x360 Journal

« October 1998 | Main | December 1998 »

November 30, 1998

Hawaii Basecamp, Kailua-Kona. Update #1

Aloha from the big island! Well, what can I say - having been deprived of all human contact and basic material comforts for so long and then to re-enter civilization in a paradise like Hawaii has almost been too much for the senses. There's a danger of indulging too much - hedonistically gorging oneself to the point of overload. Arriving in the Turks and Caicos islands from the Atlantic crossing three years ago was like this for me; I remember going to the store with a $50 bill to get some bread and coming out 1hr later with bags and bags of banana bread, chocolate cookies and zero change to show for it. For the next four days I sat in a hotel room not being able to deal with the outside world, I'd adapted to life on the boat so well. I was like a caged bunny suddenly set free into the wild. This time I'm better prepared and the transition hasn't been so bad. Still - it takes will-power to convince my stomach that it doesn't really need a packet of M+M's every hour on the hour 24 hrs a day...

Coming in from such complete wilderness can perhaps be likened to being re-born into a heaven that has always been under one's nose but has become 'normalized' from the familiarity of one's previous life on land. Its amazing how traveling can tell you as much about where you've come from as where you are right now. Being out at sea for two months has taken Steve and I to an extreme in this case. Like the 'control' in a lab experiment we've spent the last 53 days withdrawn from the norm, remembering and quietly longing for the things we are now surrounded by in plenty; fresh fruit, vegetables, coffee, the sound of laughter, the smell of dry earth mingled with the first smatterings of rain, the reassuring feel of a stranger's welcoming handshake. All these things and so many more we are now discovering as if for the first time, and I can't tell you how good normality really is!

The clarity and resolution of the experiences are already fading though - just like they did after the Atlantic Crossing; the smell of traffic fumes seem less offensive as they did a week ago, the bottles of washing detergent on the supermarket shelves aren't quite as blinding, and beer is starting to taste like beer should do as opposed to how it tasted when I was 9 yrs old - disgustingly bitter! The question now is how to retain some of this wonderful freshness in experiencing the world and not to revert entirely back to the usual choas and mayhem that our expedition seems to generate on dry land. For now I have no answers to this - save for meditating for an hour every morning and savouring this strange state of grace to the last drop. I'm content to enjoy walking around in a glass bubble where nothing is that important to get stressed about - for as long as it lasts.

So we're gradually starting to shift back up through the gears; making lists, catching up on phone calls, e-mail etc. We are now based on the west side of the island in Kona in anticipation of a proposed late April departure to the Gilbert islands. This last week we visited the first of a number of schools we have planned to go to in Kona over the next fortnight. Over 100 3rd through 5th graders spent the morning clambered over and inside Moksha, listened to tales of our crossing and volunteered to connect with kids in other countries via the various exchange programs available through the Global Learning Exchange. We have 178 penpal letters we brought in the Moksha's dreaded rear compartment to give out to 8-13yr olds and various still cameras and a video camera to hand out to teenagers to make a film for the video program and photo albums to exchange with albums from schools in the US, Central America and Europe.

This wednesday we host the first of a mini expedition on water involving some local kids, a sail-boat going around the world and the good ship Moksha. Click back on for the next update before the weekend to find out what that's all about and what went on!

Captions for Photos:
1 The Hawaiin welcome we dreamed of for so many days.
2 Moksha heaves herself over one more wave in the final approach to Hilo
3 The smell of the Lea's (spelling?) was almost too much for us at first.
4
5 Our first contact with 'civilized' folk was met with the need to exchange the 'it-se-bit-se's' for more orthodox attire.
6 HULA HULA HAWAII HERE WE COME!!!(actually imported from FL - Nancy Sanford, an expedition volunteer had us fooled for a while)
7
8 Expedition HQ Kona. We sleep outside in hammocks and tree houses. Our office is the big round table in the centre. As I write this I'm sitting at the table in the centre of the photo; its so wonderful to be writing on a computer that's fixed to a solid surface rather than a pair of knees that are rolling from side to side in time with the ocean swell.
9 Front page of the local paper
10

Posted at 8:45 PM

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #62

62. Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1998
KONA HAWAII
MOKSHA'S PHOTOS
New Photos added 12/4/98

Aloha from the big island! Well, what can I say - having been deprived of all human contact and basic material comforts for so long and then to re-enter civilization in a paradise like Hawaii has almost been too much for the senses. There's a danger of indulging too much - hedonistically gorging oneself to the point of overload. Arriving in the Turks and Caicos islands from the Atlantic crossing three years ago was like this for me; I remember going to the store with a $50 bill to get some bread and coming out 1hr later with bags and bags of banana bread, chocolate cookies and zero change to show for it. For the next four days I sat in a hotel room not being able to deal with the outside world, I'd adapted to life on the boat so well. I was like a caged bunny suddenly set free into the wild. This time I'm better prepared and the transition hasn't been so bad. Still - it takes will-power to convince my stomach that it doesn't really need a packet of M&M's every hour on the hour 24 hrs a day...

Coming in from such complete wilderness can perhaps be likened to being re-born into a heaven that has always been under one's nose but has become 'normalized' from the familiarity of one's previous life on land. Its amazing how traveling can tell you as much about where you've come from as where you are right now. Being out at sea for two months has taken Steve and I to an extreme in this case. Like the 'control' in a lab experiment we've spent the last 53 days withdrawn from the norm, remembering and quietly longing for the things we are now surrounded by in plenty; fresh fruit, vegetables, coffee, the sound of laughter, the smell of dry earth mingled with the first smatterings of rain, the reassuring feel of a stranger's welcoming handshake. All these things and so many more we are now discovering as if for the first time, and I can't tell you how good normality really is!

The clarity and resolution of the experiences are already fading though - just like they did after the Atlantic Crossing; the smell of traffic fumes seem less offensive as they did a week ago, the bottles of washing detergent on the supermarket shelves aren't quite as blinding, and beer is starting to taste like beer should do as opposed to how it tasted when I was 9 years old - disgustingly bitter! The question now is how to retain some of this wonderful freshness in experiencing the world and not to
revert entirely back to the usual chaos and mayhem that our expedition seems to generate on dry land. For now I have no answers to this - save for meditating for an hour every morning and savoring this strange state of grace to the last drop. I'm content to enjoy walking around in a glass bubble where nothing is that important to get stressed about - for as long as it lasts.

So we're gradually starting to shift back up through the gears; making lists, catching up on phone calls, e-mail etc. We are now based on the west side of the island in Kona in anticipation of a proposed late April departure to the Gilbert islands. This last week we visited the first of a number of schools we have planned to go to in Kona over the next fortnight. Over 100 3rd through 5th graders spent the morning clambered over and inside Moksha, listened to tales of our crossing and volunteered to connect with kids in other countries via the various exchange programs available through the Global Learning Exchange. We have 178 penpal letters we brought in the Moksha's dreaded rear compartment to give out to 8-13yr olds and various still cameras and a video camera to hand out to teenagers to make a film for the video program and photo albums to exchange with albums from schools in the US, Central America and Europe.

This wednesday we host the first of a mini expedition on water involving some local kids, a sail-boat going around the world and the good ship Moksha. Click back on for the next update before the weekend to find out what that's all about and what went on!

