My journey—rooted in personal experience, scientific exploration, and global connection—has been shaped by curiosity, community, and a lifelong commitment to helping others live well.
It is hard to believe that six months have passed since I returned home from my Double X sailing trip. If you’ve been following my blog, you know it certainly wasn’t the trip we expected, especially with El Nino testing the mettle of both boat and crew.
After a shorter-than-expected journey, I’m back home in Southern California. It was a wild ride during the three-plus months we were out at sea.
Our visit to Huahine, Moorea and Tahiti was an emotional one for me. It not only marked the end of our Double X sailing journey, but also triggered a flood of memories of my earlier trips to the islands as well as my father’s deep love for the South Seas and his efforts to protect its beauty and majesty.
![A Firebird crew member holds a delicate coral inadvertently broken off by our anchor chain during our passage from Bali, Indonesia, to the Cocos [Keeling] Islands, January 1977. With today’s warmer, more acidic ocean waters in the South Seas, it’s been difficult to spot vibrant coral like this during the Double X journey.](https://drsamrehnborg.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/5_13-rtc_small-768x501.jpg)
We certainly had a grand time on Tahaa and Raiatea visiting with friends and touring the islands. Of course, I
Our next stop was Raiatea, a sister island to Tahaa. Both islands are enclosed by a single coral reef and, at one time, may have been one island.
Our sailing itinerary has changed yet again thanks to weather that has gone from dicey to downright unsafe. We had to give up on venturing out to relatively uninhabited areas where I was looking forward to exploring the land and talking with the islanders about what was happening in their corner of the world. Weather conditions dictated that we stick to the beaten path, so we passed on visiting more isolated atolls in the Tuamotus and set a course for the Society Islands. Our first stop: Bora Bora.
You haven’t received much news from me, not because there isn’t anything happening, but because we’ve been through a weather washing machine for the last few weeks.
On August 22nd, we bid farewell to the Marquesas, setting a course from Fatu Hiva to Fakarava and then on to Rangiroa, the two largest atolls in the Tuamotus. It’s a three-day sail, about 600 miles, between the two island groups.
The first time I visited the Marquesas Islands was 41 years ago on board the Firebird. I was a young man ready for adventure and, after reading Herman Melville’s Typee and Thor Heyerdahl’s Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature, I was captivated by the islands I imagined, and I was eager to visit. When we arrived at Nuku Hiva, the first of the islands we visited, I was awe-struck by the land’s beauty. I couldn’t take enough photos.
It is August 15th, and it has been 11 days since we dropped anchor at Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands. Both Rod and Zack have left for the States to return to their day jobs, while my wonderful Francesca arrived just a couple of days ago. I’m so happy she is finally here, but also glad that she didn’t join us on the crossing as it was really a wild 19-day ride across the Pacific.
It is the evening of July 26th, and we are just about to enter the doldrums. As I look out at
The Double X crew officially set sail for the South Seas on July 16, 2016, passing under the Golden Gate Bridge at precisely 12:30 p.m. It has taken over two years of preparation and a healthy dose of persistence, but it has been worth all the hard work. In fact, it’s nothing short of a dream come true.
Reflections from Dr. Sam
Personal wellbeing isn’t just about you or me. It’s about the people around us, our family, friends and the greater community. Taking care of yourself, nurturing your connection with nature, and making an effort to transform challenges into opportunities, will help lead us to a future where we can all happily coexist.
Wellness has always been central to my story. When my father, Carl F. Rehnborg, founded Nutrilite in 1934, his goal was to help people everywhere take responsibility for their health, their wealth, and the planet. Even then, he knew that all these things were interconnected. His vision shaped my own path—a journey grounded in curiosity, science, and a passion for helping others live well.
Nutrilite is so much more than a plant-based supplement brand – it is a way of life that has stood the test of time. With a passion centered on health + wellbeing, Amway is the world’s largest direct selling company*. It spans six continents with a presence in 100+ countries and territories.
* Source: Euromonitor International Ltd; Vitamins and Dietary Supplements, World GBN, Retail Value RSP, % breakdown, 2023 data based on custom research conducted April – August 2023.
There’s a long history of farming innovation at Nutrilite. It started when my father, Carl F. Rehnborg, began growing alfalfa in the 1930s before we even knew to call it organic. He was looking for the purest, most nutritious botanicals, and he already knew that they needed to be grown sustainably and naturally, without any synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. That same belief continues to guide us today.
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