Imagine a World....

Where you move constantly, even trying to sit still! While, sitting, standing, or walking you tai-chi from side to side constantly trying to maintain balance. It's nearly impossible to hold something with two hands because you almost always need one hand to hang on to something in order not to topple over! Now imagine being in your kitchen trying to cook and listening to all of your dishes in your cupboard clink back and forth! Or, the cans in your pantry clanging into each other! Or, opening your refrigerator door and having everything spill out! Now imagine cooking on your gimbled stove, but as the stove gimbles, the contents of your pan slide (or slosh) from side to side! Or slide or slosh over the side... (Lesson- always use a pan or pot much larger than you think you need!) Now it's time do do dishes! Of course the water in your sink is also sloshing from side to side but also, as you look out of your window your view is first of all blue water (or in your case perhaps green grass and rose bushes) and a second later your view is all of blue sky and clouds! Then, you tai-chi your way back to your cabin where you are going to take a nap and as soon as you lie down, there is an obnoxious clanking of something rolling around that will just not let you sleep! So off you go on a hunt to find the obstreperous noise and, it could be anywhere within 48 feet- inside or out!

The funny thing is that this is all becoming very normal - albeit still comical- but we are maneuvering around quite well! The really funny thing is that it is now hard to imagine how we are ever going to get our 'land legs' back again and walk perfectly upright without falling about! Or, sleep through an entire night! Or live without the noise of something rolling, clanking or being wind-whipped about!

Now why would anyone in their right mind want to live like this.... you might ask? Well, I have been asking the same question of my self quite a bit lately! Hopefully it is a means to an end- the end being the Paradise of the South Pacific where you anchor in tranquil coves off of white sand beaches and get to sleep in your own bed each night! Or maybe I got caught up in someone else's 37 year old dream of sailing to the South Pacific and am now dreaming the same dream! Or maybe I just decided to get adventurous in my middle age! Well, however I got here- it is an adventure and I can't think of any other way to end this except for saying- it's too late to turn back now!

R of Rutea
13.19.54
116.38.52
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At 3/28/2011 5:13 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 13°36.55'N 116°10.07'W

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Our At-Sea Routine

There are several specific tasks that our days center around. The first and foremost is maintain a watch schedule. I usually take the first watch at 2100 and get off at 0000. Corie comes on then and gets Ruthie up at 0300 and then I come back on at 0600. We don't keep a scheduled watch during the day - it seems that if anything bad is going to happen, it happens at night. Meals are the next specific task but those we're still kind of ad libbing - we don't have a schedule with who does what but our meals have all been good and we have tons of snack food on board. Keeping the batteries charged is very important and it's a little disappointing in how much energy we use. We're having the run the generator longer and longer but there's not much we can do about it. The solar panels just don't put out enough to be a significant source of energy. The final task is emailing - we send a daily email to our weather router, one to our blog and one to request weather information. We're so grateful that we got the Iridium phone as our emails go out and come in (assuming people write us, ahem) very quickly. I'm just afraid that the bill for this speedy convenience is going to be astronomical.

We've been making good time up to now. The winds have gotten lighter and that means we go slower but still, the days pass quickly.

We send our warmest regards to all.
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At 3/27/2011 4:54 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 14°42.27'N 114°09.86'W

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What a difference a day makes!

Finally got my sea legs and can now spend time down below in the cabin or playing Scrabble! The ocean water is a deep azure blue and the moon has been brilliant company each night! The winds have calmed down (as have the seas) so of course, we are not making the great time we did when we started off. However, the ride is very comfortable and we were able to take hot showers this morning! We are having a beautiful wing on wing sail this afternoon and will probably hold this sail plan through the night. Each morning when we come out on deck there are flying fish all over the place! Good thing we have an enclosure as it would be a shock to be hit in the head by one while on night watch! Only 2171 miles to go!

R of Rutea
15.50 North
112.57 West
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At 3/26/2011 9:08 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 15°59.43'N 112°45.12'W

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Lightest Winds So Far

We got overcast conditions and a light breeze from the NNE and our course is almost dead down wind - one of our least favorite points of sail. We've come up on the course about 30 degrees to a broad reach but we're struggling to make 5.5 knots. Earlier in the day we tried polling out the genoa but that was just too slow. It did, though, give us a good opportunity to take showers as the boat was fairly level (this morning Ruthie looked at Corie and me and said, "You guys stink." - we got the subtle hint!).

Things continue to work well though I've just discovered an error in my engineering of the output of the solar panels and the diesel generator. I'll have to give it some thought but, in a worse-case scenario, we just run the genset at night.

There are now 12 boats in the fleet, two having arrived in the Marquesas yesterday. On the other hand, we know of three different boats that were supposed to leave Mexico today. It's going to make for a busy radio Net!

We think of all of you fondly.
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At 3/26/2011 9:00 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 15°59.62'N 112°44.45'W

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I think We've Found the North East Trade Winds

They make the seas very bumpy! Doing the slightest task becomes a chore as you're trying to keep yourself from being thrown across the cabin (or deck or where ever you may be). Right now, I've got myself braced in an uncomfortable position but this is the only way I can type without finding the keyboard and me on top of the stove. We've changed course to make it more comfortable but if we continue in this direction, we wind up in Hawaii!

Everything is working fine but we're still not getting much sleep. I think that will change as we get used to the motion. I'll write more later.
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At 3/25/2011 6:30 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 17°06.10'N 110°19.90'W

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Day #1

Well for the first day out it was a bit of a wild ride and all I can say is that the first day is the hardest and I'm glad it's over! We covered 170 miles in our first 24 hour period, so you know we had to have had some wind! Actually, we had a double reefed main and a reefed genoa for most of yesterday afternoon and all of last night. Seas were 8 to 10 feet and the wind was 18 to 20 knots. I was a bit sick and scared off and on so that's two out of the four ways you can spend time at sea (cold, wet, sick, scared)! Added to all that we were in heavy traffic in the Mexican shipping lanes all night long!

Today is bright and sunny! Wind has calmed down to 12 knots and seas are 4 to 6 feet. We do get a good roller every now and then and something inevitably goes flying across the cabin! We are all taking turns snoozing and watching today to try and catch up on missed sleep last night.

Marquesas, here we come!

R of Rutea
18.48 North
108.00 West
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At 3/24/2011 1:15 AM (utc) Rutea's position was 20°05.47'N 106°24.34'W

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And We're Off!

We had checked out with the Capitania del Puerto yesterday and then we sailed to Punta de Mita so Corie could get one last session of surfing in. After an over-the-top dinner on board Wendaway with Mark and Wendy, we rowed back to Rutea for our final night in Mexico.

For no good reason, we were up early and Mark and Wendy came to Rutea for a light breakfast and good-byes. We did a pretty good job of keeping a stiff upper lip though mine trembled just a bit. At 1030 hours, we pulled up the anchor and headed out the bay. Winds were light and the seas a little choppy but it was only a couple of hours before we were able to cut the engine and sail. Around 1500, I tucked a reef into the main and about 1800 tucked a second one. We're now flying along at 7.5 knots with occasional bursts to 8.5. The wind is on our beam so it is a little rolly but I'm not complaining though it does make it a little difficult to type.

Only 2,621 miles to go.
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At 3/23/2011 2:45 PM (utc) Rutea's position was 20°45.95'N 105°31.21'W

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