Vessel on its way to the South Pacific
June 6, 2007 -Week Three
Day 15-Middle of nowhere
Crew Gaby:
Last night a small flying fish came through our galley port hole and landed straight into the sink. Screams of terrified fun and surprise filled the boat and I had to take it and throw it over board. Now only a few flying fish are around us. 1125 miles to go! Yippee!!! Today the sun is out and everyone is hot. When Dad figured out how many miles we did the day before you could hear the anxiousness in his voice when he tells us. We are all now wishing we could just pull the islands closer to us.
Crew Anya:
I learnt a new game today: Spit. Gaby taught me. It is the only card game I know that you can get deadly injured by… (I got a little excited and hit my hand on the bookshelves and it bled.) We did the best day so far yesterday: 165 miles in 24 hours. A new record. It's the little things in life that make this trip fun! I spent most of the day reading, doing my watch and playing MahJoong. No light bulb moments today, I am afraid!
Crew Sami:
Are we there yet??? We're kicking butt, but it is just a long voyage. Ugh. Well, we have been going somewhat between 6.1 to 7.4 knots, so not exactly slow. We have 1119 more miles to go, so we haven't reached the 2/3 way mark yet. Not much else, although we played Mah Joong and we had two games when none of us won and we reached the end of the wall.
First Mate:
DREAMS are more vibrant, vivid and varied out at sea. Daily sharing of them are sometimes wild and wacky: arms of toilet chairs strangling heads of occupant, Christmas parties with the Bushes, death, violence, scary animals, relatives speaking Greek and moving to England, tiny apartments with much potential fabricating into larger dwellings and then getting bigger and bigger with each scene, visiting friends prancing through bars, with loud music, party time, our sailboat driving through city streets and parking in Medical Center parking lots and more bathroom scenes, and then the latest, the killing of V.-"He whose name shall not be mentioned." Ah, when is JK Rowlings next book due out??? Eminent prediction?
Captain:
I have definitely come to terms with my new buddy on Encanto. We first met years ago; I eyed him with suspicion and respect. He's big. Really big. I wondered how I was going press him into service. I knew someday I would have to, but when? Even worse, how? Finally the time came on a calm day on the California coast. I attached a halyard to his bridal, raised him slightly and maneuvered him into position. I clipped on the sheet, snapped him into position on the mast. Wow! How easy was that? Taking him down was just as easy. The next time was different. He was out to get me. All was well until I tried to clip him to the mast. We were rolling, the jib was pumping, I was going to loose body parts if I kept this up. Time to rethink. In time I have worked out how to deal with my whisker pole, all 27' of him. Light air, 20kts and 13' seas; no troubles, he has worked wonders as we cross the Pacific.
June 7, 2007 -Week Three
Day 16-Warming up quickly
First Mate:
I say there, o'chap, "Tomorrow, please catch a fish. We need some fresh fish. A tuna would be nice." Awoke to the Captain proudly sharing, "Caught two fish already this morning. Tossed back the barracuda, kept the good size Mahi Mahi." Ah, fresh to order, not a tuna, but hey good eating just the same ---Always, always, be careful what you wish for!!! It might come true. (Theehteehee)
Crew Gaby:
We are going slow. The sails are slapping a little which is making Dad unhappy. The best part of the day though was when during our Mah Joong time we pulled out the Dutch chocolate eggs brought by Anya. They were so good. Last night on the kids net we got in touch with another kids boat that we have been trying to reach for a while. It was fun to talk to him. I think we are all getting tired of this. Anya and I seem to have taken a short break in our Dutch classes because we are tired of doing nothing.
Crew Anya:
I feel a little like a clam. As if I am in my shell and not all sounds and fun seem to get to me today. Is this the "day 16 blues"? I don't know. I am a little frustrated with myself because I want to answer these questions to discover my Dependable Strengths but I just can't seem to do it and I have had these questions for over 1,5 month now and it is becoming a Thing. My lesson - once again - is 'to just let go'.
Okidoki…
Crew Sami:
We have barely any wind. We are going some what between 4.0 to 5.1 knots. When I think about it, it's not that bad, but after doing 7 or 8 knots PER DAY, it feels slow. We ate some of the Chocolate eggs, brought, which were yummy. Gaby talked to BarbaraAnn, (a kid boat, Austen 14, and Tyler 16), last night, which was fun, even though Gaby was doing the talking. When the net finished, Gaby and I went outside to talk to dad, and he said,"What happened to my shy little girl?" Gaby's response was, "She left the building." We all had a chuckle over that.
Captain:
Today was a trying day. We had s/v Toboggan insight on the horizon. We have been chasing them since they passed by just to the north of us 7 or 8 days ago. They had wind, we didn't. After several great days we were in position to pass. The wind died. All night; dead. By morning 2.5 kts was good. It wouldn't have been so bad if we weren't rolling and listening to the sails self destruct. I almost pulled them down just to wait. I knew it would pass, live in the moment.
