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Wondertime Sails to the South Pacific – Day 22

Today’s report is from Leah:

Today at Easter I got a stuffed animal rainbow chameleon in my basket. I named him Swirly. And my sister Holly got a pink and purple and white unicorn. And I even got little mint balls and chocolate candy almonds, highlighter pens, Big Big World DVD and a playdough toy. All of the hidden eggs were full of M&Ms and some of them had M&Ms with peanut butter inside them! And when I woke up in the morning I found in the pockets in mama’s bed two Easter eggs with M&Ms inside.

The day before Easter me and my mama did lots of math with our new Math Dice. I love love love love love love love love love love doing math!

Total miles at noon: 2290
Miles since yesterday: 113
Miles to Hiva Oa: 401
Easter bunny visits: 1
Rotten cabbages thrown over: 1
Hours of fantastic sailing with 12 knots on the beam: 40

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Wondertime Sails to the South Pacific – Day 21

O happy day! The SE wind filled in last night after battling a series of wind and rain squalls. (Why do they only come at night?) We’ve been flying the genoa, main and mizzen all day making 5-6 knots ticking the miles steadily off. We realized that it had been a week or two since we’d last seen any sea birds but they have started to make their appearance again which can only mean we are getting closer and closer to land.

Sometimes it hits me how life just continues to go on here at sea on the boat just like it always does. This afternoon I was puttering in the galley putting a cucumber/bean/salami salad together for dinner. The girls had just finished coloring in big Easter eggs they’d drawn and had hung them on the mast for the Easter bunny to find.

They were now each playing quietly with their little toys and figurines at the table and in the hall, with the soft mumbling and exclamations that come with the sweet little stories they tell. Paper, pens, tape, toys, games were scattered across the entire back cabin, evidence of an afternoon of small busy hands. If it weren’t for the gentle rocking of the boat and the occasional roll to starboard with the larger waves we could be at anchor getting ready for dinner like any other evening.

Total miles at noon: 2177
Miles since yesterday: 99
Miles to Hiva Oa: 514
Easter baskets ready on the table: 2
Plastic eggs to fill and hide: 37

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Wondertime Sails to the South Pacific – Day 20

The wind dropped to around 8 knots yesterday evening, about the same time that some lumpy swells joined us from a number of different directions. This is the perfect recipe for slatting, popping, banging sails. All. Night. Long. All to keep us moving at around 2 or 3 knots. During Matt’s watch, around 3 am, Michael got up and together they hoisted the spinnaker. We’d been reluctant to do that, since there were dark squall clouds on the horizon all around us. But since none of them had yet gotten close they put our lightest sail up in the hope that it would pull us along quietly and smoothly.

Thirty minutes later Matt hollers down: “Michael, there’s a dark squall real close, think it’s going to get us. Can you help me take the spinnaker down?” Before Michael could answer the wind came shooting down at the boat like a rocket and we heeled over sharply, our poor spinnaker heavily overloaded. One of the guys blew the sheet to let the air out of the sail. It was flogging wildly and took the both of them to get the sock down over the sail and lower it safely into its bag. By the time Michael was tying the top of the spinnaker bag shut the wind squall was over and a light rain was falling in it’s wake. We rolled out the genoa again and the wallowing continued. Phew, that was close.

The spinnaker is back up today, with the horizon now clear of squalls. We had to put nylon tape over a small tear that appeared from the chaos early this morning but are thankful our workhorse sail — at least for this trip where we’ve been plagued by light winds — is still pulling us along.

The weather forecast is for well under 10 knots of breeze for the next few days. Think wind for us, please?

Total miles at noon: 2078
Miles since yesterday: 95
Miles to Hiva Oa: 610
Eggs that have failed the good-eggs-sink test: 4

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Wondertime Sails to the South Pacific – Day 19

Some days are just grumpy days. Today is one of those. There is no particular reason. The sailing is spectacular today; we are flying the genoa, main and mizzen in about 12 knots of wind right on the beam, making a steady 5.5 knots. We just all seemed to wake up tired, hot, sweaty and grumpy. The girls have been bickering since they first opened their eyes. I don’t feel like cooking and served granola bars for breakfast.

We are just so ready to be there. We are craving juicy, fresh fruit, ice-cream, cold beer (other than our Special Equator Beers we are a dry boat underway). I want an ice-cold crisp green salad as big as my head. We all want to walk on land again.

So, I did what any sea-going mother would do: I got out the nutella and ritz crackers, opened a can of Trader Joes pineapple hiding in the stores and we had ourselves a feast of a snack.

Total miles at noon: 1983
Miles since yesterday: 97
Miles to Hiva Oa: 680
“A Series of Unfortunate Events” books read aloud so far: 4
Cans of warm Pacifico taunting us in the shower storage: 72

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Wondertime Sails to the South Pacific – Day 18

Last night was the kind of night I’m going to think about long into the future, when we’re back in a regular workaday life. I’m going to close my eyes and try to remember each detail, and long for every one.

I was up for my watch at 0400. Matt, finishing up his 12-4 watch and ready to hit his bunk, noted that everything had been stable outside for hours and we’d been picking up speed a bit even at times. I put on a kettle of water for my cup of black tea, made some notes in the log. When the water was ready I grabbed my hot mug and the ipod and headed up to the cockpit to settle in for some sailing and stargazing.

When I popped my head out I was awestruck. The nearly-full moon was still up in the west, about 45 degrees above the horizon and focusing a brilliant beacon of light on the water. It was so bright that it while it tried to dim the gazillion stars it was unsuccessful and the sky was still lit up with tiny sparkles. Our spinnaker was pulling us south, toward the southern cross, at 4.5 knots with the light warm breeze blowing from the east. The huge full sail was highlighted by the bright moon behind it and instead of its daytime rainbow it sported shades of glowing silver.

I settled into the cockpit cushions with my favorite ladies: Erin, Imogen, Jolie, Sia, Deb, Ani and together we glided through the magical night. With the seas only a long, wide swell, the motion was almost imperceptible except for forward.

People have told us how lucky we are, to get to sail far away. My first response is to say luck has little to do with it, that we’ve worked so freaking hard, made many difficult decisions and given up so much for so many years to get to this place on the earth. But on nights like this, I see how very lucky we truly are to be here together.

Total miles at noon: 1886
Miles since yesterday: 78
Miles to Hiva Oa: 780
Number of poblano peppers left after finding them in a gooey mess in their bag in the fridge: 0
Cabbages remaining: 3
Cool, clean girls after a saltwater washdown on the back deck today: 2

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