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June 12, 2000
Tarawa to Solomon Islands voyage, Update #12
Mon, 12 Jun 2000 00:38:48 -0700
Day 13
Wind variable 0-5 knots
Heading 230 Magnetic
It's raining now. And thank goodness it is too. The extreme heat and absence of wind creates a very oppressive and almost fetid atmosphere on the boat. Mile after mile of gently undulating ocean, filling our field of vision from horizon to horizon like a desert. If I had to choose between dying of thirst in the Sahara or the Pacific Ocean, I'd choose the former. There's something too cruel about being surrounded by so much water that you can't drink. It's actually twisted now I think about it.
After several days of this we've become rather fazed and dull-minded, our brains crying out for something to happen, to alleviate the drudgery. And rain, regarded as drudgery incarnate back home in England, is the nearest thing to a circus we'll get out here. Chris, sitting out on the fore-deck as I write this, swears he'll never bad mouth the rain again (I'd like to see how long that will last once the next winter sets in). But for now he's right. It has the most wonderful qualities: cooling the body, washing off the sweat, giving the morale a boost.
Now we're in good shape to settle into the evening routine of a cup of hot tea each, a shared packet of M+M's and Van Morrison's Moon Dance played over the Good Ship's speaker system.
The wind has been all over the compass today. This morning it was coming from the east, early this afternoon from the north. Now it's coming directly from the south. Seems like it can't make up its mind what to do and we're caught in the middle of the indecision.
Jason & Chris,
The Moksha motors
Posted on June 12, 2000 3:02 AM