I don't hate Mondays

My watch started at midnight our time and Nick takes over three hours
later. Outside the waxing moon is casting her magic silver spell over
the waters around us and our ship looks like a phantom ship. A few
ghostly clouds are also floating around and the stars are making a
feeble attempt to outshine the moon which is now a 3/4 moon. Looks like
we will arrive at Fatu Hiva on the full moon, perhaps we will have a
little full moon party on the island. If we were here a hundred years
earlier we may have witnessed a scene that played out at these islands
quite often. A dugout cano with scary war monsters carved into them and
carrying their load of tattooed men. Tattoos originated in these islands
and the men had their whole bodies tatooed, from their faces to their
toes. And they would be invading islands killing every person they could
find and collect their skulls as treasures. The All Black's are famous
for their haka amonst other things. This war cry is quite descriptive if
you translate the words. One of the sentences tells you that the flesh
of your grandfather is still stuck in my teeth. So perhaps we shoulkd
paint our faces with charcoal and go and scare the living daylights out
of the small group of kids on the island. Pranks like this has a nasty
way of backfiring and then we will be running for our yacht safely at
anchor in the bay. Can you see what happens when one has been at sea for
three months; the full moon drives one lunatic. These Moon days or
Mondays, love them. I once visited a museum in Honiara where these type
of atrocities were properly depicted with photos of real island tribes
that still carried out these raids a hundred years ago. Honiara is a
small island in Papua New Guinea, also known as The Rim of Fire.

The wind has faded on us a bit as predicted and we are motorsailing. No
problem as we have more than enough diesel left to motor all the way to
Tahiti if we want to. We only have to maintain an average of six knots
to arrive at Tahiti on the 10th of this months and easy to do for us.
Which means there is only eight days left before this journey comes to
an end. It is amazing how one adapts to the slower pace out here and how
one day just flows into the next, and before you know it, three months
has gone behind you. But it is not time to sit and contemplate yet, we
are still 1200nm from Tahiti, about 1/10th of our journey left over. The
little stop at Fatu Hiva is just to connect a bit with Gaia or Mother
Earth again befor e we get to Tahiti. Don't want to arrive at Tahiti all
wild, wide-eyed and bushy tailed as if we haven't seen land for 30
days, that could be slightly disturbing to the people there. Anyways,
our position currently is 09*16'S/131*25'W.

A short nautical term is to 'Miss the Boat'. To miss the liberty boat
which carried sailors returning from shore leave out to there ships.
Hence to miss an opportunity.

Hope you have a great day and an equally great week ahead.

Capt. Paul

Fools for love

April 1st. Traditionally April Fool's day, wonder how that one started.
It is also the day my parents got married 51 years ago on 01/04/1961.
They lived through the 40's,the 50's, the 60's and onwards. Daddy was a
ducktail, Triumph Bonneville motorcycle and a lumber jacket with a tiger
on the back, mamma was a beauty queen. Rebels for sure, and look where
it got them. They have a right to say back in the day, these youngsters
today that uses that term have no idea what it means. I am proud beyond
words of their achievement, for my mom putting up with my dad so long
and for my dad putting up with my mom for so long. Today I announce them
saints, St.Christoffel and St.Caterina. Two April fools that got married
and somehow kept it together for so long, fools for love. Mom and dad,
you know I love you both endlessly, respect you both completely, admire
you both shamelessly.I thank you from all of me for your unwavering love
towards me and my younger brother, Arnold. I know we will both agree
that we have been blessed by having the best parents one could wish for,
and our wish for the two of you is continued health. You have taught us
that old age is not for sissy's, amongst many other things you have
taught us. WE SALUTE YOU.

It is going well with us out here on the Pacific. Our journey is drawing
to an end rapidly. Strong winds are pushing us ever faster and we are
only three days away from Fatu Hiva. From there another 5 days to Tahiti
which will mark exactly three months on the ocean. We had a little stop
every two weeks along the way, but the last leg was a month without
seeing land. You can imagine how the boys on board,myself included, will
appreciate land again once we set foot on it. I am used to it, extended
periods at sea and then making landfall. I know how it effects me. It is
in my blood and in my soul. Two of my crew have never experienced this
before, and they will soon find out that the sea is a most jealous lady.
They will be back on land for a few weeks and then the longing for the
wide open spaces will return.