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 8:04 PM

November 21, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #61

61. Date: Sat, 21 Nov 98 01:36:46 GMT
Latitude: 19 degrees 43.942 minutes North
Longitude: 155 degrees 04.037 minutes West

Friday 3.45 pm Hawaii time: We are now pedaling the final 1/2 nautical mile inside of Hilo Harbor. Incredible!!! Words can't measure the whirl of new stimulus, the joy of seeing the misty, tropical greens of Hawaii, the ocean suddenly turned brown from all the recent rain, the arrival of our welcoming committee in "Force Play", Hilo's Charter vessel run by Jim Patterson, my father "Our man in Hilo" Stuart who has done an amazing job as advance coordinator and long-time expedition friend Nancy in full-on grass skirt and bikini. Now for a reception, dinner and a night at the Nani Loa Hotel. Phew!!! It's all so overwhelming and fantastic!!!

But before we get sucked into civilization again, we'd like to acknowledge a few other key support people during this 53 day, 8hr voyage:

Firstly John Oman, webmaster at GOALS for his daily updates and general support.
Tim Dietrich for his great work on the CLASSROOM EXPEDITION.
April and her class of zany kids at Rye Elementary for there daily messages.
Shirley Nice, for her vision and support in all areas
Nancy Cain for yet more KNC Marketing expedition shirts.
And a BIG THANKS to our families, Sebert and Gillian Lewis and Stuart and Sylvia Smith for their love and support.

NEXT LEG NEEDS. If you have enjoyed following our progress and wish to help, Jason and Steve would much appreciate any help you could give with the following:

- For our next news letter -printing services, graphic artist and financial assistance towards mailing cost.
- For Pedal Boat "Moksha" -winter storage and workshop facilities for repairs, equipment storage.
- Hawaii venues for free expedition slide show presentations, given by Steve and Jason
- Hawaii schools to participate in Global Learning Exchange programs
- Sponsor for digital camera for web updates on next leg of voyage
- Sponsor for satellite communication charges to send daily reports to web site

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 8:02 PM

November 20, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #60

60. Date: Fri, 20 Nov 98 04:50:29 GMT
Latitude: 19 degrees 57.347 minutes North
Longitude: 154 degrees 28.317 minutes West
Wind ENE, Force 4 - 5

This afternoon, needing to find an e-mail address in one of my address books, I unzipped my wallet for the first time since leaving San Francisco and re-discovered a strange world that once was my life but has since become alien to me; a world of names, addresses, phone numbers, credit cards, library cards, keys, money etc, etc. All the essentials of having a 'life' and being able to operate on dry land, but out on the big blue means absolutely nothing at all. A $20 bill is about as much use out hear as a chocolate fire guard in the home. All soon to change though. In a few day's I'll be once more tied to this black bag like my life depended upon it. I'll be substituting my life-jacket for my wallet -both necessary for survival but in different environments.

Things I will miss from not being out here:

1.Simplicity, time and quiet: having the time to do one thing at a time really well rather than a lot of things badly. Cultivating a 'quietness of mind' necessary to perform 'right action'; action that is executed for the sake of itself -rather than for any result. Letting quality come of its own accord. Having time to read books and write in a journal (never seem to have time on land to do this). Not having to deal with money, paying bills, getting woken up in the wee hours by the blue-legs after unpaid parking fines.
2.The sky at night!
3.Cup of tea and M&M's at 3 am to look forward to. The question I ask myself: 'Do I eat M&M's to get around the world, or do I get around the world to eat M+M's?' The answer is: 'Increasingly seems to be the latter.

Things I will NOT miss from not being out here:

1.Constant rolling motion of the boat. As I write this I am dreaming of just being able to lie/stand/sit/do anything while being still.
2.Dinner a la Moksha; imagine every other meal you have someone periodically running in from the kitchen and throwing a bucket of cold water over you and your food and you have to continue like nothing's happened. This is dinner a la Moksha.
3.Fatigue!
4.Confinement; Not enough room to swing a cat or even put it somewhere if we had one.
5.Lack of privacy; knowing the exact number of pimples on your pedaling partner's posterior does little to make them any more endearing to you after 50 in such a cramped space. It's not natural for two people to be so close. No mater how understanding you are, it's just not natural.

KIT KORNER - CLOTHING & MISC To pedal 2400 miles across an ocean necessitates some hardy garments and and footwear (even if for the last 1/2 of the voyage it has been too warm even for cloths!). We've both been wearing TEVA sports sandals for the past two years-during the overland section of the Expedition across the U.S. and last year down through Central America. I myself am only on my 2nd pair, giving some idea as to their rugged qualities. They seem to do as well on water as on land, allowing a constant draining of our feet- allowing them to be as dry as possible at any given time. (For our 111 day Atlantic crossing we wore special clip-in shoes designed to keep locked onto the pedals that because of their 'shoe-ness' constantly retained water, giving us foot-rot). The Teva's also stick well to the deck making maneuvers around the boat less precarious than in just bare feet. Their only weak point seems to be in the junction of the straps to the sole where both my pairs have eventually worn out at. Otherwise great all-around footwear for our expedition needs.

Hemp seems to be all the rage nowadays, for a bevy of reasons including strength, longevity, reduced environmental impact of production and so on. It was for these reasons that we chose 50/50 cotton/hemp shorts to pedal in (made by CHI PANTS in San Francisco). Comfort is not one of hemp's strong points it has to be said! But then we're not on vacation either. If you're looking for durable clothing that can withstand constant friction and won't have to be replaced for a good 10 years or so -give hemp a try. The technology to increase comfort still has some way to go, but the Chi Pants line of shorts do have the added advantage of having a gusset instead of a central seam run down the front, conducive to any activity that involves full maneuverability of the lower half of ones body (biking, walking, rock-climbing, yoga etc).

Finally on a different note I wanted to mention our use of the PELICAN Heads-UP head-torches which have proved excellent in the marine environment. Waterproof to 500 feet, they are entirely ruggedized, powerful enough for us to use them to work on the underside of Moksha at night if need be and have the added bonus of coming with a handle-bar attachment so we can use them on our bikes too. Not surprisingly though they are a little thirsty on AA batteries though and quite a lump to have on ones head. Otherwise a big thumbs up!

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:58 PM

November 19, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #59

59. Date: Thu, 19 Nov 98 05:31:25 GMT
Latitude: 20 degrees 11.656 minutes North
Longitude: 153 degrees 45.822 minutes West
Wind NE, Force 4
Heading 240 degrees(M)

Last night on the ocean for a while, and the excitement is rising, fueled by some big seas and gusty ENE winds. Still no sign of land this Thursday evening with 35 nautical miles to go, a blanket of cloud where we expected to see the two big volcanoes of Hawaii, Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, rising from the ocean. I'm overcome with the feeling that we are incredibly privileged to be here. It takes so many people who believe in us and believe in the value the expedition has for many others. The Pacific has been a great teacher for me over these last two months, and although I have to admit a preference for remote places on land to go and do my thinking, I have certainly benefited immensely from this expedition.

