Pacific Passage

Passage to Marquesas, Day 3

We left Isla Isabela’s Puerto Villamil about 10:00 am on April 6, and encountered a big ocean swell right outside the anchorage, and very little wind.  Actually we sailed close-hauled at about 4 kts right on course, until we got clear of the island and were hit by a 2 kt adverse current.  So we started the motor, and so it went for the next 48 hours or so!

The lack of pre-departure stress was very nice.  I guess we got that over with in Panama.  Even when the fridge broke a few days before departure, we didn’t worry about it, and planned to go on without.  Then Lou got some e-mail advice from the guy who sold us the fridge, and ended up spending a sweaty day with tools cursing and fixing the compressor circuit board and rebuilding the cooling pump, the day before departure.  

Finally at  2200 UTC on April 8, 2 days out, we hit the tradewind belt and were able to turn the motor off and have been sailing since.  This put everyone in better spirits since we hated to have the motor running and the smell of diesel all the time.  We are now sailing around 7.5 knots with a ½ knot or so current in our favor.  It has rained a fair bit on us today—so we’re back to drenched rat mode, but there is hope.  Lou thinks we’ll have a 200 mile day from 7 p.m. April 8 to 7 p.m. April 9, definitely a record for us and Ace, though we owe 20 miles or so to a helpful west-setting current..  We are still on Galapagos time (Central Standard Time), which will become confusing.  Every day we notice the sun rising later as we head west.

I’m not feeling 100%, but I am trying to continue to feed my family.  I made pizzas and apple pie.  I didn’t take any seasickness meds and that was probably an arrogant thing to do.  When I did finally take some, it came right back up.   I’m eating soup—so basically I’m on the ACE diet.  

It seems like everyone in the fleet has caught fish- except for us.  Okay- I’m not counting the flying fish and squid that have sacrificed themselves to our decks.  (Martin ponders, “What were they thinking?”).  And the small dorado with eyes bigger than its stomach—because our lure was almost as big as he was!

School is in recess until the teachers can get enough energy to motivate their students.  I am still reading Sophie’s World (a very clever novel about the history of Western philosophy) to Emily and Martin.  I think they like it.  We have just finished reading about the British Empiricists.  

When they are not on watch, and sometimes when they are, (they do 2 3-hour shifts together during the day), Martin and Emily have devised many games to play.  One is a telephone call where they talk in different accents.  The cruisers that we have recently met come from South Africa, Great Britain, Ireland and Australia.  Emily and Martin use these accents in their game.   They also were having an Italian talking to an Indian (see Antonio and Sarah—you still have an influence on them!)

Emily runs the kids net (Sailing Sea Lion Net)on the single sideband for the cruising boats with kids from the Galapagos to the Marquesas.  The fleet is pretty spread out , so, it has been a bit frustrating for her to get the propagation right.  They have a joke-telling session, and that is hard to do if you have to relay information.

There is a whole lot of book reading going on right now.  Ace sails so nicely with her new sails and the windvane.  She only needs a little monitoring.  I finished The Beak of the Finch and also The Only Life That Mattered (historical fiction about a couple of women pirates).  I’ve just started reading A Fine Balance (a novel about my favorite country- India).

Lou is reading some novels: Bloodwork by Michael Connelly and Saint Jack by Paul Theroux

Emily finished Gregor the Overlander by Susan Collin

Martin is back to his surfing magazines.  I think he has memorized them!  Emily got him enthused to read Starseeker by Tim Bowler.

Passage to Marquesas, Days 4-7

We are definitely into the flow now.  We have our watches and our time off watches.  We are having school.  It is difficult to write underway, so we have curtailed some of the writing exercises.  

I thought I would have more time to do things.  But, I find the days go by fairly quickly.  

This is our flow:

0600 Martin and Emily are awakened by Lou to take their watch.  They see what kind of wildlife has landed on our decks (flying fish and squid).  We talk about making a stew, but no one is primed for that yet.   They usually play Gameboy, talk, play some kind of  game or read while they are on watch together.  

0800 I get up.  Make recommendations for breakfast.  Give everyone their vitamins.  Try and keep the kids quiet while Lou sleeps a little bit more.  I put out our hand line and make a request for a medium sized fish.  Please no more baby mahi-mahis and no 100 pound tunas like others in our fleet have landed.  

0900 I start my watch.  We have school.  I ask Martin to change his boxer shorts.  He does, but I see that he puts the dirty ones not in the laundry—oh no—but he has returned them to his drawer.  He is concerned that he won’t have enough boxer shorts to complete the passage.  I remind him that we will do laundry underway.  He reluctantly goes along although he lets me know he is not happy about this.  He had a goal of wearing the same boxer shorts throughout the entire passage!   (I know that his grandfather and great-uncle are rallying for his cause in these boxer conflicts).

1100 Lou’s turn on watch.  Lou usually checks all the rigging.  We have been on one tack the whole trip and probably will mainly be on this tack—so things do start to wear.  School continues.  We have checked e-mails by now and share the news from family and friends.  Emily gets on the computer and writes an e-mail or two.  We have some mint tea (cold).  And have something simple for lunch—soup or sandwiches.  And I start making dinner preparations.  Martin decides he needs some exercise.  He has procured the top of a plastic box and uses it to practice his skateboard/surfing moves.  With the boat’s motion, he gets some pretty good practice.  But, then we start to worry about the wood floor and well, Martin usually gets asked to stop.

