Pacific Odyssey - Leg 1

Home Port

Spent last night in Port San Juan and were underway by 0800 this morning. Mortorsailing now. Many upset tummies but all are in good spirits.

It´s been two days since we experienced an amazing send-off with all our family, friends, supporters, and government officials; it was very emotional for everyone on both sides of the departure, those leaving and those remaining.  We spent a beautiful two hours sailing with the Swift and the Springtide accompanying us towards Albert Head.  After our final good-bye, the Swift and the Springtide returned toward the Inner Harbour, while we continued to Becher Bay with the wind and tide working against us with 30knt. winds, creating a messy sea.  Deep in Becher Bay behind Lamb Island we found calm water and enjoyed a roast beef dinner with the works; mashed potatoes, vegetables, yorkshire pudding and gravy.  We were all still occupied with trying to find spots for all the important items we brought on to the boat, hanging up favourite photos, reading final good-bye notes etc.  Raised anchor Monday at 0800 with a light westerly breeze that died later on.  We motored out into the rain with a light headwind, thinking or hoping we were ready for what was waiting ´out there.´  Just after lunch the seas became messy, the boat started wallowing in different directions and the fun began.  During a safety harness lesson lead by Jose, many crew and trainees slowly made their way to the leeward rail.  Life came close to a standstill for the next 40 hrs, with those feeling okay helping those who didn´t and filling in for dish crew, cooking crew, watch crew etc.  Skipper had the stormsail put up along with the fore and the jumbo, this creating a more steady and comfortable motion.  Everyone went to bed early.  Tuesday morning was sunny and a few more faces appeared from their bunks, hungry and happier, not wanting to leave the ship afterall.  Mid-day we lowered the stormsail and set the main along with the jib.  We kept the engine on a bit longer as the winds were light.  Eventually though, the engine was turned off and quiet descended . . .  aaaaaah, glorious. We were sailing along at a speedy 2.9knt. with no land in sight, more and more of us feeling quite normal again, very happy.  The sun came out for the afternoon though the air felt cool, and some guitars, mandolins and pennywhistles made their way to the aft deck, life aboard is beginning!   We want to thank all of you for the amazing help and support we felt throughout the getting-ready process.  It could not have been completed without the help of everyone and we will miss you.  Thank you, Bonice.

We have come to the end of a good day with all the trainees able to join their watches at the table for food, and . . . keep it down, a wonderful feeling.  Appetites are returning and the cooks Gillian and Katie are doing a wonderful job.  We find that we are sleeping more than most of us can ever remember sleeping, probably a combination of getting used to the motion and the fresh air, new surroundings and the catching up of sleep from preparing for the trip.   Last night there were two wind systems meeting which meant that the sea was very messy.  We spent the night rolling from side to side in our bunks, hardly sleeping.  Our lee cloths became our friends as they kept us secure in our bunks.  We have been making good time under sail, 7 - 8 kts for most of the day.  As the wind slowly veered round to the west, and then the northwest, we were able to raise the course.  Later in the afternoon, the course came down and the mainsail went up again.  We have had some good practice at raising the trysail, stowing it, raising the main, lowering the main, raising the course, lowering it and stowing it, all several times over.  In the afternoon the entire crew met and discussed housekeeping issues, as the foc´sle and the hold have become quite something with the bumpy weather and people not feeling so well.  After a 30 minute tuck-and-tidy the boat looked fantastic and we could see the sole again.   We´re motivated to keep it this way.  Jose then took all the trainees on a tour of the deck, teaching what line each pin held.  In a week we will all be quizzed so we can be called upon to haul on any line at any time.  In the afternoon the sun came out and it was quite pleasant to sit on deck.  Some of us are beginning our journals and doing some reading; I´ve noticed some great books I wouldn´t mind reading already.  People are coming out of themselves, talking more, smiling and laughing more, a community is being created as each of us feel better and put out the effort to get to know each other.  After supper the wind died and the main was lowered.  We are now motoring south and the motion is the stablest it has been for awhile; a gentle rocking that makes us look forward to a good nights sleep.
We have already seen some sea life; whales and petrels, an albatross and shearwaters, a shark, a sea lion, and a pod of porpoises playing with the bow of the ship.  Today we were accompanied for most of the day by another sailing vessel heading from Sidney to San Francisco, named the Arctic Dancer.  Skipper made contact with her.  We are looking forward to some better winds and warmer temperatures, but all is good, we feel very fortunate to be here.  Bonice

