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August 4, 2000
Solomons to Australia voyage - Update #17
Lat/Long as of 13.36 hrs local time
12 degs 43. 20’ S
151 degs 32. 82’E
Day 18.Wind ESE 15-20 knots. Heading 180M
Demanding pedal shifts have encouraged me to extend my quest for psychological carrots:
1. Fresh water rinse. Hair washing is now down to a fine science. Wet hair with seawater, lather with saltwater shampoo, rinse (in seawater), add conditioner, rinse, add straight vinegar and then the best: the last couple of times we’ve made water on the Pur desalinator pump Jason has saved a little back in a camp shower bag. This he attaches to the wind generator mast and, as the final indulgence of hair washing, I sit astride the boat rinsing myself completely with salt-less water. Total indulgence.
2. Guitars. The harsh conditions of the voyage to date have not allowed for any time off for R+R. I had read in updates from previous voyages of supper out on the deck, evenings off and the playing of guitars and singing around the camp stove. We’ve not had a chance to experience any of that. During one of my recent evening pedal shifts however Jason had just finished preparing supper and dived into sleeping compartment to retrieve the ship’s guitar. A few minutes later his smooth tenor voice accompanied by the rhythmic guitar became a pleasant break in the usual evening routine.
3. Cabbage. I’ve loved cabbage since I was a kid. Kenny (Brown) had been able to acquire fresh produce the day before we left the Solomon’s. Among various vegetables and fresh fruits was the most magnificent cabbage I’d ever seen - apparently costing over $100 Solomon Dollars ($15 US). It would taste wonderful on the voyage. It was so enormous there was no room for it in the storage bins, so we hastily lashed it down to the roof of the cockpit with bungee cords. There it sat in prime position as Moksha’s makeshift adorning crown as we slipped away from Tulagi bound for Australia. About two miles into the trip we were approached by a speed boat. On the bow stood a beefy looking man, ammunition bands crossing his chest cradling an M-16. I eyed him curiously from the pedal seat while Jason stepped up to the hatch to wave. All was well until I noticed his gaze fixed on THE CABBAGE. Normally I would have loved to share, but not today. “Don’t even think about it buddy” I muttered under my breath, increasing my pedaling speed. The man finally nodded and the boat sped away.
This evening I sit in the pedal seat crunching cabbage, staring at the Southern Cross. It tastes even better now after nearly three weeks at sea than the day Kenny brought it to us. And lucky was the man on the boat. Hell hath no fury than a woman….robbed of her cabbage.
April
Posted on August 4, 2000 2:38 PM