Sparrowhawk, sailor, wizard and Archmage of Earthsea in Ursula Le Guin's "The Farthest Shore" says it best:

"When I was young I had to choose between the life of being and the life of doing. And I leapt at the latter like a trout to a fly. But each deed you do, each act, binds you to itself and to its consequences, and makes you act again and again. Then very seldom do you come upon a space, a time like this, between act and act, when you may stop and simply be. Or wonder who, after all, you are."

So for any of you who, like me, sometimes feel like you picked your horse long ago and had control of the reins but now it's all you can do to hang on, please take time, find your space, and if neccessary for you to be really you, stop, change direction, or even change horses. - Steve

KIT KORNER - FOOD & WATER For cooking aboard Moksha, we use a Bluet camping stove mounted in the central area, fueled by propane/butane canisters from Camping Gaz. This is the same equipment we used on the trans-Atlantic and we find the arrangement very safe, efficient, reliable and easy to handle. It is important to oil and wrap the canisters prior to stowage to prevent corrosion.

Across the Atlantic we also relied on a Pur Survivor 35 desalinator for our H2O, which failed two weeks into this voyage. The backup Pur Survivor 06 has, however, worked well since then, providing us with a gallon of H20 every day for the past five weeks.

Our main evening meal for the past two months has been provided by Reliv, whose vegetable chili con carne is excellent.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:56 PM

November 18, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #58

58. Date: Wed, 18 Nov 98 04:32:42 GMT
Latitude: 20 degrees 21.136 minutes North
Longitude: 152 degrees 52.402 minutes West
Wind ENE, Force 4

Yesterday's fresh ENE winds gave us the prospect of arriving as early as Thursday PM, but winds and swell have been considerably slacker today, so unless there is a major wind change, we will arrive in Hilo on Friday morning.

The forecast couldn't be better, continuing ENEs to Friday -extremely good news for us at this most critical point. The big worry with boats is hitting anything hard, and mid ocean of course you only have to think about hitting other ships. The begin and end of our voyage is always the most dangerous, especially since we have such little power to fight adverse winds and lee shores. Our expectations are building, were beginning to imagine a decent, still night's sleep, a shower and endless other wonders of civil life. -Steve

KIT KORNER - PEDAL DRIVE SYSTEM Since her launching in '94, Moksha has been fitted with three pedal drive systems:

1. A home-made affair comprising an upside-down bike frame, cranks and chain connected to a 3 meter long stainless steel shaft through the hull and skeg to stern propeller. This system got us across the Atlantic, just, but was very inefficient and unserviceable.

2. Enclosed, chain-driven Seacycle system with propeller directly below pedals midships. Tested from San Francisco to Monterey early '97, with mixed results, main problem was frequent chain breakages and low quality materials.

3.Our current system is from Micromarine's Microcat, a similar direct drive, enclosed pedal-to-prop unit but considerably more reliable and stronger than the Seacycle system. Solid gear and aluminum shaft connecting pedals to propeller and cast metal casing. Considering these units were made for pleasure craft, we are very impressed with their performance. Over the last two months the three units we were given have been subjected to the severity of ocean forces, pushing a 2000lb vessel over 2000 nautical miles. With stainless steel parts and more rugged seals, this design would be bomb-proof. Well done Microcat...you got us there!

A great deal of love and attention was spent by Scott at Pitchometer Props going over the Microcat units, building the housing for firm assembly in Moksha, and custom making several new two-bladed propeller designs from stainless steel. We experienced first minor problems having overlooked the galvanic action associated with mixing dissimilar metals below the water line, but protective coating on the units and some well placed Zinc anodes did the trick. The props are works of art and perfectly pitched for our leg power. Cheers Scott and Darci.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:54 PM

November 17, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #57

57. Date: Tue, 17 Nov 98 04:52:39 GMT
Latitude: 20 degrees 36.356 minutes North
Longitude: 152 degrees 04.038 minutes West
Wind NE, Force 4
Heading 235 degrees(M)

Now we're into the final furlong. It seems like we've been blessed by the Gods with this northeasterly wind at our stern. Having sweated and bullied our way south the last 4-5 days we are now in a prime position for our final approach. We just have to make one mile south for every four miles west to make the final 200 miles west and 50 south.

If we were in a sail boat right now, it wouldn't be such a big deal; quite sizable, last minute adjustments to changes in wind direction would be entirely feasible. Not so for us though, being so limited in our ability to maneuver. In addition it's a pretty small chunk of earth we're trying to hit making the stakes all the more high.

It would be a disaster to miss Hawaii for more than a few reasons, one of the main ones being our food supply. We still have plenty of Pasta Primavera (which we both detest) but we are rapidly running scarce on the things we do like and that have been the principle insp/tns in keeping us going all these 100's of miles; The M&M's ran out 3 days ago (actually there are some in our contingency food reserves in the very back of the stern compartment, but neither of us feel brave enough to venture back there), the last peanut butter jar was ceremoniously licked clean by one of us in the middle of the last night (no one has owned up to the crime yet), and the remaining 1/2" of apricot jam has started to ferment as of today. If we missed Hawaii now there'd be a VERY unhappy Moksha crew heading south to The Gilbert Islands by this week end.

Our current ETA is late Thursday PM or more likely Friday AM Hawaii time.

KIT KORNER - SAFETY GEAR Being at such a disadvantage with our size limited ability to maneuver, we take safety extremely seriously. The key to our avoiding a collision with other shipping lies in the amount of time either we or they have to take evasive action. And with a horizon of only 15 miles maximum, a freighter can be on top of us in less than 20 minutes -not much time at all. We therefore have a pretty fool proof system involving some key pieces of equipment that has kept us well clear of other vessels the past 50 days. The first notification we have of an approaching vessel usually comes in the form of an audio alarm from our OCEAN SENTRY (Pains Wessex). This is an active Radar Target Enhancer (RTE) that 'wakes up' on receiving radar from another vessel, sounds an alarm to 'wake us up' as it were, and then returns an amplified signal back to the host vessel giving us a Radar Cross Section(RCS) of 50 square meters. Basically it makes us appear to be a lot bigger than we really are on their radar screen, and increases the chances of them taking a small boat like us seriously. Often the OCEAN SENTRY will pick up vessels beyond our visual horizon -giving us that added confidence of an early alert.

The only draw back to RTE's is the radar image drops off in the last mile of the radar. For this purpose and in the event our electrical power failing we use a LENSREF passive reflector (Varigas) -the most efficient passive radar reflector on the market.

In conjunction with the OCEAN SENTRY we have a COLLISION AVOIDANCE RADAR DETECTOR (Survival Safety Engineering) or CARD whose job it is to monitor an approaching vessel once over the horizon, giving us its approximate heading and whether it is coming closer or moving away. The intensity of the audio and visible alarms also indicate how close the vessel is getting. Both our OCEAN SENTRY and the CARD work well together in covering all possible blind spots in collision avoidance.