Today was a wonderful day for everyone.  When we woke up it was noticeably warmer and the foul weather gear was relegated to down below.  In the afternoon some people were even wearing shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, and most of us were in bare feet.  The sun is very appreciated after the cold and wet and added to an already good day.  Members of the crew introduced the video camera that has been purchased especially for this trip.  We are trying to create footage that allows people ashore to peek in regularly to different aspects of the program as the trip progresses.  Trainees are able to help with the editing and music if they are interested, and can offer up ideas, it´s an exciting new project.  After supper different models of paper airplanes competed in a flight out to sea.  Trainee Dave´s airplane flew the farthest and he was willing to share with us how to fold our own.  A game of BINGO was started tonight by Karen and some of her watch which pits Portside sleepers against Starboard sleepers.  Each team has to notice or complete the tasks she and others have thought up, ie.  The first person to notice someone teaching at least 5 people something ´un-boat related,´ and, the person to notice three separate sightings of an albatross.  We´ll announce the winners at the end of the leg.  Tonight we held our first Mug-Up with guitars, mandolins, drums and singing.  On our first day out we tried to celebrate the 24th birthday of Ashley.  There was a birthday banner and a special button for her to wear but we were all coping with . . . well, you know, and she too wasn´t feeling great.  So, now that we are all on our feet and smiling, very happy to be here together on the ocean, which is turning bluer by the day, we are partying with a Happy Birthday song and a huge, chocolate and vanilla marble cake with candles.  Birthdays are a big deal at sea and we look forward to them.  Though it was unfortunate that Ashley´s actual birthday wasn´t wonderful, it was definitely one that she will never forget.  It feels good to be here, people are talking, laughing, reading, writing, helping Jordan the bosun make baggywrinkle, baking, handling sail, the list is starting, life has resumed.  Take care, keep praying, it makes a difference.   Bonice

Light winds today, motor sailing on and off. Landed a beautiful albacore tuna today.

It has been a long and good day, again.  We reminded ourselves that it has been exactly one week since we all boarded the Grace, not knowing what was in store for us.  After one week we have become a group that is feeling more and more comfortable with each other and the routine of shipboard life is becoming well established.   We have been sailing for most of the day under the four lowers, making an average of 6-7 kts.  Last night the boat sailed downwind with the two courses set along with the trysail to steady the motion.  Everyone was glad to sleep again after the previous rock-and-roll night.  Morning watch was rewarded with the sighting of a minke whale, blowing off a fantastic spout, and two deep sea vessels passing close by.  Dave and Miles decided to win BINGO points for their prospective teams and had a complete shower on deck with water gathered in a bucket from over the side.  They both said it was very refreshing but well worth it.   Our days are continuing with standing watch, sleeping, playing and listening to music, reading, chatting, teaching, generally just ´hanging out´ with each other and having a glorious time at it.  The temperature is very slowly getting warmer though there was no sun today.  We did have fog in the morning and evening.  Goodnight, Bonice.

The engine has remained off and we´ve had some amazing sailing today.  For most of the day we sailed under main, fore and a course making at one point up to 10kts.  It was glorious!  A highlight for me today was to sit in the stern on the low side (the leeward side) and watch the Grace do what she does so majestically, move through the water under a stiff wind, her motion comfortable and solid, healed over, rising gently over the seas.  We caught 2 tuna today, 3 got away, it would´ve been too many anyway.  Mike Richardson baked one of them in foil tonight for us as an after-supper/before bed snack.  There really isn´t much that compares with fish that has been baked just after it has been caught; it disappeared quickly.   Tonight after supper dishes we held our first service sitting together in the stern, under sail.  As the wind was picking up strength, we lowered the main after supper and set the trysail.  After just one week trainees are falling into place, helping with sail changes.  Mid-afternoon today we finished our first rotation of our one week 24hr. schedule.  Each watch has had the same schedule since we left Victoria, ie deck duty, cleaning duties, sitting times.  Tomorrow begins a new order for the day in terms of jobs for each watch i.e.  0400-0800 (morning deck duty) now moves to the 2400-0400 watch, in charge of the ship during the night, but able to sleep in somewhat in the morning without duty again until 1600hrs.  Today was sunny and somewhat warm, though not as warm as we´ve had other days.  We are still wearing our down jackets and long pants most of the time.  The colour of the water is turquoise with a emerald greenish added to it.  It is becoming more and more translucent.  Yesterday we lowered the zodiac and Jordan and Jose motored around the Grace taking photos and some video on the ships video camera.  They said it was quite an experience moving away from the ´mothership´ in their tiny zodiac on such an expanse of water.  They were able to get some good shots of the Grace.   We are finding the days go by quickly; I know for myself that I try to finish a few tasks each day but usually the day is coming to a close before I´m done.  It´s usually because I´ve spent more time with people and that is always a good thing.  Good night, Bonice

