Below are the 14 most recent journal entries recorded in horia_away's LiveJournal:

Monday, August 1st, 2005
10:17 am	Back to darwin hello everyone. I am back in darwin from one month of killing fish and looking for prawns. i was a deckhand on a prawn trawler whitch was an experience in itself. It sucked as far as the people were concerned but it was great to see how it actually works, all the fish(mostly dead) and the amazing sunsets and sunrises. The problem with the crew was the lack of conversation. Ted the skipper would not talk,( i think on the entire trip i got a few sentences out of him) Mohamed the engineer is a really nice person but he is very shy so you had to pry into him for information. he would only give one word answers but he eventually warmed up and by the end of the trip we kida had conversations. Justin is a person that is severley dislike. He braged about how he did this and that or how great he was or how much money he had that by the end of the trip i was contemplating throwing him to the sharks. Paul (first mate) and Mica(cook) are really great people when they are separate but on this trip they coupled and there was no words out of them. so the trip could have been a lot better but it was good to experience and have to learn to work with people that you dislike. (if nothing else for the future and for me to know what to avoid) the work aspect was interesting as my job was to pull in the small net (every 20 min) that samples the bottom and gives you an idea of what's in the main nets and then to shovel fish and prawns down the convayer belt where they were sorted. it was a lovely job that i know that evey one of the people reading this wants to do he hehe. on the up side i saw all the fish that you would see in an aquarium, handled sea snakes(they only kill once you if they bite you)rays as big a as two meters across, oh yea and a whole bunch of sharks and tuna. i didn't realize how big a 2 meter shark really is untill i saw one next to the boat. my favourite fishes were the blowfish(the jouveniles formed almost perfect white prickly spheres that you could roll around) and the Ramoras (sucker fish that stick to others for transport) that you could stick to your rainjacket or boots. so aside from proding and playing with animals it was a great experience. i did see some odd creatures such as the soft shell crab that i'm guessing lives among the soft sponges for his body looks like that of a sponge. so now that i'm back in darwin i decided not to do the hostel thing(they want $20/night whitch i find ridiculous for "budget acomodation" and am sleeping in my hammock in the park. this is great since every morning i wake up to birds singing,(doves, some black and whites ones that make a lot of noise and some yellow beak ones that swack) and the sound of the ocean waves. it's really not a bad life for $6/day locker rental. as for jobs (for the idea of coming to auz was to make money not to hang out with people(yea right) i am now working at an internet cafe (currently in my 3rd hour of the first day, yes it's hard work to sit down and surf the net while being paid) and serving coffes at this other place. the problem is that i don't think i can sit in front of the computer all day . so we'll see. plans include but are not set in stone to remaining here till the end of september and then going to taiwan for a while, we'll see what happens. till next time have fun (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, May 16th, 2005
4:44 pm	passage from the phillipines to Australia the trip was an exactly what i desired; an adventure. we left unprepared from the philippines since neither Hop nor I had any money(Hop borrowed money from a friend to get some food and diesel) He was in worst shape then I since he had death threats and treats against the boat (Matilda) so he pilled all he had left (his wife transfered all of his money out of the bank account the last time he got back from the states) into the boat (it was still a lot of stuff) and off we go with only the barest of equipment that other sailors he knew donated for the trip. we left with some printed charts of the intended course, one handheld GPS, one autopilot(lifesaver) one flourecent light, and two charts, one being a joke of John and being a 1961 national geographic map of southeast asia,with place names and cities) so off we go and two days later we had to make a gasket out of a book cover for the transmittion of the engine. we stopped in the first major city after danau on our way out of the philippines(oh yeah we didn't clear customs or even tell them we left,oops) Surigo City and sent our only $20 emergency money on some fuel and oil. we had good wind and despite the bad condition of the sails(main sail is very streched out of proportion) we made good progress untill the Halmahara sea when all the wind died. we were drifting when we hear an engine and soon see a boat. they came by and after some some gesturing and attempeted comunication they gave us 40 L of diesel, one fish and half a sac of rice(these are Philipino fishermen). this started our begging of fuel and by the time we reached darwin we got fuel from 4 boats, one being an australian navy cutter.(we'll get to that later). After 4 days of no wind at all (i could almost see my refrection in the oil-like water) the wind picked up from the direction we wanted to go in. (we left at the end of the sailing season just when the wind changes and the easterly tradewinds set in) 4 days later due to the high wind we dipped the headsail in the water whitch broke the bobstay fitting so that it was hanging on by a bolt and fractured the backstay (wires that hold the mast up). At this point, drifting towrds the indian ocean and having only a minimal amout of fuel we turned on the EPIRB(Emergency positioning indicating radio beacon) whitch in theory sends a singnal to a sattelite and they come and rescue u, in theory since for two days there was nothing. by this time we had reached the Tanimbar island group(indonisia) and the town of Sumlaky at the southern end of Yamdena. there we were lucky to meet a couple that own a catamaran and live there and they were extremly helpfull (patrally because Hop and Wenny were flurting with each other) we got fuel and food, did minor repairs and went on our way. hop by this time is running low on heart medice and the stuff he got in Sumlaky is making him worse to the point that he has blurry vission and is nausious; so on goes the EPIRB and a day later a freighter is sent to intercept us and after failing to comunicate with them except that we needed water(baaa language barrier) they dropped the rope that was attached to the water jugs. we didn't see this and it got caught in the propellor(we are now dead in the water, yet again driffting towards the indian ocean) in the morning the navy came by and helped us out and while i was cutting the rope out(we were lucky that the shalf didn't bend) they gave us fuel, food (cold yougourt and oranges never tasted so good) and charts of Darwin( hop forgot to ask about medication, how i don't know). all was good for two days untill our Gps and light died( so now we were navigating by the starrs, no probblem) Hop turned the EPRB on again and the navy came by again the next morning, gave us more food and some temporarry medicine for Hop. we made it through Van Dimen's gulf and to darwin with no difficulty and no sleep since the water was shallow and they have 7 m tides whitch make for some intresting currents and rips. here all was fun till the customs arived since we had no visas, no prior arangement, no money and no documents. after lengthy interviews they let us visit immigration and when they were sattisfied that we were telling the truth they granted us visas, me a visitor visa and Hop a one month working visa, {better then the $12000 fines and prison term that the customs hinted at) later on in the day we were shown around darwin by some people we met along the way, and they introduced us to the Gordon Omm, owner of Spot-on Marine, my home and possibly my place of employment . so all in al the tip was wonderfull. i am now in darwin with food and a free place to stay with the possibility of a job; life is threatening to become dull but never fear i have some plans to change that.... (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, February 16th, 2005
1:38 pm	Saipan and the way here We left the atoll last night, intended to leave in the afternoon but customs took a ridiculous amount of time. To clear customs you have to go to immigration, customs and the harbor authority; all in separate buildings around town of course. From immigration you get a small piece of paper that you take to customs for them to stamp (the person with the stamp is not there and he always takes his stamp with him, it comforts him I assume); from where you proceed to the harbor authority to pay $90 harbor fees; now thinking you are done(wrong) you go back to customs where they stamp your passports. So 4 hours later, by now you are most definitely hungry, you decide to get something to eat( in my case a burger) which gives you food poisoning so as you leave the harbor and get into the 10 foot swell you promptly throw up. ahhh the experience of leaving the Marshall islands. All in all I had a great time there. Majuro atoll is the most populated in the Marshal islands with an estimated population of about 30,000. It’s completely overrun by western influence, like most of the native populations around the globe. They are shy, but friendly. the other day I attended a talk on women’s issues that was organized by Karen as part of the yacht club that she and Kerry started. It was surprising to find out how little power present day women have in the society even thought traditionally it was a woman run society. the major issues were violence against women, repeated sexual offences, and teen pregnancy. The traditional view that women run the household and the heavy Christian influence have resulted in girls being sent home from school if they are pregnant(and asked not to return until they have the kid), a long mu-mu style dress for women, and in certain clans women forbidden to play sports. One member (very cute) of the audience just returned from one of the smaller islands were she was doing a study. She remarked that the only recreational activity for girls there was to have sex; without birth control of course since it would be against the religious practice. I was happy to know that there was a women’s movement that got started (our speaker being one of it’s founders). Progress is extremely slow but these issues are being highlighted and eventually things will change (hopefully for the better). It’s nice to be underway again even thought I did like the fact that I didn’t have to worry about things flying all over the place. My boat will have non skid surfaces and all glasses will have very large heavy bases. We are our way to Ponopei, about 800 miles west of here and we are making ok time. It was nice to talk to other people that just sail around the world, to hear stories of horrible customs officers (sawing pieces of boats off so they can see underneath yet not reimbursing for the damage and being rude about it) (I really dislike the US customs already) and great little spots to stop at. I saw a boat for sale (didn’t ask how much, should have though) that would’ve been perfect for me. Hummmm…. We are 235 miles from Ponopei. The weather and the wind have been excellent. The boat sails best with the wind from the side and it has been our luck that the winds have been from the North. I am almost reluctant to write about it as to not jinks it. I understand why sailors are superstitious; if nothing else because it’s a way to talk to the elements. I have an island named after me (only on our map, but that’s a start) since I wanted to stop there and spend the night… we didn’t but there are other opportunities. I would like to stop on a small island with a couple of palm trees and sand, nothing else and just lie there in the hammock listening to the wind and the ocean breaking on the windward side. my own little island if nothing else but for just a day. I have one big fish story that unfortunattly ends badly for the lucky (there is the superstition again) lure, the one that I’ve been using since San diego and had no problem cathing fish. Just around “Horia’s Island” as the 3 of us were sitting in the wheel house I heard a stange sound, the sound of my reel unwinding as fast as it could. I never did see the fish but in about a minute he took my 250 yards of line. I reached the rod just as it only had a few wraps of line left and as soon as I put any pressure on it the line jerked to one side, then down and that was all I know of my lure. Pulling the line back all my leader, hook and bait was gone.  