Finally we use a pair of TASCO Offshore 54 waterproof binoculars to be able to track the heading of a vessel using its built-in compass that has an internal light for night use also. On a number of occasions we've found this bit of kit to be invaluable in assessing whether a vessel is on a collision coarse with us or not; if the vessel's course changes, we know we are OK. If not, we need to know about it sooner rather than later -using our ICOM VHF radio to make contact or in the worst scenario, firing one of our Pains Wessex flares to make our presence known.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:51 PM

November 16, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #56

56. Date: Mon, 16 Nov 98 04:48:34 GMT
Latitude: 21 degrees 08.104 minutes North
Longitude: 151 degrees 09.289 minutes West
Wind NE to E, Variable Strength

We are making good progress. We're totally out of M&M's and Jason is pedaling all day in women's underwear. It's high time to jump ship at the nearest port. If there is no major change in the winds we should arrive by Friday.

We do not have much to report. The hampster's cage is still turing. We did manage a short "5 degree party" today celebrating the crossing of 150 degrees West longitude. We unearthed the sole bottle of beer I stowed as an after thought minutes before leaving San Francisco, tried unsuccessfully to chill it in the ocean, and devoured in seconds on the back deck midday. There is now a recapped bottle of Bass Pale Ale heading slowly SW across the Pacific containing a message of its origin and reward for safe return to San Francisco. We hope to see land before it does.

KIT KORNER - POWER GENERATION Moksha is of coarse a totally self reliant power house, and since the Atlantic voyage we have greatly increased our power needs due to upgrades in communications, navigation and safety equipment. We felt it necessary to use both wind and solar power for extra power security, and so far the performance of our system has been without fault. The real work horse is our SOUTHWEST WINDPOWER generator which really kicks out the juice and with a decent trade wind will recharge our batteries in a few hours. It can get noisy in higher winds, and it's weight could be a danger for us in a storm -perched 6 feet above the roof on a short, stepable mast -both of which makes the shut-down feature all the more important for us. A very reliable, invaluable unit for us now.

Augmenting the wind generator are four Unisolar solar panels (one model 32, two model 16) from Golden Genesis, improved versions of the panels we used on the Atlantic. Despite their low power output per surface area compared to other brands, these panels are ideal for our boat because of they are flexible and conform to our curved decks, and there ability to continue functioning when punctured or partly shaded -which no other panel can do. They have a reputation for having only a short, 6 month life exposed to ocean conditions, but this depends on how you look after them. Ours look fine after two months and should last the entire Pacific to Oz.

The batteries themselves, two 105 Ampere Hour Concord Lifeline batteries, have proved more than ample for our needs and give us great confidence. Combining the no-maintenance, no leak advantages of gel batteries with the load-recharging capability of lead-acid, these absorbed glass fiber batteries are sure to take much more of the market in the future.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:49 PM

November 15, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #55

55. Date: Sun, 15 Nov 98 05:03:16 GMT
Latitude: 21 degrees 37.796 minutes North
Longitude: 150 degrees 23.543 minutes West
Wind NE, Force 3
Heading: 210 degrees(M)

At last our prayers have been answered -a North Easterly! It's all hands to the pumps before it veers back to the East which it must do soon enough. In the mean time we count the miles made South on the GPS with rising spirts; every mile made good South now with a following wind would take us four times as long to make in an Easterly. The further South we get, the hotter each daylight pedaling stint becomes, requiring fewer and fewer cloths to be worn. In fact Steve and I have for the last few weeks worn very little apart from our birthday suits, which has one major draw back when permanently covered in salt; chaffing. By noon today the problem for me had become intolerable. I'd spent the morning thinking up various ways to adapt parts of the boat into a make-shift athletic support, and was on the verge of putting into action a plan involving one of my wooly socks and a strip o duct tape, when my eyes lighted on a piece of Steve's clothing that he sometimes uses for protecting his baldy patch from the sun (I also seem to have increasing need of it these days too!); a pair of white lady's underwear entitled "it-se-bit-se" by French Dressing (made in Hong Kong). In a flash my problem was solved. Desperate times call for desperate measures. The frivolous demands of 'right dress etiquette' by society on land don't hold much water out here. When duty calls (in this case getting a boat 350 miles to land by pedal power) a man has to do what a man has to do. However, for those who know me better, I have to admit that I'd be lying if I tried to make out that wearing women's underwear is that bad; the silky inner-lining of "it-se-bit-se's" are after all very silky, and the little red roses dotted across the front are quite becoming, and then there's a cute little knot at the front in the shape of a Christmas cracker, just waiting to be pulled...

But let's not get carried away hear. It is after all a functional need I'm talking about. Gone is the chaffing and I feel like a real man again, able to focus on pedaling, not pain. "And in any case" says Steve looking up from measuring our day's milage on the chart, "Any experienced sailor will tell you that there has to be a VERY good reason for a person to be prancing about in front of the rest of an all male crew wearing nothing but a pair of woman's underpants". He looks down at the chart again and ads, "After all, we HAVE been out quite a few weeks now..."

PS: For those of you who don't know British humor -don't get too worried!

KIT KORNER - COMMUNICATIONS The harsh environment in which Steve I have been living these past 50 days has afforded a great opportunity to test out various pieces of equipment for there performance in the field. If you are a sailor yourself or outdoor enthusiast, you might be interested in these assessments over the next few days.

To keep in touch by E-mail with our support group on land, our families for their peace of mind and to send a daily update to the web site, we use the TRIMBLE GALAXY Inmarsat-C transceiver; capable of text transmission only -the unit has been perfect for our needs -even sending digital images by ASCII file. Weather never seems to be a problem for transmissions -very impressed by its performance and reliable GPS position fixes. The only snag is our having to keep the unit in PELICAN case in order to keep fully waterproof; access to the control buttons is therefore somewhat restricted. Also when our power drops below 11 volts message transmissions will fail.

Equally impressive has been our Argonaut R-300 rugedized PC made by REALWORLD Computers. This hardy little brute has seen the worst of it out here; deliberately kept out in the open cockpit, it has constantly been wet with salt water and more than a few times dropped onto the floor during a sudden wave surge. I pride myself on having personally poured a mug of hot tea all over the keyboard- and the thing still works! After John and Casey's disaster with their communications during their 10 day attempt to Hawaii last year, we were expecting the worst knowing what a beating a PC would get out here. The R-300 has done us proud though. Highly recommended.

Although we rarely get to use it once out from coastal waters, our ICOM M-39 VHF has been quickly brought into service on a number of occasions in the 1st 1/ of the voyage to make communications with container ships heading our way! Although only water resistant -not ideal for our purposes should we take a roll and the cockpit ooded -the unit has taken many a direct hit fra a 'smart wave' coming in through the hatch and is still working fine.

Finally our GRUNDIG Yachtboy 400 short wave radio receiver has kept us connected with news and weather reports from the outside world via the BBC World Service, VOA (Voice Of America) and a huge band-width of frequencies to choose from -87.5Mgz FM all the way to 29,700KHzSW. Again, this unit has seen A LOT of wet and is still working fine. An antenna extension wouldn't be a bad idea as reception seems limited during daylight hours.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:45 PM

November 14, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #54

54. Date: Sat, 14 Nov 1998 20:10:02 GMT
Latitude: 22 degrees 13.876 minutes North
Longitude: 149 degrees 30.025 minutes West
Wind NE, Force 3

It's Friday the 13th (Hawaii time) and we're feeling lucky!!! The wind is now NE force 3 again, Yee-Haw!!! We are daring to set our hearts on Hilo, finally, within a week. Jason and I have been spending more time in the ocean the last few days, swimming and filming our world from another prospective.