June 8, 2007 -Week Three
Day 17-882 miles left
Crew Gaby:
If I had written my blog at noon, this is what I would have said (and I know hate is a strong word but this is what I felt): I HATE ALGERBRA. I HATE THAT WE ARE GOING SO SLOW. TODAY IS NOT A GOOD DAY. Now that I have calmed down the good points are: We had waffles, Mom baked Focaccio, I won Mah Joong a couple of times, we are going 6.9 knots, and I had some chocolate eggs. Now that I wrote that down it looks like a pretty good day. Oh, and I almost forgot it's Friday, one day more and it's movie day!
Crew Anya:
We had a pretty exciting day so far. It started with no wind at all so I sat up on deck for while just watching the sea. We were going 2.6 knots…. During my watch however the clouds moved in closer and we made speed up to 6 knots. We had an exciting moment when John suddenly said " Oh no!" and dashed forward to the bow and took down the jib in no time. We all had to pitch in getting the jib on board again. The top thingy of the halyard had snapped open which had caused the jib to slide down. He's got an amazing eye! Once again the problem was solved before either one of us knew it was even there. The boat smells of fresh bread. Judy outdid herself baking focaccio and sour dough bread. We enjoyed it right out of the oven with fresh humus.
Oh, one more thing. Another 'first' for me: Belgian waffles for brunch! Dutch girl had to come all the way to the Pacific to eat her first Belgian waffles made by a Chinese/American friend! They were yummy!!
Crew Sami:
Yesterday we caught two more fish, in total four fish. We caught another Wahoo, and a Bonito, but we threw the Bonito back. Today… Well, since we passed the 2/3 mark, we had what mom wanted to make for a special day: waffles. They were very good waffles. We were going slowly at first, but then the wind picked up, and off we go! Not much else happened, except the shackle opened up that was holding up the jib, so it was Drop City on our bow. Dad would probably tell the story better, so I'll leave that story to him. I got to go, the fishing line went zwing! Ok, back. We caught a small fish, don't know what it is, actually now 'was', since dad sliced it up. Oh well.
Captain:
What a difference the right amount of wind makes! At 8am this morning we were doing 2.8kts. At least 2 of that are current. At the end of the Southern Cross Net, which for the next several days is mine to run, bits of wind were coming through our companionway. By noon we were doing low to high 6's with the occasional foray into the 7's. It's good to be moving again. Some were discussing fuel range on the net. For us, that really isn't an option. I really want to save ours for the Tuamotos. Fuel prices have to be beyond high.
First Mate:
Busy Day for me; from midnight until 8 PM when I literally fell into my berth to sleep at day's end. But the tummies were full with contentment and pleasure. At least one mind wrestling with pathfinder exercises that I have created for her. BTW: I just don't make good jar, packet and canned meals. We had to toss my one attempt at that. Better that I keep to "scratch" vittles; Cuban Black Beans, Boston Baked Beans, Sweet 'n sour sauce fish, Thai peanut sauce stew, Cacciucco Stew, and spinach humus with Focaccia. Moments of bliss from moon rise to sunset, but many more moments of satisfaction, when being of service to this crew and Captain. The temperate air and fair winds fill my lungs; breathe in, breathe out, with steady stability on a rocky boat in the middle of the ocean. I will sleep well tonight.
June 9, 2007 -Week Three
Day 18- Ships are around us
Crew Gaby:
There were a few mini hurricanes on board today (hurricane Anya and hurricane Sami). They are very unhappy that Mom and I are in the lead of Mah Joong. Makes playing very amusing when they talk to each other in hushed voices trying to decide what Anya should throw out. Other than that… we caught two Dorados but threw the second one back in because we ran out of containers to put the fish in.
Crew Sami:
We caught TWO Dorados today. The first one was about three feet long. We kept that one, but we threw the second one back. Not much, except Gaby and mom are winning in Mah Joong, and Anya and I are SOOOO frustrated. Other than that, everything is fine.
Captain:
Today is one of those really great days. Mostly clear skies; caught 2 Dorado (one more than all the time we spent in Mexico!) but kept only one. I was really hoping to get a Tuna. It's definitely an in-the-moment kind of day. We're making almost 6kts in the right direction, the boat movement is very comfortable and we're going to pass the ¾ mark shortly. Nifty!
First Mate:
Star dancing, just me, myself and I; until the sliver of the silver moon rose to take center stage. "Awesome". Mesmerized and caught as a memory, a moment passing, ever so briefly.
Crew Anya:
Confusing and sad day. I felt confused, misunderstood, sad and scared. Luckily I am surrounded by this great family that seem to truly love me, even when I am not Anya "The Jukebox' Tuit or happy & merry. So the day might have ended with a huge headache, it also ended with this great feeling of being blessed and thankful for having them in my life.
June 10, 2007 -Week Three
Day 19- 626 miles left
Crew Gaby:
Today is slow. Not only in wind but everyone is moving slow and being on the seas for 19 days has finally caught up to us. I think we are all tired of this. The sun is out but there is no wind.
Crew Sami:
Today is going slow, only 4 knots. Not that much. No more fishin' we don't have any room in the fridge. Not much else, 19 days of this really tires you out.
