The ocean of life

And so it goes, tack one way for a few hours, tack the other way for a
few hours, for the next few days. And what can one do bot to keep at it.
The test now becomes a mental one, the toughest test of them all. Some
live in the past, some live in the future, most live in a combination of
the two. Only few have the capacity to live in the moment. And yet, that
is all we have, moment for moment. Yes, I miss my family dearly and
can't wait to get home. A wife missing her husband, a daughter missing
her daddy, and a daddy missing both of them. But when we are re-united,
the joy we experience is boundless, nothing is taken for granted, every
moment is precious.

Both Felix and Brad have got plans of their own. All good things comes
to them that wait. They may not know it, but this time on the ocean is
moulding them for greater things. It will give them something that they
will carry with them into the future. The greatest knowledge is
knowledge of self. Know your strenghts, know your weaknesses,
intimately. Learn to respect yourself, to love and appreciate yourself,
learn about the sacredness of you.Only to the extend that you can do
this can you apply it to the world around you. You cannot give what you
don't have.Learn to laugh at yourself, probably the most healthy thing
you van do. Learn to appreciate yourself, and you will learn to
appreciate the road you are on. It is a sacred quest.

On the other side of the coin you loath yourself, you have very little
real self respect,you confuse loving yourself with selfishness, you get
frustrated and loose sight of the magic of the moment that you are in.
It is a choice. St.Augustine prayed for courage to accept the things he
can't change, and for strength the change the things he can. This is the
hero's journey, portrayed in all cultures. Most fall by the wayside,
tripped or trapped by the obstacles on the way. How many times you
stumble and fall is not as important as how many times you stand up and
carry on again. Stronger and wiser.

Only when you realize that the destination is not where it is at, but
what you learn on the way there, that you will reach your true destiny.
And if you collect and bag a few treasures on your way, then blessed are
you. Humbleness is not a sign of weakness. Meekness is not a sign of
subservience. On the contrary. To be meek is to be quiet and hear and
obey your inner calling. To be humble is to be strong enough to stay
focused on your path and not be sidetracked by vanity and glory.

It takes enourmous courage to stand alone, yet we are born alone and we
die alone. To seek safety in numbers is fine, you will find it. But just
as a boat is not built to sit in a harbour, so you also were not made to
hide from life. Sadly, most boats you will find most of the time in a
harbour.It remains your choice. It is essential to touch base now and
then, but I am yet to see a happy boat tied down to a pier. And when a
big storm hits the harbour and the mooring lines break loose,the boats
smash into each other and sink. On the open ocean boats are built to
weather storms, and they are safer out there than anywhere else.

As I have been reminded recently,one is somewhat conditioned to see what
one sees.But the ultimate goal is not to see,but be aware and therefore
see everything.It is amazing if one walks somewhere where there are a lot
of people and you just observe people,without any though of what they are
doing or saying.Just switch your glance every moment to the next person in
your vision,and carry on in this mode.You will see a lot more and be far
more aware,without being intrusive.

We find ourselves 10nm just off the coast of Algiers, Northern Africa. Our
position @ UTC 01:00 PM 37*00'N/03*07'E and we are about 880nm from
Greece.

Have a solid weekend

Paul

Maktub-It is written

Another day on the big blue, and like every day before, different from
every day before. We are stitching our way in the direction of Greece.
Easterly winds, sometimes a bit north easterly, have us tacking up and
down along the coast of Africa. At first we were going to sail more
north, but strong winds are predicted up there and we therefore rather
stay south. Sometimes sailing, sometimes motorsailing. Nice sunny
weather for the last few days. At night is a bit chillies and ships from
every direction keep us honest and true.

Felix has just attempted his first try at baking bread. As I am writing
the smell from the oven is starting to fill the air, soon we will be
enjoying it, fresh from the oven. My turn to cook tonight, spaghetti and
bolognaise, always a winner. Last night Brad made us a curry stew and
the washing up was easy as there wasn't a crumb left.

With Felix on board we are far more rested now, and our watch shifts are
changing every day. Last night I had the privilege of watching the sun
set, and this morning watching the sun rise. The same sun that has risen
and set over these waters for who really knows how long. And so close to
North Africa, there is a quiet, ancient feel about area we are in. And
the ancient mariners that traversed these waters in their ancient
craft, I feel part of the morphic energy left behind by them as well.

And the sad energies as well, of people at war, as they have been for so
many years. Greed and the conception that survival is a battle and we
have to compete in order to survive. But hopefully soon the sun will
shine down on a planet that is at war no more. Where people will be free
from sub-ordination, from indoctrination, free to be all we are meant to
be. And so it will be, as it is written.Maktub, an Arabian expression
,very apt for the times and the place we are sailing and living in.

The bread just came out, I had my first slice, Felix is a natural, I am
out of here.

Blessings to you

Paul

Maktub-It is written

Another day on the big blue, and like every day before, different from
every day before. We are stitching our way in the direction of Greece.
Easterly winds, sometimes a bit north easterly, have us tacking up and
down along the coast of Africa. At first we were going to sail more
north, but strong winds are predicted up there and we therefore rather
stay south. Sometimes sailing, sometimes motorsailing. Nice sunny
weather for the last few days. At night is a bit chillies and ships from
every direction keep us honest and true.