John caught the biggest Mahi mahi to date later on that day, a fact which he could not help but point out several times.  I am now in the enterprise of drying fish to John’s dismay(he doen’t like dried fish and Sally, his girlfriend in the Philippines, loves them) This is the second attempt as the first one worked with the only downside that the fish tasted too fishy and to strong. This time I marinated them in different sauces and I am awaiting the taste test. I have a sweet barbecue, salty garlic with parsley, spicy brine that used to have pepperocinies (small hot peppers that I like to eat), lemon and lime juice and extremely salty marinades. Yesterday I am happy to say that I’ve done nothing but bake (hummm cookies, which were supposed to be biscotti but never got baked the second time for reasons of utmost secrecy) and read the Three Musketers. This is the second Alexandre Dumas book that I read on this trip(The count of Monte Christo being the first) Reading them feels like you are sitting on a porch and someone’s telling you a story that should start with “this is a true story that happened to the grandfather of a friend of a friend of mine…” I have about a hundred more pages and I curious what’s happening( it doesn’t matter if you already know the story, it’s still a very fun read) After breakfast this morning we were visited by dolphins, always a welcome sight. The most important development is John’s 2nd attempt to quit smoking. His first attempt was on the way to Hilo when he deliberately bought only a few packs for the crossing. He failed miserably, as was his mood, and as soon as we got into port he got more. On the way to Majuro he ran out again. When Don helped us find a mooring the only thing John asked was if he smoked. He got a break when Karen came by (she smokes) and got some cigarettes till the next day when he could go ashore and get some himself. Leaving Majuro he resumed quitting again. He ran out last night and today I have seen the worst manifestation of the addiction yet when he tried to make a cigarette out of paper towel and dried banana peals; apparently they don’t burn very well. It serves as good entertainment, even thought he is horrible to deal with as he is cranky. Note to self: if you want to visit the islands you want to, be your own captain or to hire one that will do as you say. John doesn’t want to go to Ponopei so we won’t go there and our next stop will be Yap, 1300 miles from here. I am pissed off not because we won’t stop there(though I was looking forward to it for the sunken city) but because he used the excuse of safety as the main reason for not going there and not the fact that he is homesick and broke. I don’t like that after this much time spent together he feels he has to justify his decisions hiding behind the shield of public safety; I feel cheated and not trusted. Today I picked up my Spanish phrase book and restarted my self lessons; if I get anything out of this trip I hope it’s a great tan and self discipline. I’m brown all over so…It’s dusk now, magentas mingling with yellows, greens and cyans cover the sky, interrupted only by little 18% gray (I’ve been trying to create a gray card for my camera on the computer, but I can’t be sure that it’s the right shade) cumulus clouds and oversaw by the smile of the moon, a sliver of silver. Today was a good day with a lot of daydreaming (mostly about my boat, some magic and some storms), stretching exercises, some Spanish learned, two loaves of bread, a short story read and a nap. I always wondered how it would be to be my cat, all she does is eat, run around a bit, sleep, more sleep with some purring throughout the day, a seemingly very appealing lifestyle. After much contemplation I decided that I can, and have on the course of this trip, had days like my cat’s (except the purring which I’m having trouble reproducing accurately) and they are Ok but they get somewhat boring after a while. This brings out the problem of perception; what we think looks nice might not be so; example in hand: sailing around the world. I have wanted to do it for a very long time, and always imagined it as a wonderful experience, but never had I crossed my mind that I would be bored. So far on this trip I attribute that to the company around me that except for a few subjects that have been talked about over and over the conversation is nill. But what if it’s not the company but myself, and I closed off to them without realizing it? I hope that having my own boat, or being able to have some input in the decision making on where and how often we stop and so on would eliminate this the feeling of boredom. It’s not the fact that I don’t have anything to do or anything that I could find to do (I’ve been amused with a fly for hours before ), it’s that I’m sometime overcome with lethargy; sucking me into a state of blank stare that is worse then watching TV. My mind is deprived of it’s imagination and that scares me; it does nothing, not even taking of information from my eyes. Yesterday was a day like that; today was as it should be-fun. We go with the wind.. I am happy to announce that since the wind is blowing from the West we decided that Saipan would be a better choice then Yap. This way we don’t have to change the sails around( it takes about 10 min tops) so Saipan here we come. It’s nice since we’ll go close by the Mariana trench (not that there is any difference on the surface but it’s nice to say I visited it) and I keep hearing the name but nothing else about it. For the last three days the seas have been steady at 20 feet and as fun as it is to get bounced around I will be looking forward to being able to eat without holding on to several other plates on the table. I had to fix the mizzen sail…. again (I think this is the 6th major place that the thread has worn out, not to mention the two rips in the sail cloth itself) I have finally (yeyyyy) got the weather fax to work (we have a single sideband radio and a software on the laptop that deciphers the signals, but there was some trouble connecting the two and then deciphering the frequencies) and it’s exciting to get charts, but frustrating since a lot of them are not clear and I don’t know how to read them. In Majuro I got a book on weather and weather symbols on a standard weather chart but the charts we get off the satellites don’t fallow the same legends… surprise surprise. I am more excited for the fact that I figured it out how it works then for the information that we’re getting. ( it’s nice to know if a major front is approaching but for the most part you can see it on the horizon) Other then that we are on our way and I am fed up with Kyle and his continuous sleeping and lack of any other activity. Bahhh ….(insert a few swearwords here) Next stop saipan (hope the wind doesn’t change, otherwise who knows…heh he he ) We are crossing giant squid territory, about 8428 m under us and I feel very silly, I just realized that I’ve forgotten how to do basic trigonometry. I can remember learning it and looking around on the walls while Dorina ( my mom) was trying to explain that if you have a two sides and an angle of the triangle you can figure out the other two angles. Bah memory bah.(yet I can remember the things on my desk from the same time) Now some of you reading this might be wondering why at midnight, getting bounced around in 25 foot angry swells and 30 knots winds on the pacific ocean, 147 miles from Saipan I would be so concerned with finding an angle. Well… obviously I was looking at the chart of Marianna trench (part of which we are crossing) {hold on a second, I have to steer the boat, the autopilot failed…there we go} to find out the location of the deepest spot (11022 meters) and in doing so I found some good underwater hills one of which descends 6048 meters in the span of 4.3 km with an average angle of ??????? now you see my dilemma. So the moral of this story is: Learn your trigonometry, know your math! It will get you angles to crazy underwater hills.( Damn auto pilot, hold on a sec.) By the gravity of the previous statement it’s obvious that I am way to tired and must sleep, so… have a good night ps remember moth Saipan is nice but ridiculously expensive on port fees. We arrived in our usual fashion around midnight and tried to anchor only to have our anchor fail. In all of our attempts to anchor only in Hilo did we succeed (and that was after a few tries). So we went to the commercial fuel dock were we got the port authority’s attention immediately since we were unexpected. They called the customs and we cleared customs that night( don’t go into port after business hours since they will charge you an arm and a leg( entry fee, overtime fee for customs and immigration, ect…) and it is rumored that Saipan also charges for an entry visa($60), bastards!!! but I will hope that this is not true. So now that you know how not to get into Saipan, once you are here it is a very nice place due to its people. It is a blend of American holiday culture with Asian entrepreneurship. There are countless little shops that sell silly souvenirs and countless bars( given I have only explored the hotel/shopping district); the people however are very friendly. Yesterday I went and had lunch on the kitebording/windsurfing competition that was being held, then walked over to the cultural village. There a handful of people were weaving palm leaves to cover a hut in the traditional style of the Carolinians. The native population on the island is made up of the Carolinians (they came from the Carolina islands after a typhoon devastated their islands in the 1800 hundreds and the Ja Murro who were the original inhabitants of Saipan. I was looking at a outrigger canoe with the sail up when a proud Carolinian came by to tell me about the boat he built. It is amazing in its simplicity and the way it is built. His name is Sabino and after talking to him for a while he gave me a bracelet and invited me to go night fishing with him tonight. I am very much looking forward to it. As I was walking towards the boat there was an ultimate game going on and could not help but join in. it was a lot of fun but I found that after being on a boat for a month and then running for two hours your muscles are definitely complaining. Some of the people from the team are going on to Bali to play in an international tournament. There were a lot of good people there but I’ve seen better playing in Victoria. Luke you should have been here. Came back to the boat and 20 min later there were fireworks. After that I did a bit of feeding the fish ( fishing is another name for it but the former name describes the activity much better) and slept Next stop is somewhere in the phillipines Till then ps “Wa ash sh” is thank you in Carolinain and “sic chuish masi” in Ja Murro (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Tuesday, February 1st, 2005