With the stronger weather I was immensily proud of how the boys handled
themselves. I felt the wind picking up and the boat going faster and
faster. I got up to go and check out the situation and there was Nick
calmly and smoothly turning the boat a bit more away from the wind,
shadowing our headsail and preceded furling it in a bit to balance the
sails with the sea state and the wind speed. All I could say to him was
very well done. I went back to my cabin with a big smile on my face
knowing that he has learned a few things on this trip, including some
sailing skills. Eduard is doing just as well, taking charge of the
vessel and doing what needs to be done when he is on watch, always
willing and able. Steven is suffering a bit from what I think is a
muscle injury in his shoulder. He has expressed that he is mightily
looking forward to land again and feels he has had enough of the ocean
for now. He has been accumalating nearly 30 000 nm's over the last few
months but this has been a long trip, twice as long as our average
6000nm trips. He has weathered some storms with me and we both know that
he is ready to spread his wings a bit. He is also without a doubt one of
the best first mates I have ever had. After this delivery he will be
seeking a position on a superyacht and work his way up from there. If a
delivery comes his way he will take that as well. I am not saying cheers
yet, just saying that the boy has plans, experience and abilities that
will bode well for him in the future and I wish him only the very best.

For myself, I am also taking a bit of a break after this delivery. Three
months to spend with my wife and daughter and get a feel for what its
like living on land again. Become a part of their lives for a while and
looking greatly forward to see what the future holds for us. Our
position now at 8am by us and 6pm in SA is 08*46'S/129*42'W. We are
about 500nm from Fatu Hiva and about 1300nm from Tahiti. With the
excellent speed we are doing it is very likely that we will arrive at
Fatu Hiva in three days time and four days later at Tahiti. That will be
an amazing feat to arrive there at the 8th of April which was my ETA
when we started this trip three months ago. We only have to maintain an
average of 7.5 kts to achieve this and considering the amount of diesel
we have we may just crack it.

Hope you had an awesome weekend.

Paul, thoroughly pacified

Blue sunrays

In the background, towards the east, huge streaks of blue sunrays are
colouring the morning skies. Soft shades of pastel on the palette as the
night gently makes way for the day. I wish I had words to describe our
360* view out here but my words pale in comparison as the scenery
changes and the streaks of clouds behind us is now being set on fire by
the rising sun. And the clouds ahead of us that was shrouded in hues of
grey is also now blushing at the beauty of the sun. Dramatic scenes are
being performed by the clouds all around us, whisperings of a love once
had, a love once lost,a love once found. I can see how the Greeks could
spin their woeful tales of the pathos of it all. The endless cycle of
life and death. I am at a crossroads here. Should I mediate a poem right
here and now, open myself to the Muse and just record what I hear and
what I see ? Pure poetry I guess is not everyones cup of tea so I shall
doso but only in private.

On with the show. The wind has been very kind to us and we are making
way even better than expected. And the bonus is that we have two tanks
nearly full of diesel should we run out of wind. To make our ETA in
Tahiti we have to maintain a very easy and do-able 6kts, we are in fact
sailing and maintaining a much faster speed and will perhaps even be
able to cut another day from our ETA. At the moment it looks like we
will be arriving at Tahiti on the 10th of April. And that includes a
stop at Fatu Hiva for a few hours and time our arrival at Tahiti for an
early morning entrance. We have also received news that our journey will
probably terminate here and not Raiatea as mentioned before. Suits us
better as we then fly straight from Tahiti, and won't have to fly a
small hop from Raiatea back to Tahiti. Distance to Fatu Hiva is 700nm
and from there to Tahiti 800nm. Can you believe it, eleven more days and
the trip will be over, but it ain't over yet. In fact, it is not over
until the fat lady sings another beautiful nautical slice of history.

But our expression, the first one in a while, is 'Figure Head'. Nominal
leader with no real power but large in the public eye. The word is taken
from the carved and ornamental figure which was carried at the stem of
sailing ships. Primarily for decoration, figureheads also expressed the
belief that a ship was a living thing(as I do), and needed someone up
front with eyes to see where it was going; ships from the Mediterranean
and China had eyes painted on each bow. Symbolism too played a part and
throughout the ages there have been an assortment of fierce and fast
animals of which lions were probably the most common. About the time of
the fast clipper ships it was felt that something more in keeping with
their slender lines was required and the bare-breasted lady became
fashionable. She has probably remained the number one choice ever since
and not least because of a convenient superstition which has it that
topless ladies calm the stormy seas.

Our position at 7am our time is 07*46'S/126*56'W. I received calls from
both the yachts behind me and they are also reporting excellent winds,
which in turn means more good winds coming our way. They were a bit
stressed for a while as they had no wind and running low on fuel. They
requested my assistance with checking the weather for them as they don't
have the facilities we have on board, and our weather guru back home had
the weather for the in no time at all, thanks mom. I was very happy to
relay the good news to them that their worries should be over in 24hrs.
If that was not the case I am not sure what I would have advised them.
They are however not gaining on us but neither are they loosing ground,
staying at a steady 800nm astern. Which is darn good as they are on the
slower and smaller 39's and we are on the faster 46. So well done to the
boys behind.