Great sailing again today giving us a 24 hr run of 195 miles. More tuna, albatross and the odd deep sea vessel give colour to our world out here. Lessons are well underway so everyone is learning something. We have begun our slow turn towards Hawaii after following the northerly winds next to the coast. Our turn comes now that we are below the resident north pacific high pressure area liying just to the wnw of our position. By waiting we can reasonably expect the present north wind to follow us as we proceed underneath the high pressure area and on to Hawaii. All are well and enjoying the rythmn of sailing and living together at sea.Tony

So much is starting to happen on the boat and I want to let you in on as much of it as I can.  I´ve even started making notes to help me remember key events.  Tonight as things were starting to wind down in the after cabin, with watch officers who are watching the early morning hours trying to get ready for bed and sneak in a few hours sleep, some of us were discussing how many different activities were happening around the ship.  There is a small group on deck around the helmsman, chatting into the night, there are small boys raising havoc with Jose and Karen, trying to put off going to bed, trying to extend the fun they have.  Skipper is checking a weather fax (also helping put boys to bed) and in the hold there are serious and not-so-serious discussions taking place, music and singing, card games, tea being made, there is a line up to use the head, people are reading, there is lots of laughter, and there are even some who are already asleep despite all the noise and business around them.  We are sailing beautifully, at times up to 9.9kts.  It´s been five days since we used the engine.  The sounds are becoming familiar; water on the hull, wind in the big sails. lines flopping, wood creaking, all very good sounds to live by.  Last night we thought we were in for another rock-and-roll night, but instead, most of us seemed to have slelpt well.  We woke with the trysail up but part way through the day, we put a reef into the main and raised it under sail with a following wind.  It was an incredible exercise in working together and listening to the crew (20kt wind, 10ft sea).  It is not an easy job to do this on a large schooner such as the Grace, but the trainees performed wonderfully.   Miriam took the wheel and has become an excellent helmswoman, one that can be totally relied upon.  The sun came out in the afternoon while trainees were writing their Junior exams.  Everyone passed, it´s on to Intermediates.  Skipper held the first celestial navigation lesson today.  About 7 people took their first sight and the accuracy of their sights was impressive, some of them down to within a tenth of a mile.  Tomorrow they´ll continue with more sights and the actual plotting of the reduced sights.  Supper tonight was delicious, egg noodles with a beef and mushroom sauce and a salad.  I am amazed at how Gillian and Katie continue to produce such enjoyable meals; cooking is an incredible job on the boat.  It isn´t just cooking.  For every meal that Gillian or Katie make, they need to go under a minimum of 3 bunks to find supplies.  Now, that may not sound too difficult.  But, every trainee has on their bunk, about 2 hockey bags full of stuff that needs to be lifted off first. When they have the ingredients, they put the meal together under conditions similar to a midway ride at the fair.  Despite this, they are happy and serve cheerfully.  We love them.  This morning we woke up to a dead squid on deck, approximately 20cm long.  It was beautiful in colour, white with some pink shading.  Tavish and Rebecca dissected the squid and found that they could write with the ink they retrieved in the ink sack.  Tavish´s sister Farlyn will receive a letter written in squid ink.  Farlyn also gave the boat a beautiful print of a spring salmon she had drawn and framed.  We hung it up in the navigation area where everyone who comes below can see it immediately.  Thank you Farlyn, it is amazing, you did a beautiful job.  After breakfast there was a quick review of the Junior material followed by a very interesting talk by Skipper on weather systems in relevance to our route.  He drew out hi and lo systems around our area and explained why the wind is acting as it is, why we are taking the route we are and how our trip to Hawaii will look from here on.  Naomi finally decided to cave in and be the last female to wash her hair up on deck with the deck bucket.  She lied down on the deck while Rebecca rinsed water from the sea over her hair.  Naomi said it felt great,  The water is getting slowly warmer.  We are very lucky with the musical talent we have on board.  Since the beginning of the trip Kiesa, Corbin and Dave have been playing and singing regularly.  They have amazing voices and can all play the guitar.  Last night in the hold around 1730 there was a grand sing song that started spontaneously, with guys, girls, and guitars singing together all kinds of songs, some known, some newly made up.  The energy and joy that came from the singers was quite something.  As well, Kiesa has been singing lullabies to lull everyone to sleep once most have settled in their bunks.  In our watches we are continueing to get to know one another with each of us taking turns telling our life stories or being interrogated by our watch (all friendly and incredibly interesting).  It is wonderful to experience how quickly a group of complete strangers can come together and share on a personal level their lives with each other.  Once the mainsail was up, Mike Richardson led a group discussion on boundaries and relationships in which most trainees took part.  Mike has a wealth of experience in promoting healthy community.  He is gifted in sharing his expertise with young people and what he spoke of is very applicable to our life here together.  Yesterday I invited trainees and crew to submit lines from their journal that they thought brought out some aspect or detail of ship life.  Miles was quite sick in the initial days and shortly after he started improving, told me he had written a poem about his time being sick.  He offered it up to be printed.  Here it is:
 
           The ocean can be a cruel friend,
           capsizing boats, or
           making one sick.
 