We seem to be acquiring new friends as we go. Our posse of Dorado now up to 7-8 large fish. The biggest must be 40lb. I thought it could have been a shark at first glance and we were a little spooked for a moment. Then I remembered my father, Stuart's amusing advice for dealing with the threat of Iraqi terrorist bombs in london during the Gulf War. Wondering whether it would be safe to go for a drink at a London pub, Stu advised our visiting US friend, "Sure, just walk into anywhere you see Arabs, and if they leave... you leave!!!" Likewise the Dorado, so long as we see them were OK, but if they all swim off in a hurry, I'm outa there!

Our spirits good, have a great weekend all.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:43 PM

November 13, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #53

53. Date: Fri, 13 Nov 98 19:33:18 GMT
Latitude: 22 degrees 23.734 minutes North
Longitude: 149 degrees 14.130 minutes West
Wind ESE, Force 1-2
Heading: "nowhere"

Today we dropped the reins and let Moksha out to graze on a quietly undulating ocean, allowing ourselves to gently drift NW at half a knot. After realizing our southerly efforts were coming to nothing due to adverse wind and current, we decided to spend the day polishing up filming for the Classroom Expedition, taking the waterproof video camera out to get more outside shots of Moksha steaming about on the ocean and generally resting up to make the most of a change in the weather when it comes.

Today is the last day of the Classroom Expedition. The topic is 'Human Evolution and the future of the planet'. It is really the crunch time when participants are encouraged to individually make a form of silent resolution to either being 'in' or 'out' of where our rather destructive species is headed; either being a part of the solution by cultivating some degree of mindfulness in relation to oneself and the outside world (the core theme of the whole curriculum); or being part of the problem by choosing to blunder through life: deaf to that inner voice within every one of us, prompting, if we listen hard enough to it, to follow what we feel to be of deepest importance in life; blind to the effects of our actions on our surrounding environment and dumb to speaking our truth.

The psychologist Carl Jung spoke of a 'common human heritage' which he called collective unconscious inherited through our genes from our ancestors that lays down the pattern, the blueprint of our thinking; fundmental ideas by which the human race has shaped its destiny, ideas of courage, honesty, self-sacrifice, true love, etc. Although some aspects of this common unconscious may differ from culture to culture, the consistency that these same themes keep recurring throughout time and space suggests that at a deeper level the contents are common to us all.

The Global Learning Exchange activities, including the Classroom Expedition, are founded on such a belief; that no matter what language a person speaks, what colour their skin, what religion they uphold, what blood line they inherit, they are - when all is said and done - of the same 'stuff' as the rest of us. That is why when a 16 year old in Guatemala watches a film made by a 16 year old in San Francisco about who they really are and what's important to them, or a 13 year old in Hawaii receives a photo album from a 13 year old in England about who they really are and what's important to them,what the recipient is really seeing under surface cultural differences is just a reflection of themselves.

At a heart and gut level we all want the same fundamental things in life; health, happiness, love, friendship, peace, basic living needs met etc.If we can realize this essential truth about our species and have the strength to assume a personal responsibility to each other regardless of how far we live apart and whether or not we have ever met in person, all the world's problems are already solved. Community starts within each of us and moves outward from there to eventually embrace the whole world. It could be thought of as a reality already presently in existence, just waiting for humanity to move into when each of us is ready...

-Jason

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:41 PM

November 12, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #52

52. Date: Thu, 12 Nov 98 04:56:42 GMT
Latitude: 22 degrees 34.130 minutes North
Longitude: 148 degrees 49.070 minutes West
Wind SE, Force 3-4
Heading 225 degrees(M)

Partly cloudy with big clumsy waves jumping on board with increasing regularity. Continuing strong squalls making any steerage a joke, but we battle on, hoping at last to punch some miles south. Logging into the Trimble Galaxy today brought dismay -only 3 nautical miles south to show for 24 hours of knee-braking work.

We decided to have a rest this pm and do some filming for the Classroom Expedition educational video we are producing in association with the San Francisco based Video Free America. I guess this is one of those times you have to say "Oh well, could be a lot worse... At least we're alive and healthy." The taking for granted what you have thing again, but very true. A lot could be worse. It will get better. -Steve

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:40 PM

November 11, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #51

51. Date: Wed, 11 Nov 98 05:49:44 GMT
Latitude: 22 degrees 30.101 minutes North
Longitude: 148 degrees 29.139 minutes West
Wind E, Force 3-4
Heading 225 degrees(M)

Moksha Prior to Departure
Photo by Peter Santori

Little change hear. We continue to make one mile south for every two miles west, keeping us on track for Hilo. Hard, hard work though.

Last night we took swim at 3am, the graveyard shift. The phosphorescence swirling all around my body like shards of crystal reflected in the moon -each sweep of my arm sending out waves of magic energy into the black water. So amazing!

Today we are asked 'Why are you doing this' by students from the Classroom Expedition. Two days ago I (Jason) wrote about the big WHY for the perspective of escaping from something; the Living Death of leading a mediocre life without meaning and purpose. Now I'd like to address the same question but from a different angle; gravitating toward as opposed to away from something.

Shirley Nice(a very good friend of ours and key player in the Expedition 360 support structure) talks in her recently published book on public speaking 'Speaking for Impact' of a simple but effective question and answer process by which to identify essential truths about oneself. It's very similar to a game I used to play on myself to burn time during the long bike ride through South France earlier on in this Expedition. 'Why-testing', as I called it, would involve picking any activity in my life at the time and asking the question 'why' to each answer given. It will be a good way to answer the above question...

Q:Why are you doing this? (pedaling a boat to Hawaii)
A:Because the voyage is part of a larger project to go all around the world by human power.

Q:Why are you doing that?
A:It feels like the right path for me to be on at this time in my life.

Q:Why is it the 'right' path?
A:It fills me with a sense of meaning and purpose - taking me to where I ultimately want to go.

Q:Where is that?
A:I am very ambitious. I desire to one day achieve what I believe to be the hardest challenge of all in life.

Q:And what is that?
A:Becoming one with my inner self and the universe; reaching a place of permanent peace, balance and equanimity and sharing it with others. In orthodox terms - becoming one with God.

(I must stress here that I have no religious bias and use the term 'God' loosely for personal interpretation) to summarize therefore, I am on this voyage to Hawaii as part of a larger life-long journey to reach a state of ultimate being. It might sound a bit far fetched, but when followed far enough down the line, this is what for me it's all about!

(The 'Why test' only works if the answers are given as honestly as possible; from the gut not from the head!)

Final thoughts: I believe that asking ourselves WHY in all that we do in life, as often as possible -by using a method like the 'Why test' above -to be of utmost value in not only warding against mediocrity and slipping into a Living Death scenario as discussed in Monday's Update, but perhaps more importantly, to put us more in touch with where we want to go in life and possibly give us clues as how to get there. Certain 'esential truths' locked deep within our psyche can sometimes be unearthed and brought to light, giving us insight into our true nature. These 'essential truths' are like concrete pilings that stand firm in the shifting sands of the transient personality* we live our day to day lives with. They can act as yard-sticks from which to anchor personal belief systems and help develop individually arrived at values and ethics with which to conduct our lives. I am only just starting to realize that many traditional belief systems do actually make a lot of sense -if arrived at and understood from a personal perspective. The reason they got kicked out the door in the 60's and have had no credibility with successive generations since, is throughout history they've been forced down people's throats in the form of Absolute Truths that if not followed to the letter, would see a person shunned or even outcast by society.