10:21 am	thoughts from hilo to majuro What to do is the question, or more how can I make some money to continue traveling. We are on our way again with 4700 nautical miles as the crow flies to go to Sabu. We were late leaving Hilo which meant that I could have stayed with Maggie one more day. It was great seeing her again. I realized how much I missed her and my other friends. She always inspires me to do art, to create and to work as hard as she does. I am thankful for that. So here I am with Hawaii on my left heading at 193 degrees at a good 5.4 knots. To where I wonder, part of me wanting to go back, some of me wanting to invite my friends on this voyage. The trip is going to be a lot less stressful from now on, none of us have any real timeframes and we all want to take it easy, but I feel it will be a lot lonelier as well. Kyle is a quiet sort of person and John likes the silence. I fear I will get sick of the same “it’s sure is nice without that motor, EH?”; we shut off the engine hopefully for good until Majuro this afternoon. So how to make money, or more how can I sell the photos, because that’s really what I want. As a side note it is really nice without the engine, and it’s quiet except for the autopilot ( it makes a purring sound every time it moves the rudder to keep us on course within 1 degree, and sometimes the purring mutates into a growl depending on how much it has to correct) we saw the first whales of the trip as we left Hilo. It seems that we are escorted out of every port by some sort of animals. San Diego it was albatrosses and dolphins, Hilo whales and seagulls. I got dunked in the water, or I should say the bowsprit plummeted in the swell and I was on it today. It takes the right combination of steep swell with short amplitude in order to make the bowsprit dip in but today it happened a good dozen times as we left the Hilo harbor. It was so much fun to sit down on the end of the bowsprit and be catapulted up only to come swooshing down into the water. It is a combination of curiosity and fear for it goes against the idea of it goes against the idea of flotation for the boat to be javelined into the water. The water came up to my nose on the deepest dive, which came as a surprise even thought I was looking down towards the water. If you are thinking of doing this, hold on to rails because you will get washed off otherwise; I almost was. Oh yea today is January 7 and I guess it’s the 1st day of the second leg. Wow. Remember a lazy summer afternoon, when all you accomplished was moving to the hammock in the backyard and laying down and you begin to approach the current mood on the ship. Kyle and John are asleep, 1t’s around10:30 Hawaii time and I already had my first nap of the day. I listen to the clang of the wires inside the hollow aluminum mast, the quiet waves outside, and the occasional crinkle of the ignition keys as they collide. The other occupant, a fly, was exterminated earlier on today. The sun is out and the sky is dotted with fluffy white clouds as we make progress forward, always forward. The difference between a lazy day in Victoria and a normal day here is that you have no one to call here and attempt to invite over (they of course being in the same situation and could not possibly move out of their respective oozing places). I’m not sure if I’m bored or I got what I asked for. I always wanted this and now that I am experiencing it I wish some other people were here, friends lovers ect. We’ll see how the day progresses yum fish, is the word of the day or almost had it in the case of john. I got another Mahi Mahi or Dorado, this time bigger and John got another mackerel and almost a big (about the size of me) something. He was on his second mackerel, dragging it on top of the water when the line dives all of a sudden and goes out about 300 feet. He finally, slowly gets it close to the boat and all I could see was a white shape about as long as I, under the water when the line went slack with no trace of anything ever been on it. For the rest of the day the speculations and guesses as to what it was and how big it was escalated. So far John has the most fish but they are all small and I have the bigger ones. The mahi mahi put up more of a fight this time and it even jumped. John showed me how to filet the fish. Day 3. Laziness is rigamortis of the brain. We have done nothing today. The wind has died down and were it not for the 2 kt current we have helping us we would made no distance. On the up side two birds dropped in to say hello and perched themselves on the bowsprit. We think they are sea skimmers. They have a long, slender white body, red feet, a very cute blue beak, and they have black tipped wings. There are about 6 or 7 of them around but only two stopped on the boat. Day 4 well to make for the lack of wind yesterday, last night we had a small gale; winds up to 30-35kt and a whole lot of fun. We could see it on the radar and we reefed down the sails just in time. Five minutes afterward the winds picked up and I got my hand at hand steering the boat; it reminded me of the time I really learned to drive standard, in rush hour in Vancouver in Hugo’s car. John and I took turns steering and sleeping as Kyle was “sick”. It was a long night but more entertaining then sitting and dosing off as the usual night shift goes. There was one point at which the waves were in tune with “Heavy” by Tegan and Sarah. I was dancing and steering in the dark, all that could be seen was the compass, GPS, wind indicator, and the faint glow of the radar screen. All could be heard was the wind, the water and the occasional thump of a wave as it splashed the deck. I was excellent. All I needed was a old captain hat, a puffy shirt and I would have made an excellent slow pirate (with the reefed sails we were only making about 5.5 kt in the 25kt wind). The downside of the night was that the chicken soup spilled all over the galley floor. It was nasty this morning, but as a result we now have a really clean galley and floor. Bobbing up and down now, all that remains of last night are the swells, the wind died down again and we are back at a measly 4 kt. Again back to a day of rest or laziness. The laziness turned into sleep and I slept for a good 3 hours. I seem to remember my dreams more often on this voyage and this one involved a flying sailboat, my grandparents, Laura and a few other of my friends. It was, as most other dreams I have, amusing and strange. I wonder who reads this journal and if people can feel when I think of them, I like to think so. The weather was altogether odd today, the wind switching direction completely, then going a nice 20 kt and now it died down again. It’s night now and I enjoy it’s peacefulness, a sharp contrast from last night. I love sailing on a night like this. The masts outlined against the milky way, the full sails faintly glowing from the running lights. The different shades of black from which you can distinguish the sea from the sky. The warm moist air running through your 4 day shadow that can now almost be called a beard, if not that then at least very prickly. And the occasional shooting star. There are faint phosphorescent in the water and on the horizon there is an isolated glow, spooky as nothing shows up on radar. Day 5 Bahh cooking is the phrase of the day. the freezer is not freezing despite being fed a bottle of Freon back in Hilo.(shhhhhh Freon is illegal) The idea is now that it has too much Freon…??? So too much or too little nasty chemicals (which was being released because we had tooo much….[insert fist shaking here and a few bahhs]), it’s not freezing so I played the “smell your meat” game. Tonight only!!, see if you can tell which foods have developed a nice little salmonella colony and which haven’t?; and the winner is…. I decided the best way to preserve what’s left was to cook it, and cook I did for about 6 hours. Speaking of colonies, our bird population has increased to 3 with a whole bunch more circling around, not much unlike vultures… hummm. As I was cooking, kyle who I asked to build a shelf that would fit into the freezer, became sick again. I am beginning to feel suspicious of his sickness and bitter towards him. I am disappointed in myself for caring weather or not he does stuff around the boat. I would like to be above that and just be doing what I would were he not here. I am debating whether or not to tell him. Day 6 last night I promptly fell asleep on my watch and didn’t wake up for a few hours. The normal routine of dosing off and banging your head against the window didn’t work; I suspect my skull has developed extra bone around that area already. There was no wind and the swells conspire with your subconscious and change their wavelength as to produce the most comfortable and personal rocking to wisp you to sleep. I’m sure of this. This morning I gently fell asleep on the couch on my watch but it was around 10 am therefore it’s OK. Due to unknown circumstances all three of us fall asleep around 10 since we left Hilo. Everyone wakes up around sunrise, seems awake and cheerful, and then goes and randomly takes a nap for about half a hour, with a strange coincidence it happens to be around 10 am. Today I played sailmalker. It’s a fun game in which you take down the mizzen sail and sow it back together were it became unraveled. Sails are not as soft and fluffy as they appear from a distance; they are rigid and made of cloth that protests vigorously when sown. It only took me about 5 hours of persistent work to patch up the tear and reinforce other seams. On the up side I got a really good tan and got to see the bird colony increase to 9, all of which are now sleeping on the bowsprit. Speculation is now that they are a sort of Boobie, related to the blue footed Boobie that nests in the Galapagos. We guess that they live on the ocean and come to land only to nest, but how they get fresh water, or if they need fresh water at all, we don’t know. We also don’t know how many of them are out here, but our boat population increases day by day. Speculation is all we can do about the wind as well, as to when it’s going to pick up from its average 6 kt through out the day. We are starting a bets as to when it’s going to pick up.John has been “talking to Neptune” about the situation, thought I think his method of peeing on Neptune’s head is questionable. Of the daily celestial effects on the ocean, sunrises and sunsets are gorgeous; but moon rises and moonsets are simply amazing. I just watched as the smiling yellow fingernail moon set into the ocean. For a brief moment all you could see were its tips, yellow against the ocean and stars. I imagined a pair of Cheshire eyes and a tail were to appear but… not yet. It’s all quiet outside except for the engine which we ran all day since we didn’t even have enough wind to steer; no worries the current would take us in the right direction anyway. We are now moving just fast enough to wake up some phosphorescent but only