           The sea calls to stomachs
           causing heaps of humanity
           hanging over boats,
           donating what they have
           to the depths of Davey Jones.
 
This has been a very long log, yet I know much more has happened.  It is time for bed, and because I am the one in charge of the keyboard, I would like to wish my mom a wonderful, wonderful birthday today.  Happy Birthday oma, from all of us.  To everyone, thanks for your prayers and your interest, we are well.  Bonice

I am amazed at how quickly each day goes and how full they are with numerous activities, both planned and unplanned.  The sailing today was beautiful.  We kept the reefed main up until dusk today, when we lowered it to raise the trysail.  The courses are both up and the wind is nearly dead astern.  The motion still tends to be side-to-side but we´ve gotten used to it.  Every now and then we experience a huge wave that sets the entire boat rocking even further from starboard to port for several seconds, usually with something or someone being flown to the portside with it.  There are huge seas beginning behind us, towering higher than the stern of the Grace, then lifting the stern up and moving majestically under her, raising her from stern to bow.  The speed has been fast all day, with us exceeding the 10kt point.  The sounds of the ship surging through the sea is something to experience; it just continues on and on and on, something that we can film for you to see, but the continuity of which we can´t bring home.  It has become normal, all this motion, all this sound, this almost surfing on the waves; it´s home and life continues on it.  This evening we celebrated Brad´s official graduation from the University of Calgary in Economics.  Sara, Christina and Nouri made chocolate cake with mocha icing and Kiesa made a card.  Jordan started a photography club.  Jordan is a serious photographer and spent 3 months in Kenya, working among handicapped orphans.  He has incredibly beautiful and moving photos he took at that time.  A few weeks before this trip, he was able to exhibit some of his work at a cafe in Vancouver.  From this and other experiences, Jordan is teaching the art and methods of photography for anyone interested.  An Intermediate chartwork lesson was given by Skipper this afternoon.  Watch officers took turns taking trainees around the deck, one at a time, seeing if they knew where all the lines were tied and what they were called.  This will help with sail handling.  Today was the first time Katie and Gillian, our cooks, ground wheat in the new wheat grinder bought specifically for this trip.  We have talked about bringing wheat kernels aboard for years, whole wheat flour being nearly impossible to buy after we leave Canada and the States.  For health reasons alone it is a great idea.  We were able to buy 340 kilos of hard wheat kernels, which will hopefully take us through most of the voyage.  Wheat berries are easier to keep free from weevils than ground flour.  Grinding wheat when we need it, we benefit from the whole kernel (germ and bran aren´t removed).  It is very exciting and easy to do.  Katie made focaccia bread with it tonight and Gillian plans to bake brown bread tomorrow.   Blayre has begun to organize some Improvisational Theatre that will involve everyone on the ship.  The setting is the ship and the story line revolves around various personalities and groups finding themselves suddenly thrown together on this ship.  We will keep you posted as the story develops.  There is also a group of four, Jordan, Blayre, Chris and Corbin who are creating a rap music video.  They are in the process of writing the lyrics and told me that the hardest part will be the editing and technical side of forming the video.  The lyrics also revolve around terminology they have had to learn around the ship; it should be funny if Blayre has anything to do with it.  Workwatch, the watch that runs from 1200-1600hrs has been busy making baggywrinkle, protection against chafing from the rigging on the sails.  A long double line of marlin is tied between two spots 20ft apart and people line themselves up with handfuls of 20cm strands of hemp.  These are wrapped around and between the lines of marlin and pushed tight together.  This long snake of hemp is then wrapped around the rigging by Jordan.  Today I was baggywrinkle partner with Chris and we got into a great discussion that revolved around something he seems to know quite a bit about - automotives.  He has just finished an interesting program at Vanier Secondary High (I think that is what he said) in Duncan which has a full automotive and carpentry shop set up.   Tea has become a wonderful occasion on the boat.  Regularly groups are making a pot of tea and sitting around with their cups drinking and chatting.  We have become very adept at carrying several pots, the honey and the evaporated milk can on deck in a swell, and ensuring that alll of this doesn´t get knocked over.  Before I say good-night, I must add that we saw our first flying fish this morning, Antony and I.  It flew low and for about 30ft. over the water with its wings spread out.  They are a very welcoming sight.  It means that we are moving into tropical waters, that temperatures are rising and the tradewinds are close.  With this I say good-night and look forward to another good day tomorrow.  Bonice