All through the ages therefore people have been acting out of fear rather than true understanding -until the 60's that is. Since then a vacuum has separated generations of young people from connecting to these things we all have a need for; things like meaning, purpose, values and ethics etc. We all have an vague idea what they are, but they have no substance until someone gives us the tools to find them for ourselves. And this is what the Classroom Expedition is all about.

The Classroom Expedition has many levels; kids get to follow Steve and I via satellite; they get to learn about math and science, reading, writing and computers by studying our life on the ocean and their's on land; they get to learn about how their actions affect other people and there environment both locally and globally. But perhaps the most important thing of all is they get to ask questions; lots of them, as much of the time as possible. They are encouraged to always ask WHY, in order to fully understand -for their own personal perspective -what it is being studied. Hopefully, some of the participating students will discover some of their own essential truths before getting flung into the meat-grinder of adolescence; hormones gone crazy and trying to fit into peer pressure that is itself so much a product of pop media.

If you haven't already, check it out... It's still a pilot study and we're looking for feedback.

Personality* as in the phenomenal ego -the 'self' we fabricate in response to who others (friends, family, peers, society) perceive us to be. Also includes the mercurial nature of our emotions, moods and psychology.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:35 PM

November 10, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #50

50. Date: Tue, 10 Nov 98 04:15:12 GMT
Latitude: 22 degrees 45.712 minutes North
Longitude: 147 degrees 58.476 minutes West
Wind E, Force 3-4
Heading 225 degrees(M)

Moksha Prior to Departure
Photo by Peter Santori

Cloudy, squalls, still making progress but all from the legs with little wind assistance.

We have begun a 10 day -til-arrival countdown, now on day 9 - part of elaborate system of little psychological incentives I create for myself. Each part of the voyage is complexly divided into shorter, more manageable goals, and without them I'd be lost. The entire 2000 nautical mile voyage was split in two by our chart's fold line, so incentive #1 was to one day be able to turn over the chart. Incentive #2 was to cross each 10 degree line of longitude to the west, of which there are 3 (will be at the last, 150W longitude, in few days). Incentive #3 was each 5 degree line of longitude. Incentive #4 each degree W, and then we get into the daily incentives. Each day is split up into time partitions of approximately 1.5 hours each, apart from when I have my 6 hour sleep. Each 1.5 hours of pedaling I'm looking forward to a coffee break with maybe a slice of toast or 1/2 mars bar, or looking forward to quick dip in the cool ocean, pancake breakfast or dinner. In all,there must be over a dozen psychological carrots to keep me sane. The whole thing is just too big to consider.

To pedal a boat across 1000s of miles over open ocean is a great accomplishment, no false modesty allowed. But like all such endeavors of greatness -works of art, buildings, inventions, journeys, careers, lives -they can only happen one step at a time. The secret is to break down the big, scary goal into lots little ones -and just start, begin it! If it comes from deep within, the world will help you with good fortune, and what once seemed impossible will become inevitable. -Steve

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can... Begin It.
Boldness has power, energy and magic in it."
(Goethe)

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:33 PM

November 9, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #49

49. Date: Mon, 9 Nov 98 04:59:59 GMT
Latitude: 23 degrees 02.003 minutes North
Longitude: 147 degrees 18.709 minutes West
Wind E, Force 4
Heading 255 degrees(M)

We seem to live our days at the moment between the figures 270 and 210 degrees on the compass card. At 210 we are clawing valuable miles South, but it's a heavy toll on our knees, even though yesterday we changed propellers to the lighter 'Oceania' that Scott from Pitchometer of Alameda, CA hand made us for this very purpose. When we start to over heat in the saddle, we either dive in to cool off or turn down-wind on 270 for a while to give the knees a break and direct a blissful draught of fresh tropical wind air down the neck. If only it were a little farther south -rolling into Hilo on a 270 degree heading would be heaven! We pray for a north easterly.

One of the questions asked today from one of the classes particpating in the 'Classroom Expedition' was 'are you scared of dying?' The answer is obviously yes, for various reasons; the actual experience of dying wouldn't probably be that bad -as long as it didn't last that long. But the pain for our families would be tremendous, as well as losing the remainder of the 70 year lease on these fantastic vehicles we know as our bodies! But for me (Jason), what is equally or even more scary than death (and this goes some way in explaining why I choose to be out here bobbing around in a little wooden box) is getting sucked into leading a life without purpose and meaning; a Living Death; a mediocre state of existence characterized by absence of passion or conviction in all that I do. A condition I believe we are all born with the propensity towards if we do not search for and identify purpose and meaning early enough in life, and follow a 'right path' for ourselves accordingly.

Yesterday was Remembrance Day in the UK, the annual commemoration of the millions of men and women who have laid down their lives for their Countries in terms of war and piece. The First World War has always held a particular fascination for me as one of the last wars that involved old-style military tactics -of throwing as many men into an offensive as possible -being used against modern weaponry like the machine gun. "What was it like to be a 20yr old about to 'go over the top' of the trenches to a very high probability of death, and why would I be there in the first place?" Eight years ago I found myself trying to answer this question by doing some volunteer work for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in the Somme region of Norther France. After 10 days clearing grass away from the bases of the white crosses that stretched away as far as the eye could see in all directions, I came to the conclusion that as well as being fired up with Patriotic fervor, this young man jumped at the adventure of 'going to war' for the sense of meaning and purpose it gave their lives. For the fortunate few that survived the ordeal and were not too mentally scarred, this 'right of passage' probably served them well in seeing the rest of their life in perspective and avoiding falling into the trap of leading a mediocre Living Death existence from then on.

Being brought up in the modern comfort of peace-time Britain, I and the rest of my generation never had the opportunity to run off to some war like this and gain our 'Right of Passage.' "And a good thing too!" I can hear my mother saying. True, I can't imagine anything worse than being in a war, but it still leaves the problem of how to avoid the Living Death scenario. Teenagers come out of school, get a token University degree (if they're lucky) and spend the next 10 years chained to a job they don't particularly like, paying off the bank loan for the degree, by which time it's all over; they're in a rut and there's no honorable way out apart from initiating a premature mid-life crisis.

Steve and I decided to have our mid-life crisis very early -at the tender ages of 25 and 24 respectively! As there were no 'just' crusades to join we invented our own based on traveling around the world by pedal-boat, bikes, skates etc, and the rest is history. But after 4 years on the road we have to still be careful that 'being on the road' doesn't lose its meaning and purpose too. A couple of times last year while biking to Peru, I had to ask myself the question -Why? And if it wasn't for the expedition expanding to incorporate ideas like the Global Learning Exchange and an increasing emphasis on working with young people, I would probably have bailed out of Expedition 360 by now too. Mediocrity -it's like an invisible plague that creeps up on you from nowhere, and before you know it you are asleep under its spell. So it seems we are up against two forms of death; the living version and the dead version. At the end of the day it will be keeping our wits about us -staying aware and mindful of ourselves and our outside environment- that will protect us from either one, beyond which the mater is out of our hands. After all, everyone has got to move on sometime!