the very nervous ones. I kept thinking of Maggie today. I started to read “Bird by Bird some instructions on writing and life” and as Anne Lamott was describing being, and becoming, a writer all I could picture was Maggie as she was doing one of her essays. I had a smile on my face all evening long. Thanks. Jan 14 day 7 light winds continue to gently push us along; it’s very calm and peaceful but we’re not going anywhere fast. There was a nasty, dark looking cloud behind us this morning that dissipated and nice blue skies continue. The day was great for fishing. It started off well in the morning with a mackerel which I released. Yesterday evening we were sitting on the back deck and I was jigging the line out of boredom, thinking it can’t hurt the fishing as well. As John was leaving he said: “You can’t catch fish that way” I look at him and look at the line just as a mackerel bit. The look on his face was piceless. Well, he was in a sure hurry to try my method. Earlier on tonight the same method yielded my (and the boat’s) first baby sailfish. He was a small 5 foot slender baby weighing about 15 lb. Beautiful. We released him. Not as beautiful and impressive as the sunset from halfway up the main mast. I got to go up the mast to hook up a block and pulley in order to make a crane so we can lift up the “300 lb black marlin” that John’s going to catch ( ha!) anyway… he he he eh as a bonus of this we will be able to lift the dingy off the cabin easier and I got to see the sunset from 20 feet up in the air. Looking straight ahead the full headsail was blocking the sun and with my peripheral vision I could see the blue ocean’s curvature on both sides. From the deck of the boat you can only see about 6 miles out but from there you can really get a great sense of the round blue ocean. I loved it. I am planning to go up there again next calm day and just photograph. I am finally going to sleep outside in the hammock tonight. I have always dreamed of this so I am excited to see what it’s like. One thing that I didn’t foresee is the space, it’s very hard to find places to hang the hammock that you won’t hit something as the boat rocks. To solve this problem I will strap a pillow to the mizzen mast which will hopefully spare me the bruised hip that might (would) otherwise occur. The hammock must be used and so it shall. I will hang it in between the shrouds and anchor it with elastic as to minimize the swinging. Hopefully it will be a good night. January 17 it’s been a couple of days since the last entry. I’ve been feeling a lack of drive, laziness and general lethargy. The hammock was a failure (bahhhh…) as far as comfort but very good at producing vivid weird dreams. One was that I was being thrown up into space attached to a tether and the tether broke; I woke up with my feet and hands spread out just like a cats in order to fall on all 4 (not sure if that would have helped…) I think it’s because the hammock is too long and it amplifies the boat’s movements; that and the only places I can hang it from are flexible steel cables; they don’t help. I’ve tried to sleep in it two nights in a row at various positions around the boat, one, suspended between the cable at the bow and a cable on the side brought me very close to being swung over the handrail( luckily? I hit the handrail with my hip, and still have the bruise from it). Our bird colony is gone as quickly as it appeared. Last night was it peak with a top count of 30 birds on the boat and another 20 or so flying about. This morning there were none on the bowsprit and I’ve only seen a couple during the day. Tonight we are alone again. Kyle caught his first fish today, a Mahi Mahi or Dorado (very yummi yummi J) . I found the native Hawaiian language fascinating and I would like to learn some of it. It’s one of the most melodious languages I have ever heard. Today we had amazing swells; long, deep ocean swells that make the horizon undulate. Some were 30 to 35 feet deep. We looked down in the valley when we were on the crest, it makes your hair stand because it’s such a large mass of water that by any account water should not tower and by the fact that you gently rise up its face as it was nothing. Jan 19th Covrigi. I have finally made them after technically knowing how for the last two years. They are so delicious as they come out of the oven, sparkling with salt crystals. Yummmm.!!!!!!!!! Few people will really understand how happy I was today when my first batch turned out (of course tomorrow there will be another one dedicated solely to them). Briefly: Covrigi are round pretzels that you can buy in Romania for about 20 cents each ( I have heard that other European countries manufacture them but I can’t speak for the quality of the Covrigi) They are made of the same dough as white bread and the best kind are salted. They are irresistible fresh and mature with age. They dry up and, unlike bread, as they become stale all of the flavor is locked inside. In this hard form they are sold on stings (50 or so a sting) and are abundant around Christmas where traditionally they were handed out to carolers. The best way to enjoy a hard Covrig (singular) is to toast it on a wood stove, and as it’s hot, dip it in red wine while enjoying the company of relatives and friends. If the times are such that red wine is not available (shocking concept that will not be discussed here) or for that matter a wood stove a Covrig can be gnawed at any time of day in any locale. It will provide substance, entertainment (some of the really old ones develop a very hard outer crust) and an instant link with your memories. As I am writing this I am wondering what my grandparents are doing, if they have any idea where I am and if they did what they would think of it; I smile, I remember and I hope they are doing well. Nothing particularly ( not next to the Covrigi) exciting happened in the last couple of days except the Japanese fishing vessel that came within 1.5 miles of us. It was frustrating and fruitless to try and get weather information from them ( our weather fax is still not working) and wished Starr were here so she could translate. I even tried speaking Spanish to them and nothing ( hey you never know…) J Jan 25 As John says “I am a ruined man”. There is no escaping the idea, I must have a boat of my own. The more time I spend on Sailabout the more I need a boat. So now the only question is how I’m going to get one. Ideally one would just appear on our way to Cebu and it being in international waters I could just claim it as my own J (failing that, we’ll see what the next 3000 miles of water have in mind for us) I might have to build my own or get an older one and fix it up. The fishing here is good and I did have the privilege of catching a ball of line with about a 4 foot tail ( at night of course, when fishing for “giant squid”). I still get requests for “fried line with pasta” and “barbecued line with rice” bahhhh I say. The moon is full tonight and for the last couple of days the ocean is filled with a silver light for most of the night. Last two days we have been dodging rain showers and we think there is a good size storm moving up ahead in front of us. Gusts of 34 kts make for good sailing even with your sails reefed. :)We are two days away from Majuro. I am curious on how it’ll look like. The atoll is about 20 miles long by ½ mile wide and it curves to form a lagoon in the middle. It’s surrounded by coral reefs. I am more curious about the people, their culture, history, how they live and how they make a living. I wonder how long we will spend there. But first I wonder if I can go swimming, for the ocean water is a ridiculous 28 degrees Celsius or 84 Fahrenheit and I haven’t convinced John and Kyle to stop the boat so I can jump in the ocean yet. Jan 28. “sailing across the ocean in your own boat is the slowest most expensive mode of travel” John over the morning beer one sunny morning. We have made it to Majouro atoll and made a wrong turn. We thought that the entrance to the lagoon is on the South side where there is a light… we were wrong. We are now going around the island in the hope that the swells that we rode on down here are going to be blocked by the East point of the island and it’s going to be easier on the boat. So really we are taking the scenic route around the island. It’s good to smell earth again. The island is just like I imagined only a lot bigger and more populated; it’s at places no wider then a few dozen meters and about 30 km long and you can see through it on the other side where the palm trees are sparser. The shores are lined with garbage (oh I mean international gifts and antiquities) {I just realized what it feels like to go over coral heads, your dept sounder reads 1235 feet one second and the next 22.2 and all you can do is cross your fingers and hope; changing course quickly is useless since the depth sounder only gives you info as you pass over an object, nothing in front of you. So you cross your fingers and wait}I’ve seen a couple of cars and part of the US base. There seems to be a commercial port in the lagoon as I could see some freighters. We should be around the East point of the island in about half a hour and we’ll see then how she sails upwind in 25 kts and 10 foot seas. It will be fun J think of a wet rollercoaster and you’ll have an idea of what’s like on the bowsprit. Majuro lagoon Jan 28 evening. We made it to the lagoon after John swore there was no entrance. John doesn’t cope with stress very well. He gets really upset and it’s hard to talk some sense into him; it’s the only aspect of the expedition that I have uncertain feelings about. I am confident in the ability of the boat to handle even the fiercest of storms and I would be interested to see how John reacts in conditions of extreme stress; my hypothesis, and hope,(based on observations and stories he told) is that he gets very calm as the stress rises but until that point he will be difficult to deal with. He was difficult on the way upwind due to the water depth indicated by the depth finder that was jumping from 400 to 22 feet. I guess I get used to things a lot faster. We were helped to a mooring by Don “been around the pacific a couple of times, spent a few years in Vanuatu, but I like it here; the people are friendly but shy, but friendly” and on and on to the point that I had to walk away because he was going over the same stories again. He seems like a nice old man that has a lot of good stories to tell but needs to be reminded that he told the specific story once before. He has a similar boat to ours, Marconi rigged schooner, about 58 feet on deck that he built himself. The world cursing community, the bunch of people that just sail around from place to place, is relatively small. In Hilo we talked to a couple that just came from here and they recommended Karen and Kerry. We arrived and no sooner then half an hour Karen and Kerry directly from The World vs. Australia cricket match. The World won for the first time. They are really nice, friendly people. I could get used to the cursing life and visit friends from around the world. All I need is a boat; so if anyone knows of any boats that are free let me knowJ and I’m trying to find one drifting around here. Jan 30 Majuro is nice, the people seem friendly and slightly shy. There are a lot of kids around the street and an obscene number of cars. There is only one road and today I walked faster then the traffic jam. In the atoll there are about 30 thousand people and I would estimate about 9000 cars if not more. The people have the laidback atmosphere that is gained with an island lifestyle. Yesterday we were quarantined to the boat (if you come in on the weekend there is a $75 customs charge) so we sat on the boat for the day. I went snorkeling for the first time and played with a school of bait fish. They come to you since you scare off the tuna that feed on them, so they swim around you in a circle; thousands of them. When the tuna is after them you see a wave of sparkling fish on the surface of the water; it’s a lot of fun to watch. The water is ridiculously warm here; for a morning wake up all you have to do is fall off the boat, I love it. Tomorrow I will go exploring a reef that is not far from here. Next stop is truck island, about 1000 miles from here were the lagoon is supposed to be absolutely breathtaking. (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, January 6th, 2005