Today was an exciting day; a day that tested the crew, both mentally and physically, at dealing with breakdowns at sea.  We were sailing with the courses and the trysail when a piece from aloft fell into the water.  The connection between the yard and the mast had broken.  The loss of this piece allowed the yard to shift in position with the ocean swell; a very dangerous situation.  Skipper and Jordan jury-rigged a new piece out of a large turnbuckle, cutting and drilling it to fit what was left in place.  Then Jose, Jordan and Tavish spent three hours up in the hounds on the foremast relocating the yard in position.  At times the yard was shifting in the ocean swell up to 5 ft. port to starboard before they could secure the yard and fit the piece.  Anthony, Skipper, Jacob and Becca were on the foredeck managing lines and sending tools aloft.  The procedure was successful, the yard connection is as good as new.  During the repair, the Grace continued to sail downwind under foresail at 6-7kts. Karen taught an Intermediate knot lesson while senior trainees Elske and LIndsay listened to CBC´s Stuart McLean narrating his hilarious stories, on Elske´s ipod.  They were howling with laughter. Yesterday, CBC radio in Edmonton was in contact with Skipper and trainee Miriam to arrange a live interview about the voyage for later in the month, possibly June 25.  Watch for more details on the website.  This morning was the begining session for the foredeck exercise team, consisting of several of the female trainees.  It´s quite difficult to skip on a moving deck.  We will see how long they keep it up.  In starboard watch I have heard that Quinn and Keith are improving their skills at mopping and scrubbing galley and hold floors.  The floors are swept, scrubbed and mopped everyday after the midday meal.  In the beginning of the week (the shift lasts a week) I saw both Quinn and Keith, with a deckbrush and mop in their hands, standing around, looking not too busy, watching the business of others.  I heard today that they have become very proficient at their jobs; it´s part of the ´life´ training in SALTS (Sail and Life Training Societyl) and dishes really are a fun part of the program with so many people ready to chat about anything.  Quinn has also started reading the C.S. Lewis Narnia series along with Arwen and Noah.  Quinn reads an entire book a day and I think is enjoying it; they are amazing books.  Arwen is totally into the series and left the aftercabin only to wash her hair with me today.  9 yr old Noah has just finished the first in the collection, entitled "The Magicians´ Nephew."  This is the first major book he has read and he is quite proud of his achievement. Simon, our youngest member of the crew at 5 years, has been playing with everyone on board, reciting at top speed all the students in his kindergarten class.  It makes us laugh.  He also does a wonderful impersonation of Kelsey laughing while being tickled.  It too makes us all laugh.  We were sitting in the stern together with Sara, when I noticed his shirt wasn´t too clean looking and mentionned that perhaps we should change it.  He looked up at me and said ´you don´t smell too good either, mama,´ which is probably true.  I went and washed my hair in the ocean, a terrific feeling.  This is it for today, we are sailing along beautifully at 8kts. under trysail and both courses.  Looking forward to a great sleep and an even greater day.  Good night, Bonice  PS.  Another flying fish was sighted today as well as several albatrosses.

