So here we are . . .3,6003 feet in the air, halfway to Honolulu. This is the first part in our long flight to Palau, our home for the next year.  It all feels quite unreal. Only 6 months ago we were coming home after 1 month in Palau, fairly certain we would never be back. Funny how everything can change with just one  event or one thought.

We are excited and nervous and just plain unsure of what will happen next. We've shipped eight, 18 gallon containers filled with our personal items to Koror via the United States Postal Service. We've shipped 12 boards and other equipment via ocean cargo carriers. Though the plan is that we rendezvous with all of our stuff, inside we are a bit afraid that we may not get all of it, maybe any of it, or maybe not for months. This whole shipping internationally thing is all new to both Shauna and I.

Oh, did I mention that this whole "leave everything and travel half way around the world because of some crazy idea in our heads,"  is all new to us as well? But, why not? Why not take a chance? Why not try? Better to try than to play it safe and look back later with a sack of "what ifs" in your lap.

Ok, along with our Jimmy Lewis Boards, Starboard SUPs and Quickblade Paddles, we'll have a few Werner Paddles available.

The Advantage paddle from Werner is constructed with Premium laminate fiberglass and has a balanced blade design which is smooth and powerful. Great shape for straight ahead tracking. The fiberglass oval index shaft adds comfort, control and is lightweight, stiff and durable.

* Mid-size tear drop shaped blades reduce torque.
* Improved straight ahead efficiency.
* ABS Palm-style grip for a good fit and controlled strokes
* Light weight with Werner's bomber durability

So, there was a bit of a swell here in Santa Barbara today, but we headed out to try a new board.  It's made by GLS in Oceanside.  We're considering it for our rental fleet.  I took out an 11 footer, which normally comes as a 30" wide board, but this was a custom one and it was 32" wide. 

Wow, the board was so stable even in the swells, I had no problem getting up and feeling good and not like I was going to fall at any moment.  They make the board for Jr. Lifeguards, rental fleets, beginners and camps.  I can see why.  I'd guess there is a high success rate in a very short amount of time.

I wish I could have gotten my sister out there, since she's really new at SUP'ing, but it was just too early in the morning. :)  Anyway, these boards are considered the safest stand-up-paddle boards available AND they say they have the endurance and performance of the more expensive SUP's!  I can't really speak to that at the moment, since I've only just tried one, but I was impressed.

So, we went tree climbing last week in Oregon.  It was a blast and we'll post pictures soon.  That was our last semi-major trip before our departure on November 16th.  From now until then, we have so much to do. 

We found what we think might be a great board for our new adventures in Palau.  We are looking for a really durable board, one that is easy to be successful on - where anyone can do it, and one that doesn't mind getting banged around some.

So, the boards we own are from Jimmy Lewis and we love them.  But a bit too expensive to throw a bunch out there.  So, we've stumbled across these GLS Soft Paddleboards.  We've emailed the folks in Bend and we may head to Oceanside this weekend to try them out.

Today was another day of preparing for our move to Palau.  Most of the preparations today were in getting this website up.  We have so much information to add and really, so little time.  See, once we get to Palau, the internet connection is quite spotty, so we want to get a bunch of content and images uploaded before it takes 3 days to get one image posted!

Today is September 3rd, 2008.  Rachel and I have purchased our tickets - one-way tickets, that is - to Palau.  Yep, we're diving in, taking the plunge and just going for it.  See, we recently picked up the sport of Standup Paddling and we recently returned from a month-long adventure in Palau.  So, we've decided to try both at once.  We're heading to Palau to start a business, rather an adventure, called Standup Paddle Palau.