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:30 PM

November 8, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #48

48. Date: Sun, 8 Nov 98 03:42:25 GMT
Latitude: 23 degrees 19.558 minutes North
Longitude: 146 degrees 40.812 minutes West
Wind E - ESE, Force 4-5
Heading 225 degrees(M)

Miserable rain and wind crossing us broadside now and making it more difficult to crank those pedals, knees starting to ache. Heading still 225 degrees (Magnetic) when we can, though the East wind and current is taking us more Westerly than are ideal track to Hilo.

I remained awake last night designing my future home -she'll be a 60ft wooden sailboat, ROOMY!

At about 2am, Lucky Lester landed on my lap -a 6" flying fish who went berserk around the cabin floor before I could catch him and return him to his world: unlucky because he chose the only hard surface in 100s of square miles to fly into, but lucky to crash into something soft and get rescued. I think the school of dorado who have chosen Moksha as their adopted mother must be taking pity on her underweight crew, rounding up flying fish for us to eat. Appreciate the thought fellas!

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:28 PM

November 7, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #47

47. Date: Sat, 7 Nov 98 04:12:28 GMT
Latitude: 23 degrees 32.222 minutes North
Longitude: 145 degrees 56.199 minutes West
Wind E, Force 3
Heading 225 degrees(M)

Pedaling a little harder today due to Easterly winds. Otherwise no change. Ya'll have a nice weekend now... We are going to keep on pedaling and envisioning pineapples.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 7:27 PM

November 6, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #46

46. Date: Fri, 6 Nov 98 04:27:17 GMT
Latitude: 23 degrees 44.807 minutes North
Longitude: 145 degrees 13.191 minutes West
Wind NE veering E, Force 4

Blustery again today and progress excellent. Jason is still charged up from yesterdays ocean excursion, though this morning I felt like I was sliding down the slippery slope to fatigue. All week I've been on top, fully charged and able to breeze through the night shifts without aid of any external stimulation like the walkman. I just pick an exciting idea and visualize it, past, present and future dreams mostly. With the White Moon Goddess in full glory to inspire me, I could just stare into the dancing red numbers of the compass, pedal and sway with the waves and go anywhere in time and space to amazing detail. My 6 hour stint could be over in a flash. But when the cycle turns the other way, when the energy level drops, the brain reels in the net and refuses to go fishing for ideas any more. Then visualization brakes down, the night seems endless and it's viscous spiral downhill. So tonight I'm looking forward to a good 6 hr sleep after making dinner (a weird version of potato cakes I call llapingachos a la Pac!), and then that familiar voice will pierce my dreams, "Steve! It's 3am." I'll gather my thoughts, reach both hands out out pull hard to un-sheath myself from the rat hole, feel the damp wind on my back and hear the powerfull ocean again and start another day.
-Steve

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 6:47 PM

November 5, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #45

45. Date: Thu, 5 Nov 98 04:15:22 GMT
Latitude: 24 degrees 14.891 minutes North
Longitude: 144 degrees 14.184 minutes West
Wind NE, Force 4
Heading 225 degrees (M)

All is fine aboard the good ship Moksaha. Little change to report -progress south as well as west looking good. Wisdom tooth now fine- Yippee!! Back to decadent life of Scotch and M&M's at last!

Almost all photos and film footage taken during a crossing like this are shot either from inside or outside the boat. However, there are only so many angles you can shoot your partner pedaling from before the story gets old (and neither of us are getting any more beautiful as the trip progresses which doesn't help either). So very occasionally -like today- an excursion is planed to film Moksha from an objective perspective 20-30 yards away by one of us tethered on the end of a rope. It must be confessed at this point that there's more to it than just filming. It's an excuse to expand our tiny universe by an unimaginable degree -if only for 15 minutes; to explore the neighborhood a little as it were. In short -get a kick!

On the Atlantic crossing we had our trusty green reptile 'Derek the Dragon' -a blow-up child's rubber-ring bought for $2 before leaving Portugal -as first cam grip and buoyancy aid. To raise much needed funds on in arrival in US however, our prehistoric friend was auctioned into slavery for $50 at a fund raiser in Ft. Lauderdale. Technology has caught up with us since than, and today I find myself sporting a Thermarest tied around the belly and a 'raft' adorned with Sesame Street animals to keep the cam from getting drenched by one of the larger waves (the sea being quite rough). Shortly after embarking on the perilous mission (the theme tune to "Where Eagles Dare" playing at full blast in my head of course!) the Sesame Street raft sprung a leak and had to be cut lose. Then it was a question of swimming as far away from the boat as my survival leash would allow so Steve- at the given signal -could pedal past me as if en route to Hawaii. We get the fatigue, and it'll be great for the documentary. But there's something very un-natural about seeing the only means of survival you have slowly heading away from you and I was very relieved to scramble back on board afterwards.

Once again I am reminded how fragile the human body is -especially out hear in the domain of fins and wings -not legs! Reminded me how much I take for granted this tiny wooden box called a boat without which we'd both be very dead very quickly! Dry land beckons all the more strongly...

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 6:44 PM

November 4, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #44

44. Date: Wed, 4 Nov 98 04:05:47 GMT
Latitude: 24 degrees 41.710 minutes North
Longitude: 143 degrees 05.442 minutes West
Wind ENE, Force 3
Heading 225 degrees (M)

This has been second day of changeable winds, light-airs to blustery squalls with easterly force 4 winds. Though our progress is still good.

The third and final pedal system is rapidly losing its initial smoothness to an increasing grate, but performing well. The best performance I think has come from our electrical power system, for which I firstly credit Richard Brown, electrician with the Presidio Park Service, San Francisco, for his tireless devotion to quality and detail.

We rely heavily on a Southwest Windpower wind generator for our electrical power needs (1-8Amps so far), a first class piece of engineering. Combined with our three Unisolar solar panels from Golden Genesis steadily pumping out 1-3 Amps all day, we're completely confident that we can meet all of our power needs. The generated power is stored in two Concord Lifeline 105 Ampere-Hour Batteries, which again have performed superbly thus far.

It is amazing that we can do so much using the free, clean, renewable energies of the wind and the sun. You could easily do the same in your homes too, especially if you eliminate or reduced the use of some greedy appliances like air conditioning (many natural ways to cool a house), deep freeze (eat fresh stuff!) and TV (make prime time worth the name!). Yep, it's all win-win on "Right Path" Road.

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 6:43 PM

November 3, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #43

43. Date: Tue, 3 Nov 98 05:06:37 GMT
Latitude: 25 degrees 01.719 minutes North
Longitude: 142 degrees 12.959 minutes West
Wind ENE, Force 3
Heading 225 degrees (M)

The wind has been flukey all day. At times when a squall with accompanying rain over takes us from the east we find ourselves spinning along at a fair lick of 3-4 knots. These bursts rarely last for more than an hour or two at the most, then we have to make do with a light breeze and sweat a little. Still, we can't complain -we've had it so good recently. Our westerly track still seems to be out-performing our southerly one, so we have correspondingly adjusted 10 more degrees from yesterday to take into account westerly 0.5 knot drift from current and windage.