1400 Martin and Emily come on watch.  We report in to the fleet on the single sideband.  We are with a bunch of catamarans, but Ace is holding her ground with most of them.  Lou and I take naps at some point.  Not in parallel.  Sharing a bunk out on the rolling sea could lead to marital discord.  

1630 Emily runs the kids net with little parental supervision.  (She does a great job of not getting too upset when Lou and I start micromanaging).   The kids net runs about 45 minutes.  They have a variety of topics including books they’ve enjoyed, what’s for lunch or dinner (or since we are with some Brits—tea!).  Martin is in charge of the joke/riddle category.  

1700 My turn on watch again.  We sit down and have a meal together.  Some evenings it has been pure heaven!  We listen to music and just talk.  One night Lou said it was the favorite part of the trip thus far.  How can I describe being 700 miles away from land in this tiny ship speeding along at 8 knots or so with your family.  You feel small, you feel vulnerable but you also feel like a part of something huge.   And I feel so in love with my family.    Martin starts talking to me about getting a little bit more independence.  He has decided that he likes being by himself.  Once we get to French Polynesia, he would like some independence to just wander around on the beach.  We talk a bit about it and I tell him he can have independence but that I need to be able to see him.  He has really been working on identifying his issues and communicating them.  

2000 Emily, Martin and I go to bed.  It’s Lou’s watch.  He usually does the days dishes.  And writes e-mails and reads.0000 My turn again!  I get up and make some hot Spiced cider and sip that while I read and look for traffic.  

0400 Lou’s turn.  We did catch a 30 pound mahi-mahi.  Just the right size!  That should make a bunch of meals before it spoils.

What we are reading:

Lou - Kim by Rudyard Kipling: Saint Jack by Paul Theroux

Mary - A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry: Moon Publications South Pacific Handbook

Emily – Warriors Into the Wild by Erin Hunter

Martin - Read one book in a 24 hour period!  Starseeker by Tim Bowler

Passage to Marquesas, Days 8 - 10

Yes, another update.  Doesn’t Mary have anything better to do?  

Halfway there!  We’re making good speed and if this wind holds up (which it is not forecast to do) our ETA according to the GPS/Chartplotter is April 23rd, which would be a 17 day passage!  

The seas have been quite sloppy.  We have gotten pooped (waves coming into the cockpit) about three times.The sloppiness of the seas makes meal preparation a bit of a balancing act.  Plus, at times, my picky eaters drive me crazy!  And believe you me… they get to hear me rant.  I betcha y’all are surprised that I rant!  Look, give me some sympathy here—because I’m not getting it from anybody on this boat.  I start the day thinking… what should I fix today?  I let everyone know what I am going to fix—especially for the main meal.   Preparing a hot meal means coming precariously close to flames while the boat does the rock and roll.  I may have someone take a video of this.  It is an amazing balancing act.   Okay—I’m the only one amazed, but by the time I’m finished-  I feel like I should get some applause!  Instead, I get “Mom, I’m tired of eating fish.” Or an utter look of disgust as one of my dear offspring takes each bit of tomato out of her burrito.  That is why I’m very close to resorting to my habit when I was single---the Popcorn diet!    Anybody feeling sorry for me yet? 

We haven’t seen very much wildlife.  The flying fish have been less suicidal these days.  We have seen some terns.  It has been overcast a bit and so I’m missing the stars.  The moon is starting to keep us company more.  It doesn’t feel so lonely out here when the moon is out!  She’s always been my friend.  

So, what is going right?  Well, Ace…Ace is going right.  She is just amazing!  She is really performing nicely—with her new sails and our windvane!   Lou should be especially proud that all of his head scratching, considering and re-considering has really paid off and it shows when a boat is put through the challenges of a long ocean passage!

We sailed with the spinnaker today (Day 10).  It was a good ride with the windvane steering.  The windvane is a Monitor brand.  So, we call him (?) Roti Nom—now ain’t that clever?

School is progressing along.  We are reading Sophie’s World still.  We are reading about the Romanticists.  Emily and Martin are bearing with me still.  We are also continuing Math, French for Emily and Tahitiian for Martin and Typing.  (9 year old humor:  pupu in Tahitian is shell).   

What we are reading:

Lou- The Cadillac JukeBox

Mary-Finished Rescue in the Pacific (about a weather bomb that hit some cruisers heading from New 

Zealand to the South Pacific in 1994.  It was a good read..) and now I’m reading  The Passion of Artemesia.  

Emily- Has read about 6 books so far this passage.

Martin- read another two books in less than 24 hours!   He is reading a book my mom loves, Seven League Boots by Richard Halliburton.  

And, we’re reading more and more about French Polynesia and getting more and more excited about getting there!  Hope they have a cheeseburger in paradise!

We are going to start an exercise regime on the boat.  Martin is having a hard time being cooped up and not able to move around.  I should have thought of this earlier.    Push ups and sit ups will be the regime!

We’re enjoying listening to music.  Jack Johnson is one that we all can agree on.  And for some reason, we listen to John Denver quite a bit.  We’re also enjoying Mark Knopfler’s Sailing to Philadelphia.  Emily has a goal of learning Annie’s Song on the guitar before we reach the Marquesas.    And when Emily, Martin and I want to drive Lou crazy (now why would we want to do that? )  we put on Sara Brightman’s Time to Say Goodbye and bombard him with our best operatic voices!