11:17 am	hello from Hawaii; the pacific ocean crossing The pacific ocean crossing, san diego to Hawaii The first couple of days have been a blur of excitement. On the first day I was a bit sea sick, though I didn’t throw up. It was only on the third day that I started writing on the computer. “It’s 6 am and I must be lonely”… that’s all I got so far of the song; but I am not lonely, I love it out here. Day 3 of the trip 434 nautical miles out (28 57 737 north 124 43 987 west) the first crisis has rived. Another crisis is building up but the water maker failing has surpassed the “are we going to make it to Hawaii before we die of thirst?” crisis. Yesterday was very nice. We finally got some wind and were under sail for most of the day. The sunrises and sunsets here are amazing; my watch (6-9) allows me see both and I am grateful. I finally saw the sun rise out of the ocean and with nothing but it , water and white sails as far as the eye can see(8 nautical miles, but hey the radar says that we’re alone for 64 nm) I’ve been wanting to see a sunrise like this for a very long time. It feels great to know that all you have is this little concrete boat and it slowly but steadily crosses the wide blue ocean. Dolphins came to play with us yesterday. No matter how sad one is, they can’t help but smile as they watch the dolphins play in the sun and in the bow wave of your sail boat (actually I do know one person that might object to dolphins  ) this morning a couple of albatrosses (brown) visited our fishing lines. Ah yes fishing, the great abundance of fish isn’t. We have been attempting to but nothing came out of it so far. This morning we have found two small squid on deck and after they have been thoroughly photographed I used one for bait. The result will be evident at sunrise when I pull out the line. The crisis started when we shut off the engine and tried to make the propeller stop spinning. If the propeller spins as the engine is off the transmission will burn out. John made a clamp for the shaft but there was some trouble installing it (not to mention that this has to happen every time we turn the engine off, and want to sail; I believe that in John’s mind ( and I agree with him) the engine would be off the whole time and we would get there by sail alone, even if it takes more then 15 days) The problem with sailing is that you are dependent on the wind and you should allow for more time then a one day window to cross 2200 miles of ocean(oh well Carol will learn for next time, thought I don’t think there will be a next time) Carol has a plane to catch out of Honolulu on 1am January first, and every day she asks “how fast are we going? How far have we gone?” I am secretly waiting for a “are we there yet?” To add to the stress the water maker blew a valve. As we were bleeding the air out of it we forgot to turn on the water supply and ran the high pressure pump dry, resulting in a melted valve. Without the water maker there is about 140 gallons of fresh water on board; more then enough for the 7 of us to last us to Hawaii; however it causes considerable stress on the crew. If people are rational they would know that 1.5 gallons per person per day is more then enough. We have the part to fix the water maker but we can’t seem to get the other the old seal out. The part is currently being frozen to see if the seal shrinks enough for us to get it out ( we could have done it yesterday if we had the right tool). The wind has finally picked up to a good 15 kn. We are waiting for it to increase to 20 and then we should be able to do a constant 8-9 kn/hr (this is not a racing boat). The sun has just peaked above the clouds and is lighting the bowsprit as it dances in between the waves, the adventure continues as it should. The morning albatrosses have arrived, surfing the air above the swells. Who knows, maybe we’ll have fresh fish today, and I may even catch it.  Sunday Dec 19, means nothing to me as it’s sunny outside and the sun is just rising. It’s strange how much importance our society puts around Christmas. Day 4 has gone by with prosperity, the water crisis has been averted, John and Om have fixed the pump. Yeiii. It was strange however since no-one really celebrated. I found the same thing at dinner(people just take things for granted and I feel unappreciated for my cooking efforts. I do get “Thank you that was very good” but the words seem empty( especially from Kyle whom I have to talk to since he sleeps all day and does nothing else) I would like to naively think that the person that cooks in an everyday household feels different , but I now know that is not the case, I now know how the majority of “house makers” feel and it’s horrible. Next time I go on a ship to be a cook I will ask for money; volunteering is not a good way to go. With the issue of water out of the way, Carol’s timetable took center stage. She thought that from San Diego to Hawaii was 1800 nm (it’s 2200nm) and that it would take 12- 14 days so she booked a plane out of Honolulu 15 days later (silly). There was a meeting in the evening whether or not we should run the engine all the way, partially or not at all. (of course not, hence the term sailboat) It was agreed that even with the engine on there was no guarantee of arrival by the 31 so we decided to sail and turn the engine on if we fall below 4kt ( below this speed the autopilot will not operate efficiently). To prove how silly we were the wind picked up about an hour after the meeting and we are since averaging about 6.5kt. The ironic part is that the navigation software has a Estimated Time of Arrival (which is recalculated every time our speed changes, every wave or so) and it keeps saying we will get there on the 31 of December for the last 2 days or so  ) Other small misshaps; the rudder hydraulic system failed, and just as I woke up today we had to replenish hydraulic oil to the steering system. The water is getting warmer (around 18 degrees C) but it didn’t feel that warm as a wave washed over us. Day 5 the highlight was John catching a 3lb mackerel in the morning. (yeah he beat me as far as catching a fish, thought I did catch a squid leg the other day, which is now being used as bait ) the sea is an average 6 ft swell with 10-12 footers. (it’s a lot of fun to try to type on the computer as it’s on a 45 degree angle. I baked the fish in the oven with garlic, rosemary, and lemon served over a bed of stir fried veggies with curried rice. I also made a batch of brownies. The mackerel turned out nice but next time it needs to be barbecued ( not to worry since John caught another one just as we were eating dinner, baahhh… no I don’t really care but it would be nice to catch a squid) so today we will have barbecued mackerel. ( which is going to be interesting since we don’t have a barbecue, we will wing it in the convection oven). Day 6 again John caught a fish( slightly frustrating, but considering that I don’t have my line in I should not complain) he also had one get away (the one that broke the line (80lb) so beside a fish we also have a story. The mackerel that he caught had to be thrown back since it had worms. As I cleaned it I saw these white lumps in the muscle, and after cutting a few out ( I thought they were fat deposits) they started to move, resembling small white slugs, complete with eye stocks) I was very tired today and fell asleep at around noon. Most nights in this trip I can remember some parts of very vivid dreams. This morning I was helping someone break down their house with a baseball bat but for some reason is was very hard for her to swing the bat down at the stairs. I will make an effort to remember more. I was bored today, maybe it was because I was tired, or the fact that it’s cloudy outside but I didn’t want to be here today. I cleaned the fridge and will hopefully wash my pants as they are getting visibly dirty (have worn them straight for the past 3 ½ weeks ah black pants, the spice of life). It’s amazing how little you can do in a day and feel great about it. The water is getting warmer and I am will suggest a bath stop in the near future. I realize that until now I haven’t described the boat very well. It is 55’ on deck, 65 overall. It has a wonderful bowsprit, which is the best place to sit and watch the ocean. It’s you and the waves as far as the eye can see, while if you turn around you see an amazing sailboat, if there was any doubt about me wanting a sailboat previous to this it is now gone. I spend hours here watching the bow wave, the horizon, and every once in a while I get a big smile on my face as I realize again that I am actually sailing to the Philippines. There is a central wheel house (slightly aft) which is enclosed (a very good idea as well, even though it makes the boat less aerodynamic); this, the galley, and the outside deck are the living spaces. There are three staterooms in the front of the wheel house, two on each side and the main stateroom after them. The galley, kitchen and the main bathroom (there are two but this one has the shower) is at the back. The kitchen is nicely arranged for one person but is crowded with two (you have to allow for bracing against walls). In the galley there is a table with cushions all around it (these serve as storage lockers underneath and sleeping spaces on top. (that’s where Om, Molly and I sleep) On the boat everything moves, slides, and jerks; so anything that is fragile has to be secured. To cook something you have to hold on to the food and the plate before it slides on the counter, as well as bracing yourself and stirring at the same time; it’s a lot of fun and a lot of frustration as the french-fries you made for the last hour end up on the floor (of course we ate them, what kind of question is that). The stove is very well designed as it swings from side to side to keep the things on it level( all counters and table should be like that) All the balancing almost but not quite makes up for the overeating that we’ve been doing; I have to start exercising/ stretching for at least half a hour each day. I really like the trip but it could do with more of an entertainment system. We have a dvd player but only karaoke dvds; once was enough(philippino karaoke is a horrendous experience) and the general atmosphere is for quiet(which is sometimes good); it’s not the fact people don’t like music, it’s that we have very different tastes and no one initiates the process. Another factor is that the player draws a lot of power (it’s on an ac inverter) so it wears down the batteries. A few things that I learned from this ( have a power generator that doesn’t take gas, wind, solar, aquatic, anything as the sound of the generator engine takes away