Today we asked again if there were any trainees who wished to share something from their journal.  Kiesa will be introducing our day and I think she does a great job:  "It´s hard to accept that my time onboard the vessel is so short. It has become such a comfortable place that it seems like it has no end, and it almost feels like it never really began. I´ve finally accepted the fact that I will never be entirely clean, in fact, I honor it.  I feel like it´s a privilege in a very twisted way. Where it was once sickening, the great rocking of the ship now calms me, rocking me to sleep in the night and providing a great deal of daily surprises. I´m SO GLAD not to be sleeping in the hold. I find it hard to believe the boys can sleep at all with all the bomb-like explosions of pots and pans breaking free of their cupboards almost routinely. Today we caught a dorado fish. It was so beautiful. I remember Naomi pulling it in and I could see its bright blue and yellow scales beaming on the surface of the water. I was granted the honor of beating it, but failed when it tried to attack me. Tavish completed the job succesfully and to my regret, we did not get to eat it this evening. It´s so strange . . . I´m almost afraid to see land. This little community has become its own world."  My bunk is not in the hold or the foc´sle so it´s great to get some peaks into what life is like there, especially in the evenings and at night. Tomorrow Liz will be sharing something.  First thing this morning we had two fish on the line, both dorados, or mahi mahi´s or dolphin fish as they are also called.  Unfortunately they both got away, one as close as the rail, but as you heard in Kiesa´s entry, we were blessed with another try this afternoon and we were successful.  The dorado is a beautiful fish; it comes out of the water flourescent turquoise and yellow but as soon as it dies, the colour disappears.  It´s shape is quite different from the tuna´s with a large, square, blunt head tapering all the way back to the tail.  It is a narrow fish and Tavish and Naomi found filleting it quite different.  One evening this week, a group of us were reminding ourselves of all the various resources it took for us to be able to sail on the Grace and to remember that it was a privilege to be here and to continue to thank all those who were resources to us.  Each one of us has a circle of people around us who supported in so many ways, our trip.  We want to thank all of you again and again for helping us make it this far, we feel fortunate and want to make you as much a part of our trip as we can.  Well, the exercise club was short-lived.  I´m sure it will try to make a come-back once we realize the lack of physical exercise and the abundance of good food we get on the ship.  This morning did see Naomi and Noah deckbrush fencing on the foredeck.  Also this morning,while Karen slept, we changed tack from starboard to port.  Now those sleeping on the portside will need to hook up their lee cloths and secure stuff or wedge it tightly so they and their belongings stay in their bunk.  Skipper said it was a very intense gybe as we had to move the mainsail and its huge boom over to the other side of the ship with a strong wind and running seas.  Trainees were super like usual.  The trysail had been up for the night which means that it first needs to come down.  It then gets spread out on the deck and folded up and made into a package that will fit into its original deckbox.  The first time we did it a week and a half ago, we weren´t successful.  It was nearly twice the size of the box and we had to start all over.  It takes about 10 people to do the job.  When the courses come down, they too need to be spread out, folded and rolled to fit into a sail bag, another big, but slightly easier job, as they are square, whereas the trysail is triangular.  Once the trysail was down, we raised the main and leaned into a port tack.  It is very exciting to be on deck during sail handling, especially in the wind and seas we have had now for our entire time at sea.  Around the breakfast, lunch and supper tables, interrogation and life stories are still happening.  We learned a few days ago that Liz in Port watch spent a summer designing a prototype rescue-search helicopter that could improve the RCMP attempts at locating and rescueing in dangerous situations. It seems to have been quite successful and she continues to get updates on it.  We can easily spend at least an hour sitting at mealtimes, talking and continuing to learn new things about each other.  In the hold, by the companionway, we have posted a chart that is marking our course as well as a board that keeps track of how many miles we have travelled each day noon to noon.  Also every few days we have begun to write out a famous quote, some wise words or just something worth remembering.  Todays quote reads:  ´Attention doesn´t wander because something is dull; life seems dull when attention wanders.   Eknath Easwarn   As Kiesa described in her entry, the motion is still pretty intense.  The boat continues to rock from side to side.  The wind is nearly dead astern and this is mainly the cause.  The trysail at night and the main during the day help steady the motion somewhat but we still regularly dip low enough to scoop up to 2ft of water through the scuppers on both sides of the ship.  The decks stay wet, especially amidships and it has happened that the water has hit the after ends of the Grace and sprayed over those at the wheel and sitting on the seat lockers.  It is interesting to note though that although we still have to deal with the motion anytime we put any article down on a surface or try to move on the deck, it has become normal and we all walk with a new gait.  Tonight after Dave and a few others  finished baking chocolate peanut butter cookies, we all assembled in the stern and had Mug Up.  Jose has put a new skin on his drum and it sounds excellent.  He was on the drum, Corbin and Gillian played their guitars, Antony and Dave played the mandolin, Elske played her violin, and Kiesa played flute while her brother Blayre continued to learn on his brass drum.  The rest of us sang and watched the ocean for waves that could, and did, surprise us.  It was great fun, lots of laughing.  Skipper was able to capture some of it on film, as was Jose, who filmed Naomi bringing in her fish this afternoon.  I think this is it.  The trysail is up again for the night, we are being rocked to sleep, the aft cabin is quiet, but I´m sure there is lots going on in the hold and the foc´sle.  Sara, our volunteer and past off-shore crew member, is sleeping in the foc´sle for the first time and says that she ´loves it.´  She told us that the girls have so much fun talking, laughing, being serious, being absolutely silly etc. and she feels so lucky to be a part of it.  If I weren´t so tired I´d haul out my safety harness and attach myself to the safety line on deck, make my way in the dark to the hold hatch and down the companionway to check out exactly what activities are happening there right now.  I promise though, to do it another day and to let you know what I see and hear there.  Thank you everyone, Good night, Bonice