This afternoon I ventured for what I pray to be the last time into the black hole of our stern storage compartment, to forage enough food to last us till Hawaii. For 1.5 hours I dug around in the chaos of old rubbish bags, spent gas canisters and other assorted paraphernalia, searching for bags of chili-con-carne, Mars Bars, M&M's and a lone tin of rice. For those of you who have seen the size of this compartment and for even fewer of you who saw the amount of junk we managed to squeeze into it prior to our departure from San Francisco, you will have some idea of the torture of squishing oneself into a tight ball and rolling around inside there amidst bags of smelly garbage while being repeatedly beaten over the head by the side of the boat. Terrible experience.

After this ordeal I take a dip in the big blue; Oh-so good! So instantly revitalizing! The cold jump-starts the senses that become so deadened with the claustrophobia of being 'indoors' for so much of the time. At least for a while that is until the realization hits that there's 2-3 miles of water underneath you. Scary when you think about it for too long.

Finally, our presence was graced in the early hours of this morning by 'Unlucky Jeff' -a 6" flying fish whose air-brakes must have failed on final approach, hence arriving DOA (dead on arrival). Beautiful thing, with amazing extended fins -successfully adapted over the millenia to escape predators. Being the first almost living thing we've seen in nearly two weeks, we gave him full burial honors before returning him to the deep. Poor old unlucky Jeff. What are the chances of hitting a 26'x4' pedal boat in 1,000's miles of open ocean to fly free in!

The wisdom tooth is stabilizing -no worse thankfully...

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 6:41 PM

November 2, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #42

42. Date: Mon, 2 Nov 98 04:17:19 GMT
Latitude: 25 degrees 18.571 minutes North
Longitude: 141 degrees 27.451 minutes West
Wind NE, Force 3-4
Heading 240 degrees (M)

Continuing northeast trades and good progress. For those of you who haven't yet viewed the rest of the site or understand fully what we are trying to achieve here, let me explain. Over four years ago Jason and I set out from the Greenwich Meridian with the aim of becoming the first people tt circumnavigate the globe using human power. We have used bicycles, pedal boat, skates and kyaks to get this far and have used the journey both as a great personal education and more recently as the basis for our Global Learning Exchange, including the Classroom Expedition -all formally incorporated within a Non-Profit Organization and a great team of people.

For me, the most striking things about Expedition 360 are its duration (will rival Moses' Exodus from Egypt at this rate!) and its focus. Other expeditions focus on the result -scaling the peak, reaching the pole -and are generally brief, intense forays into an extreme environment, and the quality of life until the heroic return is irrelevant and totally subordinate to the end goal.

In contrast, Expedition 360 is itself an evolving way of life. The end result is practically irrelevant. We focus on HOW the journey is lived, how we can us our minds and become more aware, how we treat our bodies, other people and our environment. We aren't pushing any dogmas, and in many aspects are only beginners ourselves, but through our journals and the Global Learning Exchange we invite you to join us in your own expedition of growth and new experiences.

Whilst I sympathize with those of you who were more looking for some real-life "Big D" -Danger, Drama, Death, Deep Doo-Doo- I sincerely hope you are not too disappointed for lack of pain and blood shed. -Steve

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 6:39 PM

November 1, 1998

San Francisco to Hawaii, Second Attempt. Update #41

41. Date: Sun, 1 Nov 98 04:57:25 GMT
Latitude: 25 degrees 33.825 minutes North
Longitude: 140 degrees 29.509 minutes West
Wind NE, Force 3-4
Heading 235 degrees (M)

Business as usual today, although we decided to change our heading slightly more south to avoid a last minute struggle to Hilo. It's a bit like what I imagine landing an airplane must be like -lining up for the final flight path for as smooth a touch down as possible. Right now our nose is a little high.

I am on the second day of antibiotics for an infected wisdom tooth -probably from one of the many nuts in the trail-mix we munch between meals. Seems to be stabilizing OK. Although I can't chew my M&M's and hence in very bad mood! 150 years ago, I'd probably be dead before too long on a long ocean passage like this - especially if infection reached the blood. Thank God for western medicine; small white pills come into their own out here!

To make the most of optimum weather conditions -in case they don't last- we've fine-tuned our 'ecosystem' on Moksha to be more regimented and time sensitive -a far cry from the free-form way we started the voyage. In order to keep our two jockeys in question as refreshed and able as possible for each of their 12 hours in the saddle each day, certain essential needs -in the form of water-making, food, sleep, navigation and communications -have to be fulfilled in the remaining 12 hours. My day today eg started at 9am with a 3 hour pedal stint til 12. I then had 3 hours 'off'; One hour to make water, 1/2 hour of email communications with the outside world and latitude and longitude check, 1/2 hour cooking and eating, one hour getting the head down in the rat hole. From 3-7.30 I do the second daylight pedal stint, during which I write this report using a special brace to hold the computer in front of me while pedaling (Steve sleeps at this time). From 8-9 I make a meal for both of us, then sleep 9-3am, coming on from graveyard shift 3-9am. Then while process starts over for another day!

This little ecosystem, although very efficient in terms of making miles good, is also very fragile like any other ecosystem on our planet to unexpected outside interferences. Eg two days ago I spent an hour fixing the power cable to the computer that suddenly failed. Because of the tightness of schedule I had to borrow an hour from somewhere else in the day. I ended up taking the hour from water-making, as I could 'borrow' a 1/2 gallon from out of our emergency bags and replace it the next day. However, I still haven't had time to repay the debt -so we are still short on ballast on the starboard side. Everything has a domino effect on something else: like more complex ecosystems in the world, everything is inter-connected and inter-dependent, including ourselves as humans. Both Steve and I are looking forward to maybe using the insights of living within this scaled-down ecosystem on Moksha -in which we are continually faced with the effects of our actions- to be more aware of how harmoniously (or not!) we fit into larger, more sophisticated ecosystem on land and thereby gain more control over our lives and perform better in everything we do.

Another interesting by-product of living in a 'dolls-house' for two months is how we do things. Although the above described routine sounds awfully rote and dull, we are becoming increasingly aware of how well we are making water, kneading the bread mix, pedaling during our shifts etc. The ocean -by cutting out most external distractions- has forced us into a kind of involved extended meditation in which we are spending more and more time with our attention turned inwards (as you might have deduced from recent reports). We are starting to find immense fulfilment from doing one thing at a time to the best of our ability, by employing concentration and focus, however seemingly dull and boring it may at first appear. And although our time is cut up into 3 or 6 hourly chunks, it doesn't seem that way. In fact the added structure seems to help; when immersed in a seamless union with a particular task in which you, the subject, and the objective world fuse into one, the man-made increments of hours, minutes and seconds cease to hold value; an hour can pass in what seems like a flash. Again it would be great to be able to translate this emphasis on the state of mind about external circumstances into our lives on land rather than focusing on the external circumstances themselves. But as we found out after crossing the Atlantic, its so hard when surrounded by the mayhem and distractions of the twentieth century to retain such clarity of vision for long. But perhaps that will be the next goal, once we finish this one!

Lewis & Smith,
The Moksha crew

Posted at 6:36 PM