from the sailing/quiet time; don’t give people estimates on how long it will take to get places, or if you do add another 4 days on at least) Morning of day 7 (dec 21) ; we use the san Diego time as our ship time so sun rise is now at around 7:30. it’s another gray day today, cloud cover being complete. I can laugh at most things; a very good attitude on a boat where things are bound to break down. Our drinking water has developed a very bad sulphur smell so we need to add bleach to the tank( it smells so bad that this morning when Om clogged the toilet the faucet was worse then the toilet) I am happy as long as our rudder and sails are working; all the rest we can easily fix. Our wind has died down a bit so we are heading south in order to avoid the doldrums (part of the ocean with no wind) that are north east of Hawaii our location is 27 15 85 north 131 43 57 west. We will see what adventures today brings. Day 8: the crew is getting restless. We have been going south for about a day and a half and this doesn’t sit well with carol, moly and om. Kyle has been sick since we started the trip( we all joke about the fact that he drinks too much cough syrup, which is true) and as a result others have to pick up his shift. Moly mocks everything especially our slow speed towards Hawaii, and it’s a lot of fun to just listen to her. The days are becoming a blur, and it’s nice to just loose track of time and drift with the waves (not so nice for carol who still insists on looking at how fast we’re going every chance she gets) I like the peacefulness of the ocean even thought it tosses everything around on the boat (more so around the time you are trying to cook it seems). The clear blue water is hard to describe. I spend hours just looking at how the color changes from an aquamarine near the hull (it’s painted green) to a dark blue, close to black. It’s great to sit on the side of the boat basking in the sun with your toes dipping in water. I am at the “everything is funny stage” even when your food is whisked away from you as the boat moves over a wave. The skies were cloudy in the morning but now it’s nice and sunny. I just realized that it’s three days before Christmas and that I haven’t seen any commercials in three weeks; it’s great. I’m thinking of what the people I know and what they’re doing, and then I look ahead and see white sails blue water and little white caps as far as the eye can see and I am happy.; though I miss the cold of kelowna and the wet of victoria I would like a few other people to be present here and some of the present company to be excluded but such is life. I It will be interesting to see what happens. We are going to try to cook a turkey ( “how can you have Christmas without a turkey?” said carol all shocked and frightened.) which will be interesting since all we have is a microwave/convention oven that bakes things and doesn’t brown them( it will be an albino turkey). Day 9 Dec 23 23.03.77 north 133 53 67 west. We started the engine again last night. The people revolted(almost) No, but john’s course was called into question. We are now doing about 4 knots west and 4 knots south which is good but not ideal. We would like to be going west and slightly south. The deal was that carol would pay for one day of motoring and this way we would be able to cut a corner and head more with the wind which is going strait to Hawaii. In hindsight (a very useful tool to have) there were a couple of problems on John’s part towards this trip: 1) he didn’t define a course that we would take to get to Hawaii, the idea was that we were going to head straight there, even though the most common course is to head south and then west with the trade winds( I would like to speculate that by heading straight he hoped to cut a large corner and save some time) 2) when we went of our “straight” course he should have admitted to his mistake and conferred with the crew; this would have made carol and the others feel that they were listened to and that their opinions mattered. I don’t see that John has done a lot of thins wrong but there’s definitely been some misunderstandings. Kyle is getting better but he is still quite sick. Kevin is getting worse in his sickness, and now has a fever. Carol is so and so but not to her usual “cheerfulness” ( oh my oh my). I finally started to stretch and do a couple of exercises, the weather is till gray but the winds are constant at around 16kt. I would like to be able to cheer john up as he is really upset by the situation. He’s very stressed and doesn’t sleep, I will try to talk to him. Talking to John seemed to help, but I don’t know for how long. On the upside as a Christmas present I caught my fist fish today. It was a 6 lb Dorado (very odd fish with a big head long body but very flat, and it didn’t put up much of a fight; once you dragged it on the surface it laid on its side and you just pulled it along the water; between you and me, I think it was suicidal) It has a yellowish belly and a blue dorsal fin that runs the entire length of the body I will see how good it’s tomorrow when I’ll try to barbecue it over a propane stove, it should be interesting if nothing else. Ps next time bring along a good filleting knife, it will come in handy. Today we had the biggest sea yet with average swells of 10-15 ft, it is a lot of fun to watch and be rolled around in. Tonight is a gorgeous night, the white wash of the waves glistens a light blue in the moonlight. Sitting on the leeward side of the boat, within inches of the water sometimes, I look out and see silver grey mounds of water rising and falling against a backdrop of clouds. The moon should be full in the next day and I hope the clouds part in the evening so I can see the moon rising over the water. Day 10, Christmas Eve, the rain shower is full blown both inside and out. The best Christmas present is this trip, today I spent hours on the bowsprit looking at the waves, dangling my feet so they would touch the bigger swells. I saw flying fish fly for the first time( we found some on deck a few days ago). I am amazed at how far they can travel Dorado was very good eating thought way too much work preparing. I had to hold it above a propane burner in order to get the barbecued effect for about 15-20 min. Now this would not sound so bad if the boat wasn’t tossing you from side to side. The weather wants to make me feel at home so in order to remind me of Victoria; there is a full blown rain storm outside (and leaking thought at several points in the boat). One advantage to this rain is that it’s nice and warm. The conflict between John and Om has escalated to the point where Om’s watch was suspended. Yesterday the autopilot failed three times in a row due to the large waves and Om took the helm manually. John just woke up and blew up at Om for endangering the boat (we were on one side, nothing more then the usual but there were two large waves about to broadside us, exactly the thing Om was trying to prevent) I am caught in the middle, I trust in John and his experience yet I see and agree with Om on some of John’s shortcomings. I don’t want to take sides but I find it hard to talk to John and to feel that he understands me, so I will have to wait and see what happens. The night is not necessarily rougher then normal as far as seas but it is the first night of full blown rain so I think that makes people feel uneasy. The boat is capable of taking a lot more then it is now, is the crew? On an up side we are just about in the middle of the ocean with nothing for at least 1000 nautical miles in any direction. It is a very nice feeling. On the down side some of the crew has just about had it and “not even for a million dollars, you couldn’t pay me to stay on this boat after Hawaii” said Carol before the rainstorm. So we will see. I, however, am hooked and definitely want to keep on sailing. Day 11, Dec 25. Wow!! (insert a very wide satisfied grin here) is the only way I can describe the full moon rising through scattered clouds over the open ocean exactly opposite from a sinking sun. This trip was worth just for the sky tonight, all else is extra. I wanted to see the full moon over Open Ocean for a very long time and it was well worth the wait. The spirits of most of the crew today were high, especially John’s even though we had to take down the mizzen sail, repair the small tear at the top and put it back out. John and Om have settled their conflict to a certain extent, and all is almost the way it was before (some people complaining about how this is not done and that is not the way it should be, while others sit around and read and do not much else) It was an eventful day: Carol made her Christmas turkey, it almost all the way cooked too and “ It was the hardest meal I ever had to make, what with all the things and stuff” said Carol. Om, John, Kevin and I fixed the tear at the top of the mizzen, and reefed the sail (we were lucky since only the stitching broke and we could fallow the holes in the nylon). Moly dumped Om, which on one hand I feel really bad for Om but on the other it was almost expected since they were arguing every minor detail on an everyday basis. As for myself I am supper excited to be here but I’m missing a few people. I am looking forward to Hawaii, and hopefully I will be able to convince the others to stop in Maui so I can visit Maggie. Day 13 Dec 27, The last two days have been relatively uneventful, except for the blue waters and white puffy clouds that drift across the horizon. Every one seems to have calmed down quite a bit now that we have crossed the 800 miles range and since on the map one can see Hawaii and the boat at the same time it looks like we’re almost there (we still have 649 miles to go). A few days ago I did notice that my body finally got totally accustomed to the movement of the boat; as I was rocked to sleep instead of feeling the movement of the boat.  