First Mate: DARK out. No moon. No stars. Just DARK! Just listening and sensing the night since I can't see anything, so reliant on my sight; a little spooky and unfamiliar for me.
Captain:
The "in the moment" part really starts now. Boats ahead of us are starting to arrive. Gaby's radio pal keeps asking how fast we are going. The grib files are showing light and variable conditions for the new few days. This means slow going, rolling and the dreaded wap-waps. We're trying to sail along the edges for the squall systems passing through. They aren't the huge wind and rain variety, but they do give us an exter 5kts of wind or so. Our speed now varies between 2.5kts and 8kts. Very little happy medium.
Crew Anya:
I've been watching the clouds intensely during the past days and even though a cloud seems 'just a cloud', that's not entirely true when you take a good second look at them. I have seen Dali's clouds; the ones that look unreal, Magritte's clouds; beautifully white, flat on the bottom and puffy on top against bright blue skies and my dad's clouds; all soft and fluffy, the way he paints them in his aquarelles (water paintings).
As a child I always used to draw blue clouds in a white sky. That may sound odd but on this trip I have seen green clouds, pink clouds, orange clouds, grey clouds and black clouds. Let's face it: I was way ahead of my time!
P.S. Discovered the Little Dipper this evening!
June 11,2007 -Week Three
Day 20-525 miles to go
Captain:
I love watching the flying fish. We see them every 10-15 minutes or so. Sometimes it's the lone fish that breaks through the wave and skims across the surface for 50 yards or more. Other times it's a whole school of 25-50 fish all at once. The wave tops shimmer with sliver torpedos.
Crew Gaby:
No one likes me. At least only Dad likes me. Mom, Anya, and Sam are ganging up on me in Mah Joong. But it's fun. Mom made Bangkok waffles. Which were, well, different? They had dried shrimp in them so I think that is why I didn't care for them much. The shrimp had too much of a strong flavor.
It is grey out very, very grey. It isn't really drizzling or anything, so it is very moist and damp.
Crew Anya:
I have to admit it: I am a wind magnet! And proud of it, if I may say so myself. If during the night the wind has died and we're going 2,5 knots it has often happened that I get on watch at 8 am and we're hitting 6 knots around 11 pm. I sure am glad to be of (any) service!!
P.S. I had the Capt'n roll his eyes (again) when I decided this morning to shave my legs out in the cockpit during the rain. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do… and hey, I did save water!
Crew Sami:
Gaby is winning too much in Mah Joong. We played somewhat around 5 games and mom won 2 of them, and Gaby won the rest. Since we are playing points, Gaby is winning even more. Grrrrr. Anya and I are last, so we are ganging up on Gaby. Mom made some kind of savory pancake, which wasn't one of my favorite meals she has made, but it was new so it wasn't like I had already have had. We have been going around 3.2 to 4.2 knots, so we aren't going our fastest. Pity.
First Mate:
Seven brown terns swirl around us at dusk and several fishing boats sit on the horizon, as a glow, about seven miles away. We must be nearing "civilization" which I have to admit, I have some ambivalent feelings about. After my adjustment to the sea, finally getting my sea legs and then slipping comfortably into the routine of night watches, raising bread in the night, baking it, cooking, catching winks, reading, playing MahJoong and feeding the crew, brings a strong sense of ease. I know, I will love the islands, but for now, I'm content to just be moving along at a steady 5.5 knots under temperate conditions. Oh, yeah, pesky houseflies have returned. Where did they come from? Stowaways?
June 12, 2007 Week Three
Day 21
Crew Gaby:
Wind!!!! Finally there is wind although rain came with it, which makes it nice and cool. Mom made Russian Pancakes today which were delicious and she made some type of Italian olive bread which was good. But the leftover olives were given to the Captain since he was the only one up. We played some more Mah Joong and my only friend while playing is Dad. The head broke so we have to use a bucket until we get there. Uggg.
Crew Anya:
Every day we discuss what we have dreamt about. And I have to admit: I dream a lot about heads. Toilets. Bathrooms. The works. Some (as in me) would call them nightmares because in my dreams I can never find a normal bathroom. In one of my dreams I had to even struggle the head and it wouldn't leave me alone until I broke its neck. I wonder what Freud has to say about that? Anyway, our head is broken. Maybe I have been taken this "live your dream' thing a little to seriously….
Crew Sami:
We are moving…slightly. Are averages were 2.8 and now it is 5.2. Pretty nice. The head broke so, pull out the buckets! No, not that much fun. To add more we played some more Mah Joong and Anya won once, mom two or three times, and Gaby won the rest. I almost won, but, mom was faster. Oh well. Not much more, no fishing today, no more tragedies, not much more to report.
First Mate:
In life,SHIT happens! Luckily, we are not Queens and Princesses aboard, so we go with the flow, figure out an option and then grin and bear it. The half cup empty person would complain and whine, "Oh,Captain, oh, Captain DO something…fix it NOW. I can't poop in a bucket." The half cup full person would say, "Aren't we lucky we have buckets aboard. And to think, we have only a few more days underway."
Captain:
SHHHHHHHHHH............he's snoring........