Felix has just attempted his first try at baking bread. As I am writing
the smell from the oven is starting to fill the air, soon we will be
enjoying it, fresh from the oven. My turn to cook tonight, spaghetti and
bolognaise, always a winner. Last night Brad made us a curry stew and
the washing up was easy as there wasn't a crumb left.

With Felix on board we are far more rested now, and our watch shifts are
changing every day. Last night I had the privilege of watching the sun
set, and this morning watching the sun rise. The same sun that has risen
and set over these waters for who really knows how long. And so close to
North Africa, there is a quiet, ancient feel about area we are in. And
the ancient mariners that traversed these waters in their ancient
craft, I feel part of the morphic energy left behind by them as well.

And the sad energies as well, of people at war, as they have been for so
many years. Greed and the conception that survival is a battle and we
have to compete in order to survive. But hopefully soon the sun will
shine down on a planet that is at war no more. Where people will be free
from sub-ordination, from indoctrination, free to be all we are meant to
be. And so it will be, as it is written.Maktub, an Arabian expression
,very apt for the times and the place we are sailing and living in.

The bread just came out, I had my first slice, Felix is a natural, I am
out of here.

Blessings to you

Paul

West to East

Yes, today we will be crossing the meridian again, this time from west
to east. In the next hour or so to be exact. Only about 1000nm from
Greece but we have to tack up and down to make progress, sometimes
that's the name of the game. Felix did an excellent job of preparing
supper last night. The chicken he served was numero uno. It was his
first meal to prepare and his little initiation depended on how well he
does. He passed with flying colours, so no, we won't drag him behind the
boat on a rope through the icy cold water. A lot of blue bottles as
well, so it would have been quite an initiation.

I am on the 6 to 10 watch this morning and was greeted by clear skies
and the sun rising at about 6:30. Wind blowing at 15 kts from the north
east bring a slight element of chill, and we are sailing in a south
easterly direction. Our weather report predicts that the wind will die
down a bit later and come in from the east. Then we will head back up
north again as some heavy winds are predicted for the 18th, and the
higher north we go the less the wind will be. Down at Africa winds of up
to 45 kts can be expected.

Our ETA for Greece at our present speed is 28/04,a worst case
scenario. We trust that favourable winds will meet us along the way and
cut some time for us. Only time will tell when and where. It is
difficult at night with the waxing moon to see ships, and difficult for
them to see us. Last night our stern nav light wouldn't work, making it
even more difficult for ships to see us from behind. Time to extra
vigilant on our watches. Will check the nav light later today and make
sure it works tonight.During the night we had our port and starboard nav
lights on, our steaming light and our anchor light which has a 360*
visibility.Not much else we can do but a keep a sharp eye on things.

There are dolphins playing around the boat at the moment. I just saw one
leaping completely out of the water.There seem to be a lot of dolphins
as we see them everyday and sometimes at night as well. Always a most
welcome sight, these agile creatures carving curves through the
water.Also spotted a turtle yesterday, to be expected with all the blue
bottles around as the turtles feed on them. Definitaly Short Beaked
Common Dolphins, Delphinus Delphis being the scientific name of the
particular species.

Haven't got much else to say today, all is calm out here. Our position
at AM 05:30 UTC was 37*09'N/00*12'W.More or less staright line distance
to Greece 1040nm. Temperature around 18*C. Skies filled with jet streams
from...you guessed it, jets leaving long white stripes in their wake.

Wishing you a pleasant day

Paul

West to East

Yes, today we will be crossing the meridian again, this time from west
to east. In the next hour or so to be exact. Only about 1000nm from
Greece but we have to tack up and down to make progress, sometimes
that's the name of the game. Felix did an excellent job of preparing
supper last night. The chicken he served was numero uno. It was his
first meal to prepare and his little initiation depended on how well he
does. He passed with flying colours, so no, we won't drag him behind the
boat on a rope through the icy cold water. A lot of blue bottles as
well, so it would have been quite an initiation.

I am on the 6 to 10 watch this morning and was greeted by clear skies
and the sun rising at about 6:30. Wind blowing at 15 kts from the north
east bring a slight element of chill, and we are sailing in a south
easterly direction. Our weather report predicts that the wind will die
down a bit later and come in from the east. Then we will head back up
north again as some heavy winds are predicted for the 18th, and the
higher north we go the less the wind will be. Down at Africa winds of up
to 45 kts can be expected.

Our ETA for Greece at our present speed is 28/04,a worst case
scenario. We trust that favourable winds will meet us along the way and
cut some time for us. Only time will tell when and where. It is
difficult at night with the waxing moon to see ships, and difficult for
them to see us. Last night our stern nav light wouldn't work, making it
even more difficult for ships to see us from behind. Time to extra
vigilant on our watches. Will check the nav light later today and make
sure it works tonight.During the night we had our port and starboard nav
lights on, our steaming light and our anchor light which has a 360*
visibility.Not much else we can do but a keep a sharp eye on things.