I don’t expect too much change from now on except for an improvement in the attitudes of people. It will be interesting to see what/how people react when we see land. Molly and Om are seem to be back together so that is great. Molly is thinking of packing her bags before and just jumping off and running down the dock, Carol has been talking about her Hawaiian drinks, Om about the fresh pineapples, Kyle about the cold beers. I am curious how I will react upon seeing Hawaii so it will be interesting either way. I was talking to John the other day and I see me in 40 years. He has a very interesting past from growing up in Washington, moving to a ranch in Texas, being one of the computer engineers for the Apollo missions at the NASA ( he got out of it because he thought there was no future in computers!! ha!) control center, to yacht broker, to international drug smuggler( he got caught, as do “all”) to boat builder, to lumber dealer and it was all motivated by the yearning to sail. So I wonder what the next 40 years will bring and what stories I will have. Day 15; I have been getting lazier and lazier about writing. The days are calm and all I do is wake up watch the sunrise, cook some breakfast, do my watch 9-12 and then lay around the boat sunbathing or talking to people till about 4 or 5 when I make dinner. I gave up trying to be nice to Carol so I try to avoid conversations with her so I don’t have to say anything mean to her. Yesterday I wrapped my water bottle in rope so it looks fancy. I’ve been learning how to make different knots so I am now looking for things to knot. :) I made a proposal for newspapers in Hawaii and I will try so see if they will buy the story, however I now have to write the story….. so we’ll see. So far the prediction is that we’ll get there on the 1st so now Kevin is trying to get as much speed out of the boat ( a little to late I think ha! Ha! Ha!, and the evil horia says(hopes) that we’ll get there the morning after Carol’s plane leaves; I’m sure karma will bite me in the ass for this but hey!) I am constantly amazed and entertained by flying fish. They are one of the coolest animals ever, but at the same time frustrating since I can’t get a picture of them. Bahhh! Day 16. the air out here is fresh, warm and moist. It’s just after sunrise and you can stand shirtless and be comfortable. The day has a tone of the lazy summer day when all you really do is eat a watermelon (oh how I could go for one right about now). Last night there was a half hour of amazement as the sun set and the sky was clear. I had forgotten how many stars there were. From the bowsprit I could see the remnants of the daylight on the horizon, the stars above and below, bioluminescent playing in the bow wave. It was nice and quiet and part of me was sad that we’re going to Hawaii. I am, however, very excited to go and try and surprise Maggie, we’ll see how it works. Yesterday was a day of writing and most of the day I accomplished nothing but last night I’ve got half the story done. Day 18 happy new year to all. This has to have been the worst New Year party I have attended in as long as I can remember. It was composed of John, Kevin, Carol and I, and after a short toast the conversation turned to marriage, why it fails and how it should be more of a lasting commitment. I went to bed half an hour after midnight!!!! Next year it will have to be remedied. As always I wonder where the time went and thought about the year, its adventures and lessons, and where I am versus where I thought I was going to be and so on… All in all I must say that it has been a year of learning, even if it was very painful to me and especially to others that I love. I apologize to all and hope you will forgive me, in my negligence I knew of no other way. I miss a lot of people and please know I am thinking of you. On other news I finished my story and we are within 43 miles of Hawaii. I find it comical that today we got perfect wind and wind direction but we will still have to wait till tomorrow morning to enter the harbor since we don’t have the harbor chart and John doesn’t want to go in at night in an unknown harbor (makes sense to me) As it stands right we will make it there around 9 pm ship time (a few hours after dark). Day 19 Hawaii, the big island, Hilo, a famous Indonesian explorer. So we made this morning around 2. We slowly motored into harbor, me on the bow in rain (warm rain but rain nevertheless and we are here. Carol, Kevin Molly and Om got off( could not wait to get off the boat is a more accurate description) and we anchored in behind the breakwater, in the commercial port of hilo. Later on I went swimming for the first time in the pacific ocean( I mean actually swimming and not just jumping in) it was great. I managed to call Maggie’s mom (also named Maggie) and I will go and try to surprise her tomorrow night. It will be so much fun if I pull it off. We’ll see January 6th. I just got back from Maui. It was amazing. It was so nice to see and hang out with Maggie again. I feel really privileged to know such great people. I spent two days there. In short, on the first day we went and hiked the crater. It was my fist time in a volcano, and the weather was great. All sunny all the way. The reds, browns, grays and occasional green was an interesting contrast to the lush Hilo and deep blue ocean of the days previous. the highlight of the day was when we went through a lava tube(about 200 m long) and got out on the other side. at one point the ceiling is collapsed and shafts of light come trough revealing the full extent of the marvel(we only had one flashlight). We got out of the crater just in time to catch a ride back up to the car and get the sunset from the volcano. Yesterday we went to the beach( classic postcard views of course complete with surfers, wonderfully warm water and breakers) and to the Ioa needle( a pice of rock that juts out for a good distance around witch 4 rivers join. We (Maggie, Remi, and I hiked up a bit more thorough a one person wide trail thought almost jungle, watched the sun linger in the lush hills and went back down to find the best papaya I have ever tasted. We picked it off the tree and it was perfectly yellow. Yummmmm is all I can say. So here I am after two days of island hopping on the boat again. From see to air (I saw the sunset over the island as the plane flew towards maui) then off into a volcano then off into the water and again in the air. I love it. On the downside it has made me miss a lot of other people that I wish I could visit. So with that I wish all good luck and my next blog entry is at an unknown date. Have fun, always (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, December 10th, 2004
10:21 am	on to indonisia yey yey yey yey yey i can't express how excited, happy, thrilled, giddie i am. i have been in san diego about 4 days now and the people here are nice(the weather is nicer) but the big news is that at the last port in the us i found my sailboat( not going to mexico as i had intended) but to indonisia, and how can i refuse. she is named "Ail About" and is a 55' ferro cemment sloop. i can't wait till moday when we leave, it will be amazing. a whole bunch of otherthings happend here, like really nice surf, amazing beaches, but my face lights up when i think about sailing and i can't belive it's all the way to indonisia. there is a downside( i do have to pay for the food on the way there so it may get pricey, but i am thinking of solutions right now). so this may be the last entry for a while as the next land fall is hawai. bye (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, December 5th, 2004
2:57 pm	so long san francisco Well helo all . this is my last post from San Francisco and I must say I will miss it. The city is nice but the people are amazing. I am on my way to San Diego and things are looking good. I will miss the friends I made here as I miss my all my friends in Victoria and Vancouver. I went to a couple of great parties, the modern art museum and the opera since the last entry. Friday was an ecspecially nice day with art in the afternoon, opera in the evening and dancing till 4 am at some crazy clubs. The opera was really great, the SF opera company is really worth seeing. I saw Eugine Onegin and it was perfect; it was also perfect how people stared at me in my sandals. I was dressed nicely but still in sandals ( a person was actually staring at my sandals and I had to say hello in order to get her attention… I like to think it was because I have such nice toes…. He he heJ ) after the opera Steven invited me to see a friend of his (ours) Garcia. She is an amazing DJ and it was a lot of fun. One major thing I found about the clubs in SF is that people are there to have fun, to dance, (there is the usual pick up attempts too) afterwards we went to an after hours club that whitch was on the crowded side but great for people watching. It is meeting people like Steven, Nafis , Garcia , Shannon, Billy, Curtis, Neil, and Sebastien that make traveling worth wile. People that welcome you into their space and life and that you will remember for the rest of your life. I hope the rest of my travels are filled with people like that. Next stop san diego (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, November 29th, 2004
9:47 pm	need I say more? Wow how lucky I am. I was coming from Kathlen’s house earlier on today and just realized how lucky I am. I have met some incredible people in San Franciso. I am sleeping in a nice comfortable bed with Steven; I mean how really do I get into these situations? Two weeks ago I knew no one here now I have three people that I can call friends one of witch I am sleeping in his bed. I remember a conversation Laura and I had at one point (it was the basis of her gift, a notebook called the Horia Chronicles, and so far she was right, as most of the time.) I wonder if I had money if I would have had these experiences and all my reasoning points to no. Don’t go traveling with money for it will limit you and what you can do. As a side note I love coconut curry and I just had some very good curry. I am now at Steven’s and just finished dinner. I phoned Shannon (she’s the person that told me about the couch surfing.com website, so all the other connections that I have are due to her) and will hopefully get to see her tomorrow. As for money; yes you need it but if you try to find stuff to do while on your way, you will have wonderful adventures; or starve to death.; either or it will be an adventure, and it’s very unlikely that you will starve to death. It is interesting to see the perception people have of you. Ian, a fellow traveler from Britain that I met at Ted’s house, did not make a good impression. He is tacktless and inconsiderate. He too was invited to the Thanks-for-talking dinner( as I heard it referred to as here) but he kept making comments about “the stupid Americans” that he met or he kept trying to hit on Kathleen. I felt personally offended by his lack of common sense and that I was a fellow traveler. All of the people I met so far were very smart and most apologized for their government (which I found hilarious). All I’m saying is that when you visit someone observe their customs and don’t insult them otherwise they will not invite you back. I would have thought this would be common sense by now, but apparently not. I went to work for Kathlen again today and made a whole bunch of small purses; just like a small sweat shop, Taiwan here I come….I figured I should be prepared just in case. I am happy that I learned how to sow and that this is actually coming in handy; a true way to travel where you exchange your services with the people around you and one is not impeded by laws and legalities. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 24th, 2004