Today the wind slackened and the sun decided not to shine on us yet we seem to create our own out here.  We are seeing more and more flying fish, though not in schools yet.  The water is getting noticeable warmer and each day more and more are becoming brave enough to take a complete deck shower.  Today Chris decided it was time for a clean.  Actually, Chris was preparing to be a part of the filming of a rap video which started today.  The group was very organized and had a story board and script ready to go.  Jordan the bosun turned cameraman and did the filming.  It was quite humorous to watch and the wildly moving deck meant repeated takes.   I learned from Zoe today that after her time on the Grace, she is continueing on to Australia to take a one week course to become a ranch hand, hoping to find work and earn some money before she travels through some of the rest of the country.   Late afternoon we pulled in a small dorado and let it go; his lucky day.  Mid-day found Sara and Karen running their laps around the deck with Jose interfering dramatically each time they rounded the binnacle.  Jose enjoys a wrestle and would try to prevent the women from getting through, creating even more exercise for all three of them.  Unfortunately for Jose, he was out-numbered and Sara has wrestling experience as well as two brothers, and thus they were able to thwart Jose´s attempts.  It was amusing to watch.  Gillian undertook a huge meal tonight; she made pizza enough to feed 37!  Pizza is one of the most labour intensive suppers to make on the boat and she did a terrific job.  Thank you Gillian.  Thanks also to Arwen and Becca who helped her.  Tonight I took a walk into the hold to see what was happening.  It´s been a fairly quiet day and the evening seemed to mirror that general feeling.  I saw chess and cribbage being played, Dave playing his guitar and several people singing along, a group was sitting around the coffee pot (my 9 yr old son included) and chatting, and many were sleeping, getting ready for their middle of the night turns at the helm.  After lunch Mike led another intersting discussion on boundaries and relationships.  Jose did some review work plotting courses while Karen taught the first Senior Rules of the Road lesson.  Some of us have started learning how to splice and make a Turk´s head out of marlin.  The more time we spend out here, the more things we realize we want to learn and try.  There continue to be many interesting books read. To have 3 weeks at sea is a gift.  After spending so many weeks preparing for this trip, most of us seem to feel happy our first leg is a long one, with no land that tempts us to plan, shop, run around; we can just use what we brought and start what we´ve so been looking forward to, sailing the Grace and living this life in the moment, with a great group of people.   Miriam came up with a fantastic idea to send messages to all our dad´s and families.   Thanks to her for gathering the messages and to Sara for helping type them.  Here they are; a BIG HAPPY FATHER´S DAY to all our fathers, mothers and families.
 
Happy Father´s Day Dad!  I love you as big as the sky, as big as the ocean and bigger.  Love Kira
Dad, Golf it up this Father´s Day, win for me.  Love you always, Kelsey
Hey Dad!  Eat tons of chocolate cake - I hope your Father´s Day is sensational. Love you soooo much - Lizzie
Happy Father´s Day; we´re hainvg tons of fun and we are almost there.  Just 5 or 6 more days to go.  Love you.  Quinn and Chris
Happy Father´s Day, I hope that you get some biking in at The ´Horse soon.  Love, Asha
Happy Father´s Day. I hope you do well in the race.  Love, Wiggy
Hey Dad.  Thinking of you and wishing you a great day golfing.  I love you dad.  Jose
Hi Mom and Gramma, I miss both of you tremendously; looking forward to seeing you when I return.  Miles
Hey Dad!  I am learning a lot!  Happy Father´s Day!  Tim
Hi Dad.  Happy Father´s Day.  Have a great day, wish I could be there.  Love, Brad
Hi Dad, Happy Father´s Day!  Your first as a grandpa!!  I´m in the middle of the Pacific but thinking of you.  I´ll fill you in on my adventures later.  Love you, Naomi
Hi Dad.  Having a wonderful time.  The Pacific Ocean is an amazing thing.  Wish you were here to see it with me.  Love you, Happy Father´s Day.  Corbin
Happy Father´s Day Dad!  Lots of stories to come... Love, Nouri
Ross!  WIshing you a happy Father´s Day!  I think of you every day and how much you would love to be sailing out here!  First Dorado yesterday.  Lots of stories to come, Love, Tav
Hey Dad,  Have a nice Father´s Day.  STAY COOL POPS.  Love, Zoe
Daddio - hope you guys are having lots of fun.  Talk to you in Hawaii!  Love Gillian
Dad, Happy Father´s Day!  I love you!  Lindsay
From out here on the ocean blue two daughters say: "we love you!" - K & K
Hi Chris!  I am thinking of you on this day and I hope that the rest of your kids are around to celebrate it with you!  Love you!  Sara
Aloha Poppa!  Have a happy Father´s Day!  Love, Kiesa
Dad, I hope you have a lovely Father´s Day!  I miss you loads but am having an amazing time!  Don´t work too hard!  Love, Miriam
Hi Dad.  Have a great Father´s Day... Lots of luv... Antony
Hope you have a great Father´s Day.  Say hi to grandma and grandpa for me.  Love, Keith
Happy Father´s Day father!  Love you, Blayre
Hey Dad.  I hope you have a fantastic Father´s Day.  Can´t wait to fill you in with all the stories once we reach Hawaii! Love, Christina,
Dad, I miss you already.  I feel myself grasping you harder the farther we sail away.  You always have and always will be the best, Jordan.
Dad, Hope you have an awesome Father´s Day.  Know that I love and miss you!  All is well, Mike.  PS.  Kathy, Josh, Amy, Tim and Mark,  You´re such a gift to me!  I love calling you my family.  Have a great Father´s Day.  Love and miss you, Dad.
Happy Father´s Day Papa, I´m thinking of you today and it makes me feel good.  Enjoy your day.  I am very happy, love Bonice.
Hi mom, It´s great to be out here again, I hope your are following along.  I love you and hope you are doing well, love Tony.
 
