae was gorgeous!   During the passage, we had 1-1.5-meter seas coming from aft of the boat.  The winds were a modest 15-17kts making this a downwind sail.  We put our large parasail (170 sq meters).  She is such a pretty sail!

A strange thing happened about half way through our passage.  A number of birds circled the boat looking for lunch.  But one strange bird got tired and landed on the boat.  In the past, several birds have landed on the boat and rested.  But they usually land on the life lines or the bow peaks.  Today’s silly bird landed on the mouth of our spinnaker.  He only stayed for 10-minutes.

We arrived Alinginae after a 6-hour sail, dropped the hook and enjoyed a stunning sunset.

Sugar Shack anchored at Bokoryuren Island.  We take the dinghy 3 miles in each direction to explore more islands.

We were the 4th boat to visit Alinginae over the past 6 years. Can you believe that?  This atoll is difficult to get to.  But it is really pretty!

Beautiful Blue Hues

The color of Alinginae’s lagoon are a variety of blue hues.  Simply breathtaking!

The islands are lush and teaming with wildlife.

Our blog runs 4-6 weeks behind actual events. 

We stayed in Alinginae during the last part of January 2025. 

Don’t miss out on the beautiful sunsets and sunrises of Rongelap – read our last blog post.

Sunsets, Sunrises, and Beaches of Rongelap

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Rongelap provided us with some of the most spectacular sunsets and sunrises.   The colors were always stunning regardless of what side of the atoll we were anchored at.  I wanted to share some of the beauty we experienced during our visit to Rongelap.

We visited in January when the sun set around 7p-730p and rose around 645a-715a.

Tufa island is located in the southern end of the atoll.  The sun rose in front of the boat and set behind her.

I can’t decide if I like the golden hues, the red, the purples, or the blues better.  We always tried to watch the sun set but we did not always get the sun rises.

Beaches of Rongelap

My favorite spot to cool off is tucked into a corner of Tuff Island.  Soft sand, cool water and beautiful scenery.

The color of the beaches ranged between white to pink.  All of the beaches had beautiful crystal-clear turquoise waters lapping at the shoreline.

Some of the sand was soft and mushy while other parts had hard packed sand.  It was a king tide when we visited so the water covered the beach each night and left pristine sand.  We almost did not want to walk on it.

Some beaches had hard coral while others had small pieces of broken coral.  Coral and rocks always cover the windward side of each island.  

All of it adding to the pure beauty of the beautiful Rongelap atoll.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  We visited Rongelap in January 2025. Did you read about the rare Japanese glass floats that we found in the Marshalls?