Hope you are having a day and a half.

Paul

Sushimi twice a day

What a day we had. Firstly,good winds followed the red sunset, hence the
saying that a red sunset at night is a sailor's delight. We have now
turned straight towards Fatu Hiva and have the wind on the beam, doing
excellent speed. When the wind drops a bit we motorsail and have more
than enough diesel to motor all the way if we had to. This is the result
of saving diesel whenever we could, using the sails to their max, day
and night, saving power when and wherever we could. Now we have some
peace of mind that we will make it without having to worry about our
diesel, a great feeling to have as opposed to not being sure whether the
diesel will run out or not.

T'was my turn to do supper today. For breakfast we all had a decent
portion of Jungle Oats, Steven on his morning watch prepared some
sushimi which we had for brunch, for lunch I fried some spicy fish
nuggets and served with spicy rice and peas mixed in, and beetroot salad
to finish it off. For desert we enjoyed cherry and mango jelly. Supper
was more sushimi and for desert a bowl of popcorn each. We now regret
having released the second bonny we caught yesterday as our first bonny
is no more. The conditions are great though, the moon sitting just right
and the next day or two should produce some fish, dorado if we could
choose, but any fish will be greatly appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed.

The chess saga continues. Yesterday Nick was the champion with 2 games
to 1 and today I reclaimed the throne with 3 games to 1. Once again most
of the games were really balanced on a knife edge, and one wrong move
and the tables could be turned. Eduard reckons once we have practised
enough we can take him on, we will keep you posted. This is such a game
of patience, and once you are on a roll you easily slip into complacency
feeling invincible. The next moment you loose your queen and then the
trouble begins. Quick moves often land you in dire straights. Sometimes
all out attact also works, keeping your opponent on the defensive. I
once read a Chinese tail of a young man that walked into a cave where
two elders were engaged in a game of chess. He left his axe outside and
when the game was finished he walked out again and the wooden handle of
his axe had turned to dust and a hundred years had passed. More of a
time warp tale and similar to the fairy dances etc.

Our position at 5am here by us and 3pm in SA is 06*55'S/124*19'W. 870nm
from Fatu Hiva and looking immensily forward to set foot on land again,
or an island in our case. I trust that you will have a fantastic
weekend.

Salute

Paul

Fire in the sky

Last night was probably one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever
seen on the ocean. The clouds earlier on resembled the wavy pattern of
the water, so much so that I even took a few pictures of these unusual
formations. And when the sun started setting,the sky was set alight in
all shades of red, orange, yellow, purple, pink and a few other colours
inbetween that defies description. The moon was also sitting right above
us, an ideal position for fishing. I mentioned this to Eduard and Nick
that it is a scientifically proven fact that fish feed mostly when the
moon is right above or below them, and also when the moon is just
setting or rising.Whether in dams or rivers or oceans, the feeding
patterns are the same.

We had just finished a delicious supper, fish cakes that Nick made from
tinned pilchards and sweet potato, when the first bonny whacked our
lure. It was the biggest bonny I have seen and trying to hold him down I
think Steven's teeth must have rattled a bit. It is like trying to hold
down a jackhammer and one's fingers gets thoroughly bruised between the
tail and the deck. Tied a string to the tail, made a few incissions to
assist in bleeding and dragged the bonny backwards through the water.
Soon afterwards she was being processed by Nick, stored in a jiffy in
the freezer and later today we will have sushimi. Shortly afterwards we
landed another big bonny but released it again. We kept the lure out
hoping for a dorado, but very grateful for the bonny we got.

Just a few more days and we will drop anchor and go and explore Fatu
Hiva for a few hours, really just go and hug a few trees,smeelthe earth,
pick a coconut or two, swim a bit in a freshwater stream. It's been
nearly a month since we saw land, and Fatu Hiva is one of the most
spectacular places on the planet. 1000nm to this little piece of
paradiseand then the last 800nm to Tahiti where we will clear customs
etc before taking the boat to Raiatea Island where she will be based.
That is 120nm from Tahiti and what a pleasure it will be to navigate
through these beyond beautiful places. Already my mind is set on taking
extra care towards the end of our journey, to be extra vigilant. Our
position is 06*36'S/122*50'W. The week is nearly over again, where does
time go?

