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November 24, 1997
Monterey CA to Hawaii First Attempt. Update #2
November 24, 1997 9:03PM
36° 44.72' N, 122° 46.37' W
There is a bird out here called a Phalarope - a tiny, dainty little thing which seems out of its depth in this environment, yet spends most of its life on the ocean. I can feel a sympathy for them, as another living creature which really has no place being here. It is now the morning of the second day, and it is already apparent what a boost in morale the rising of the sun brings. During darkness some night fears began to rear their heads and I began to hear things - feet walking on a gravel drive, someone tapping gently on the hull and my father calling my name (there must be something Freudian in there), and it was a time of self doubt and questioning, but at sunrise sanity reasserted itself and all was well with the world. Whales could be heard spouting during the night - we BOTH heard them! - but there were none to be seen at daybreak.
The weather is chopping up a bit today, with mainly southerly winds and a short, broken sea rather than a decent swell, making for quite a bumpy ride. We were taken quite a bit to the north in the night, when it proved quite difficult to hold a course, and are now making up that ground slowly. I figure in about 24 hours we will point our bows at Hawaii and take what comes. For now with land out of sight, the wildlife is providing sufficient companionship, with swarms of jellyfish, soaring petrels and shearwaters and possibly the odd albatros looking us over - and then there's always Casey! Spirits are high, and reality is well and truly set in.
- John
Posted on November 24, 1997 5:42 AM