Here’s a photo of the unique 53ft ” Pakia Tea” from the air, a Wharram designed catamaran. The traditional Polynesian style design has great airflow on deck for the tropics.

The rigging and cross-braces are all secured with traditional rope seizing. Adding a modern flair is the huge solar array that sits on two roofs, making it the first all-electric vessel we’ve seen in our trip: the boat is propelled by twin electric engines, run by a large lithium battery.

The owners are from Austria: Tom and Sonja (along with five year old son Keanu) who previously taught marine biology, and now welcome guests on their boat (www.planet-earth.at).

Tom helped us get setup with the excellent “Open CPN” navigation software, along with Satellite Overlays, which are super helpful for navigating in shallow coastlines.

We buddy boated with them from the Galapagos to Gambier; although Aldebaran stopped in Pitcairn, and Pakia Tea stopped in Easter Island. Now it was time to say farewell; perhaps we’ll reconnect in the Tuamotos a few months down the line!