9:47 pm	intersting people yes i am lazy. i haven't written in this for a while now and a lot of things have happned. i won't say crazy or intersting (though by some standards they are both) because my standards are starting to shift. I am now in San Francisco and have been here since sunday night. last journal i was on my way to the hotsprings. they were amazing. i am seriously thinking of making a point of visitiog as many hotsprings as possible along the way. i met up with Ben(from Australia) at he bus and we went to the hotsprings on what seemed like a nice walk from the bus stop. it was a gorgeos walk, all 7 miles of it. now i was thinking of leaving my backpack at the hostel but since the night before i sleapt outside, like a turtle i was carring my house with me(it's a green backpack as well). We got to the hotsprings and they were worth every step. 4 rock pools build below the spring collect the water and you sit and stare at the old growth forest all around you and the blue sky. The blue sky didn't last for long and when it started raining it was great(little cold water drops on your head and the rest of the body in the nice warm water) the day after that(yes i did stay at the hostel that night, the first out of three nights; for my stuff was damp from the night before and i was kinda cold and tired) i went to meet Neil and his friend Sebastien in Florence. Now we agreed to meet at a restaurant sometime in the afternoon and just as i was about to give up on them showing up; there they were. I surprised myself to find that I was not dissapointed or frustrated for waiting 5 hours for them to perhaps show up and that i should give poeple more time before i give up on them. That night we spent it in Bandon, of whitch I only saw the sunrise and a the first of many incredible postcard images of the California coast. Saturday we drove to the Redwoods national park and we got to their hostel at one thus adventuring time. Neil is from England and is doing research at Berkley; he is a teacher back home, while Sebastien just decided what his phd was going to be ( a decision that came at lunchtine as most life-altering plans do) They were perfect company as we could talk about any subject we choose. It was a lot of fun traveling with them. Oh yes the red woods = go see them. it is a must, similar to the old growth douglas firs we have the redwoods seem to go on forever in height. i still don't uderstand how they can grow to such sizes and a)not colapse b) get the water all the way up there. i have heard the scientific explanation, yet when you see them up close it is breahtaking or"they will touch your very soul" according to one corny info panphlet. So i made it to San Francisco, it is a very fun city. It has a very diverse culture and you can find anything you want to do here. Along my travels I found out about globalfreeloaders.com and couchsurfing.com. they are what the name implies ( people offer you a couch to sleep on for free, it is the greatest help to travelers yet. not only do you get free acomodation, but at the same time you get to meat a local person that gives you great info about the town. use it at any time. Ted was my first host and i stayed with him for one night. I am going to thanksgiving dinner with him and his friend tomorow. it will be great. now tonight i am staying at this house that is the base of the project "launch pad" a comunity based group that aims to bring the outside community(it's one of the shady areas of town) together.It is a great goal but there are some logistical problems between some members which may cause the group to break up. all will be seen but, and even though i want to be optimistic about this i think that if they are to acomplish they have to have guidelines(a problem when one of the ideas of launch pad is to have a differnt sytem then our present day society), yet without a guide line and with 12 people that live here how can you make a decision if one of them should move out(he was supposed to be temporary) anyway...i am running out of money and will have to change an american express cheque sometimes soon since i only have about $16 in my pocket and my pocket seems to have some hooly friends in it. till next time (oh yea it's harder to find work illigally then i suspected) have fun horia (Comment on this)
Wednesday, November 17th, 2004
8:57 pm	so this entry will compose of the last couple of days starting in Olimpia; but first the possibly bad news. I've lost my hat; no my hat was stolen by the evil horia that forgets things on the bus(bahh evil horia) anyway hopefully i will be able to get it back tomorow since it is needed(it's nipplely outside) But i am being sidetracked, i left olimpia sunday with good sprits even though they woke me up at 6am(one of the downsides of sleeping at a salvation army. After a little wait i got a ride that droped me off in what seemed like the middle of no-where; untill i was picked up by Bill and Stacy Burless(more Bill's part then anyone else's)who were on their way to church. I have nothing against people who go to church and are religious but i do question people that try to convert others to their religion. Bill falls in the latter category and about min in the ride he enqires "so, have you found jesus in your life; because we are going to the chruch and I can drop you off on the junction afterwards and there is a, kinda pre-thanksginving potluck, but nothing too extravagant, but with lots of food at the chrurch" This trip is all about adventures; and what better then an adventure in a church... well adventure i got. We arrived; sat down, and the old lady(whom i later had the bad luck to smell as she hugged me)was gesturing to the audience and repeting every third phrase for emphasis. Ah yes the church; well picture a steriotipical white, right wing, christian chruch and this is where i spent a good chuck of the day. of the more amuzing sights(and i could not help but stare) was the anoucer and her sleeping companion who were facing the audience. She would wave and nod everytime "jesus" or "God" or a combination about the lord was said. He wore old, faded cowboy boots, a dark navy blue suit complete with gold cuflings and buttons, a white shirt with red,green,blue,black thin stipes that was left unbuttoned at the top two holes,and a cowboy style tie. This picture was not complete without his cane and the tupe on his head that was 3 shades darker then the sourounding hair and only an inch think. This set the stage for the main act of the preacher whitch in contrast had a nice suit covering his enormous beer gut, and a hairdo that was a wave extending 2 inches in front of his hairline thus forming a visor.(oh i wish i had my camera with me. He was very animate and his voice would chage drastically from verse to verse but the performance(for that was what it was for me) climaxed when he was yelling at the top of his lungs "His name, his name, his name" and gesturing wildly. He was so into it that afterwards you wou could see white spit at the corners of his mouth;literaly "foaming at the mouth. it was worthit. due to the fact that the potluck was the week fallowing Bill stopped at a wall-mart and got some sandwitch materials together, and as he drove Stacy manufactured sandwiches(manufactured is a good adjective because bread is not supposed to stick to the roof of your mouth). They dropped me off at Mt St. Hellens visitors center and of course gave me a bible(the new testamont in case anyone is interested) to keep me safe. i thanked them and went to visit Mt.St. Hellens (which of course you can't do since it's closed due to possible eruption, and it was raining) Moday morning-rain-more then that stupid,cheap, plastic poncho; don't buy one; don't even accept one if it's given to you for free since all it does is bring pain and anguish. I have reached portland via a ride with Javad who is a very inteligent man. we talked about world views, pholosophies and more important stuff to do in portland. I will remember portland for grilled cheese and ham sandwichtes(namely the three that were given to me with-in the fist half an hour in portland by this random girl. they were delicious. Portland has very nice coffeshops. the fist night i just exited one"the pied cow" (at which as i later found you can have hooka pipes)and took the bus when i met Adrian who was asking me for directions(this phenomenon has been happening to me lately, when i just arrived in a city and poeple come up and ask directions;a hipothesis is that people think you, as a traveler have some special ability to instantanously know where you are and more importantly when the so and so coffe place is) A-while later we went to meet his friends and then went to a hip hop club on top of a greek restaurant with a purple ocotpus over its door way. the meeting went like this. we went up to the third floor, knocked on a door and two very beutifull women answerd the door(yes just like the moovies but i sleapt alone that nigth) Last night i sleapted in Washington park in portland(and it looks like tonight is also a camping night)and it was a bit cold. Yesturday i visited the Hoyt Arboretum, the japaneze garden and the rose garden. all very nice and worth seeing but i suggest sneaking in the japaneze garden.It took me half the day to get to the highway and another two hours to get a ride to Eugene. the city itself looks ok but the people are really (friendly?). Of the two people i was supposed to meet one didn't show up and the other has the phone disconected. so it's about 10 now and i am off to find a place to sleep for the night so tomorow i will be able to wake up and catch the bus to the hotsprings. till next time keep it unreal (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, November 13th, 2004
10:30 am	yey for great people so yesterday morning as i was exiting the HuB at University of Wahington i saw a free hot chocolate sign ( how can i resist). A short time later Phil(one of the people at the table) invited me to a Halo party later on that night, which i gladly accepted. Halo is a greatly addictive game and so around midnight when Phil decided to go home he asked his friend Lee( i hope i spelled that right) if I could spend the night on the couch. I had a great night's sleep on Lee's house couch. It is happenings like last night that make traveling worth-wile. i am now on my way to Olimpia on the 11:20 bus so till next time have fun horia (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Friday, November 12th, 2004
3:40 pm	hello to all and one from the amazing new seattle library. i love when people acutally think and design with the future in mind. it is a very nice building. I am planning to go to Olimpia tomorow. last night was great(warm and dry) so i will try to sleep in the same place tonight(by the university)I will remember Seattle for its buildings and the fountain at the convention center. The fountain dances to the the music of drums, zilophones and pianos set amist the gigles of children. it resembles a ladybug with bumps instead of white dots. The way the water moved with the music and played in the sunshine was brathtaking. visit seattle on a sunny day and wait for the sunset to bring to live Experience music project; a building designed by Frank Ghery ( Kate you have to go see it, with at least two days dedicated to it and 10 rolls of film) EMP chalanges your mind to reavaluate the way you see structures as its walls wave and undulate in front of your eyes. I will try to get pictures but i haven't found a place yet that i can do it for free. Kat you have to visit then suzzallo libray at the Univestiy of Washington. it was designed in early 1900's in neo-Gothtic style, the reading room is "comparable only to the nave of a cathredal" acording to the little panphlet i've got. Having got over the selfdoubt and questions that plagued me yesterday I hope this trip will go fine. I am thinking of spending some time in Portland, Or. but only if i can find some as the states are expensive. oh Alexis, i saw your store today (LW) and i understand somewhat. till next time... have fun (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 7th, 2004
9:30 am	hello .it's the day that my trip really begins. i will be leaving my parents' place in Kelowna this evening, spending some time in vancouver and then i'm off towards seattle. it's interesting that a trip like this( that will chage the way i look at the world)should start with me leaving the place that has taught, formed the person and personality that i am today. today i am off to roam the woods around kelona with my dad, Mircea, in the pretence that we will go hunting. (just an excuse to go outside really, with the added bonus of food later on) anyway i'm on my way now so take care for now (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, October 10th, 2004
4:58 pm	sleeping? hello does anyone know of a good place to spend the night if one just arrieved in Seattle? Current Mood: contemplative (Comment on this)