There are dolphins playing around the boat at the moment. I just saw one
leaping completely out of the water.There seem to be a lot of dolphins
as we see them everyday and sometimes at night as well. Always a most
welcome sight, these agile creatures carving curves through the
water.Also spotted a turtle yesterday, to be expected with all the blue
bottles around as the turtles feed on them. Definitaly Short Beaked
Common Dolphins, Delphinus Delphis being the scientific name of the
particular species.

Haven't got much else to say today, all is calm out here. Our position
at AM 05:30 UTC was 37*09'N/00*12'W.More or less staright line distance
to Greece 1040nm. Temperature around 18*C. Skies filled with jet streams
from...you guessed it, jets leaving long white stripes in their wake.

Wishing you a pleasant day

Paul

Sirens and things

The last time I sailed the Med was on a delivery from Cape Town to
Croatia. Flew through Gibraltar and four days later reached Sicily. Got
delayed there for three days due to 50 kts of wind through the Straights
of Messina. It is the little gap between Italy and Sicily and rich in
Greek mythology. The Straights were inhabited by sirens, some say
two, some say four. The sirens were creatures with bird-like bodies,
girl's faces, and exquisite singing voices, so exquisite that almost
every mariner who passed the island fell completely under the spell of
their seductive voices and stayed there listening to them forever
more, or else smashed their ships to smithereens on the rocky coast of
the island. It was littered with the shipwrecks bleached bones and of
their countless victims.

Although almost all the ships which passed the islands of the sirens
went down, mythology reports two successful attempts to pass the sirens
unscathed. On his lengthy return journey from Troy to Ithaca, the hero
Odysseus heeded the advice of the enchantress Circe and stopped the ears
of his men with wax to prevent them from hearing the enticing singing.
Since he was keen to hear the sirens himself, he left his own ears
unprotected. He took the precaution, however, of having himself strapped
to the mast of his ship and ordered his men to bind him even tighter if
he appeared to be too carried away by the singing.

The Argonauts, the heroes who had set sail on the ship, the Argo, led by
Jason, chose a simpler but no less effective solution.One of those on
board the Argo was the great singer Orpheus. With his own lovely voice,
he effortlessly drowned out the voices of the sirens.

So one has to deal with this on top of strong currents, strong winds and
lots of traffic. But if you time it right it is also one of the most
beautiful, awe inspiring places you will see. With Mount Edna on Sicily
to our right and the cliff-carved temples on our left, I will ask the
guys to plug their ears with Prestik, tie me to the mast, and hopefully
we will have a safe passage through.

In the meantime we are zig zagging our way towards Greece, slight
headwinds predicted for the next few days. Our position at AM 11:30 UTC
is 36*29'N/00*56'W,google earth it if you like. Felix has plans of
serving chicken for supper. First lightly cooked and then baked in the
oven. I just finished baking a bread and Felix and myself have already
had half of it with some soup. When Brad wakes up he will no doubt also
have his fair share of bread and it will see us through till suppertime.

Take care

Paul

Salsa

Our unexpected little visit to Almeria in Spain was throroughly
enjoyed. We saw some salsa dancing and wow, what a way to express
yourself.My wife is a very good dancer,some people just have a natural
rhythm,and I am sure she would have enjoyed it very much,maybe next time
love.I don't know the meaning of the word salsa,but I would give it the
dance of life.

The wind has died down substantially from yesterday and we are making
our way up east coast of Spain.Our weather predictions shows very strong
winds down south at the coast of Africa,so we are planning to stick to
middle grounds.We will soon tack again and keep on zig zagging towards
Greece.Slight headwinds predicted for the next few days where we are,but
then it should start curving in from the north backing to west.This will
give us an excellent run towards our destination.And so it goes with
sailing,and more so with deliveries.When things are good,they change,and
when things are bad,they change.Just keeping at it,pacing yourself and
not getting frustrated when your expected time of arrival is delayed.

Just looked through the binoculars at a small "village" against the
steep mountainsides with limestone formations running into the
sea.Beautiful Spanish villas,most painted white,a small marina and a few
condomeniums.I also feel a sense of what it is like to stay in such a
place,so secluded from the city buzz.I guess with tv etc no matter where
you stay,if you don't make the most of staying in a place like this,you
,ay then just as well stay in a room anywhere in the world if you spend
most of your time glued to the tellie.

We all had a good rest last night,and it was my turn to cook supper
today,country vegetable stew withfresh carrots,potatoes,marrows,cabbage,
onion,garlic,tomato and a few herbs and spices served on a bed of
rice.We all ate to our hearts content,I'm finished with the dishes and
tomorrow it will be Felix's turn to cook his first meal on the
boat.Pieter had a real knack for making delicious food,and I have got an
idea that we will enjoy Felix's cooking also very much.

Our position currently is 36*43'N/02*06'W.Soon we will be in the
crossing back into the eastern hemisphere and perhaps we can have a
little initiation for Felix.He didn't cross the equator with us,but
surely this is also some milestone.Mmmmmmmmmmmm,we will see what we get
for supper tomorrow night and then see how and if he will be initiated.

Take care

Paul