Capt. Paul

Standing by on one six

Today we will cross the 2000nm mark to Tahiti according to the
signboards floating out here on the water. Not much traffic for the last
few days, Eduard had just spotted a ship but it was just a glimpse of
the port light. The wind has been fading a bit on us as we expected, and
we are motoring maintaining 6kts. At our current speed we should arrive
at Tahiti at about 11pm on the 10th of April. Our plan is thus to stop
at Fatu Hiva and spend a few hours there which will allow us an early
morning entry into Tahiti on the 11th. We are also stopping to shake off
a full month on the water since we left Panama. We could stop at one of
the more populated islands as well to get some water etc but at this
stage the plan is to push on through to Papeete, the capital of Tahiti.

Nick and myself decanted 500ltrs of diesel into our tanks and the sun
nailed us big time. One thinks one will just quickly set up the pipes
and run for shade again,but every now and then you spend a little longer
in the sun than planned. We pushed on through however and our tanks are
full, more than enough to motor the last 2000nm should we have to. We
are expecting a bit of wind again in two or three days time so all good
this side. Afterwards we had a nice swim and seashower to cool down
somewhat and also wash the bit of diesel off that inevitably always
spills a little on one as we were decanting out of 250ltr drums. After
nearly three months at sea My hair was getting a bit irritatingly long
and in my eyes. Nick volunteered to trim it a bit and did a splendid
job. Expressions For Hair in Constantia Village is apparently where he
gets his inspiration from. Check out there website or pay them a
visit.If he can do this well out here with just a pair of scissors,
imagine what the artists can do for you in their fully equipped studio.
I will certainly make a turn there when I am back in Cape Town for my
next delivery.

The last few days Eduard, Nick and myself have been involved in epic
battles on the chess board. Nick is leading Eduard 4/0 and I am ahead of
Nick 6/3. Eduard and myself haven't gone to battle yet. The games are
very evenly matched, sometimes ending in a draw. The scores don't really
reflect at all how extremely close these matches are contested. Just one
little slip of concentration and the downwards spiral begins. Sometimes
one is well ahead, having a feast with your opponents pieces, and all of
a sudden the tables are turned. Overconfidence also sometimes gets the
better of one, with dire results.

We are now all enjoying a big bowl of Jungle Oats every morning for
breakfast. Copious amounts of Illovo Maple syrup and YumYum peanut
butter and a dash of milk all mixed together really fills our tummies
with goodness. Now that we are no longer smoking our appetites are back
and can actually taste for a change what we are eating. Still not
completely over it, it is really a tough habit to break. But easy enough
out here with no tobacco and nowhere to get some for a while. I
sincerely hope we won't forget how enslaved we were to this addiction
and will abstain from it completely in the feature. Why on earth one
smokes, compromises one's health and waste your money I have no idea. I
am just trying to convince myself, to find a way not to fall into the
habit again. My greatest respect for those who have quitted smoking.
Easy enough to stop because we ran out of tobacco, but to stop while you
have or can get tobacco, well I don't know.

Our position at 9pm on the 27th of April was 06*39'S/118*50'W. We are
now 10 hrs behind SA time and UTC - 8. Distance to Fatu Hiva 1200nm and
Tahiti is 800nm further down the line. In two weeks time we should have
our mission completed, but lots can still happen in the interem. We may
even catch a fish.

Take good care

Capt Paul, as always standing by on one six

The sky is falling

As the night set in, the twilight zone revealed the tiniest little
slither of moon, set between Venus and Jupiter from our point of view.
An hour or so later the moon dissapeared on our western horizon and all
the stars came out to play. As if to celebrate the new moon, some of
them were having such a great time that they were falling all over the
place, leaving long streaks of light tails behind them. Falling stars,
shooting stars, disastars, super novas, they were all having a ball.
March is nearly over, and those who survived the equinox, well done, the
next one is in September. March and September are known to be the two
most hectic months of the year, ask anybody that works at the ER.

On our side, our progress is greatly enhanced by excellent current and
favourable winds. This is now the 4th day in a row that we are sailing,
throwing our twin headsails to the wind. On our sugar scoops at the back
we have a small algae forest flourishing and a little community of
barnacles having also taken residence there. The sugar scoops on a
catamaran is the back end of the two hulls that steps down to the water
level. Amazing to sit and watch these barnacles open and close, fanning
their tentacles in search of micro organisms to feed on. In a way it
makes it less sterile out here, having a little garden with live
creatures sharing the boat with us. At the end of the trip we shall
remove them, but for now, they are an example of the tenacity of life
and the will to survive. We haven't given them individual names yet, but
another week or so on the sea and in the sun I think we may just be in
the right frame of mind to do such a thing. I am already starting to
think that good names for our barnacle friends would be Boet, Bill,
Barries, Barney, Ben, Baptista and for the females Betty Davis,
Beatrice, Bonny, Blondie , so on and so forth.

Our position is 07*14'S/115*41'W. 2200nm to Tahiti. Wishing you a great
week ahead.

^^^