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Five souls, one
boat, one departure and one destination. We have been together on
a small boat for almost a month now. Each of us on this same crossing
and yet each of us, I am sure, has a different perception of the trip.
It would be hard to imagine finding a more compatible crew. Wylie
and Jeff have sailed with us before.
This is Jeff's
second ocean crossing with us. His first was the Pacific. Wylie has
been with us numerous times and he came aboard this time to make an
ocean crossing. Bob has circumnavigated his own boat, Hornblower II
and came aboard to get back into some blue water sailing.
What is life like aboard? This trip has been very bouncy, rough is
another definition. There has been little time to relax and sit or
lie easy. We have been in constant motion. You cannot set anything
down without expecting it to spill, slide or turn over. Everything
is in motion, including your own body, twenty-four seven. There is
an effort to everything you do. Climbing in and out of a bunk is an
athletic endeavor. Taking a shower is a major project, risky at least,
limb threatening possibly.
I haven't talked much about cooking, but I have felt like a juggler
on a tilt-a-whirl trying to get the food cooked without wearing it
and served without losing it. I have served almost everything in either
bowls or our divided plates for there is no way any of us can handle
more than one bowl and one utensil.
Charlie has been fishing whenever the seas permitted. Trolling on
a boat under sail is a very sporting proposition. There is
no slowing down to bring in the fish. It is done by brute strength
and determination. We have caught several large mahi-mahi and yesterday
Wylie brought in a Wahoo. Jeff brought in a nice Mahi. There is nothing
like really fresh fish,
eaten just out
of the ocean. Last night I cooked some Mahi and some Wahoo so that
the crew could compare but it was dark when we ate and I don't think
the comparison was ever voted upon, they just said they liked it all.
Our provisioning was all done in the Canary Islands so most of the
food is Spanish. We bought meat and had them wrap and freeze it, we
estimated our needs and so far we have not run short of anything.
I did throw out the last of
the six dozen eggs we bought and had stored on the counter. In the
rest of the world eggs are not refrigerated and they keep for weeks.
Our vegetables and fresh fruits we have used in the order in which
they would go bad. It has been three weeks now and we are still using
some fresh produce, but mostly are relying on canned fruits and vegetables.
We have not had ice since we left the Canaries. We cannot make ice
when it is this rough because the water runs all over the floor before
it has a chance to freeze in the machine. We also could not store
any ice in the freezer for it was full of meat. After a time you really
don't miss ice, or not much anyway.
What have we done to pass the time? The biggest entertainment is reading.
Each person aboard enjoys reading. We have watched DVD movies and
Law and Order, Seinfield and some of the old comedy tapes Charlie
recorded at home of favorite TV shows such as All In the Family. We
have a good selection of movies aboard and we are not above watching
a good one more than once.
We have dragged
fishing lines across the Atlantic and the closer we get to Barbados
the more fish we are catching. So far we have boated five Mahi-Mahi
up to 12 pounds, one 10 pound Wahoo and two Tuna. We will have
fish chowder tonight, our last night out, and we are freezing some
packages of fish to keep for later and some to share with Don and
Lois aboard Que Sera, Sera and Teva, Hinano, and Thomatoa, aboard
Prince Karl. Teva is an excellent fisherman and usually furnishes
the boats around him with fresh fish but the last we heard he had
not caught much. Charlie has cleaned all the fish and the job of cleaning
a large fish on a pitching boat is a super challenge.
Charlie has tried
the job standing up and sitting on an inverted bucket but either way
it is difficult and he has slid back and forth in the aft cockpit,
at one point even crashing down and crushing the bucket. (Damaged
bucket but Captain still in good shape.)
Tomorrow
we should make landfall at first light, Jeff and Bob will be leaving
as soon as they get a flight out for home. Wylie will join his wife
at a hotel in Barbados for some R&R and
a tour of the island. Charlie and I are looking forward to our friends,
Julie and Stu Conway joining us for a few days of island type relaxation.
The crossing is drawing to an end, and barring any unforseen emergencies
tonight will be without incident.
We have
only seen two ships the entire trip. Our only contact with the outside
world has been over our Immarsat Communication System of e-mail, and
our daily single side band net with three other boats.
We can't
wait to get to a Hot Mail Café and pick up e-mail from home
and make phone calls to check on family and let them know we are ok.
I'm looking forward to finding a laundry and trying out the restaurants
on Barbados.
This is
our third crossing of the Atlantic, it is a big ocean but she has
been kind and let us pass once again without incident, until later
from Sea Gem . . . almost to landfall.
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