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July 23, 2000
Solomons to Australia voyage - Update #5
Lat/Long as of 11.57hrs local time
10 degs 25. 22’ S
157 degs 24. 35’E
Day 6.Wind SE 10 knots. Heading 195M
It is the first day since leaving Tulagi that I have sensed some degree of routine to my day. My first week has seen quite a steep side to the learning curve; not made any less so by the sickness I believe I am finally beginning to get a handle on. As far as jobs to do each day, I am still restricted to those that do not involve my eyes being directed below the horizontal. So as yet – no cooking, navigation, emailing or bailing water from the bottom of the boat. How come I always get to miss out on the all the fun stuff? My only chore as such is pedaling, and we seem to have fallen naturally into a non-rigid 3-4 hourly shift pattern during the day and one longer stint each at night. This is in fact my favorite time of the day to pedal, from around midnight to 4 or 5 in the morning when Jason takes over until around 9 or 10. This seems to work for him, as he hates pedaling for more than a few hours in the dark, having a real hard time keeping awake. I’ve been taking great delight in watching the phosphorescence trail behind Moksha as she slips though the night, the moonlight playing on the water, the unfamiliar pattern of the stars – so very different to the hemisphere I am used to.
The only other chore I accomplished today was washing my hair on the rear deck. And what a business it is doing ANYTHING on this boat! What started out in my mind as a 15-minute affair sooner developed into an hour and a half ordeal. It seems a whole different mindset is needed to achieve even the smallest things on board. Everything has to be planned in advance. With washing my hair for example, it wasn’t just a case of grabbing the shampoo and conditioner and leaping in the shower like I do at home. I had to visualize exactly all the things I needed before I left the cockpit: how I was going to transport them all to the rear deck with one hand free to hang onto Moksha, where to put all of these various bits and pieces once I was in position – so they didn’t end up rolling off the side into the drink - and then how to grip Moksha’s sides using only my thighs to relieve both hands for the task in hand. (At least I’ve had a bit of training for this last one – riding broncos back in Kansas!) By the time I was finished with all this I was totally exhausted and slumped into the sleeping compartment to recover. And as I lay there making a mental note to add at least 300% onto each task attempted in future, I realized my plan to wash my hair every two days might be a little over ambitious for now.
April
Posted on July 23, 2000 1:18 PM