Well, that covers everyone on the boat, from the youngest to the oldest of us. Have a great day tomorrow, Good night, Bonice.

Today felt like a turning point in several ways.  The day started out like most of our days with cloud, even an attempt at rain which didn´t amount to much, just the effort of some to dig out the rain gear and then find it was no longer needed.  After lunch what started out as simply the girls deciding it was warm enough to put on swimsuits and make a try at shaving their legs with salt water,  ended as a mass bath/shower for nearly the entire complement on board.  It really began with Karen and Sara, Liz and Lindsay running laps around the deck, doing their stretches, jumping jacks, push ups etc. as a preliminary to getting clean.  Jose was definitely outnumbered today and wisely decided to stay out of it.  The 15 or so girls started by passing around the deckbucket, wetting their legs, and attacking 2 weeks of growth.  Once they were satisfied with the result, and oh . .  it felt so good, they decided to continue passing the bucket around and wash the rest of themselves, first shampoo then the soap.  However, as there was just the one bucket being continually refilled, the cleaning, especially the rinsing, became very time consuming and soap began to run into the eyes and dry up on the skin as girls waited for their turn.  Several of us watching from the stern thought it might be convenient to rig up the deck pump and use the hose.  We hung the hose (with a 10cm diameter) in the forward shrouds as a shower head and this allowed at least 4 or 5 to rinse at the same time, plus there was more pressure.  It was heavenly, there were screams of happiness from the foredeck and one by one, we all dug out our suits and joined them.  It was incredibly wonderful to feel water pour over our heads and around us, use soap and shampoo and rinse, rinse, rinse.  We feel SO clean.  The sun came out with a heat so intense, we felt we had literally crossed a line into the tropics.  The mood was Hawaiian, with suits on and sun screen being applied, we were lounging on the deck, soaking in the heat, feeling the sun on our skin.  It really was quite something and we all seemed to share in how good it felt.  We´ve been sailing under a reefed main and 2 courses today, the trysail having been lowered this morning (the folding and fitting of the sail into its box was spectacular; those whose job it was felt proud).  Last night our speed slowed to 3-4 kts for a period and our total run for the last 24 hours was a mere 135.  We aren´t really in a hurry; we´re just wired to want a higher number for whatever reason.  We realize that the faster we go, the sooner our long run at sea ends, and that is sad in many ways, even though what follows also promises new and interesting places and experiences.  Jose and Karen both spent time after our communal shower reviewing some of the Intermediate material with trainees.  Intermediate involves a deeper and more hands-on understanding of the concepts taught and the only way to really learn it is by doing it repeatedly.  With the reappearance of the sun, Skipper was able to do some celestial navigation and Kira and Kiesa were able to take their sights.  Today was also the day that we were given the gift of 2 extra hours.  How often have you wished you could either receive or give someone time, really give them an extra hour or two?  Well, between Victoria and Hawaii, we travel across 3 time lines.  Today we increased our day by 2 hours in the dogwatches between 1600-1800, and 1800-2000.  Because of this, Katie was given an extra hour to make supper and our evening was extended to hold a sunday service, to enjoy chocolate cupcakes thanks to Arwen and Dave, and then to find it was still only 2030hrs!  For me it was wonderful because I was given the time to sit on deck under a starry sky before starting the log.  Usually I have to start writing the log right after I put my 3 boys to bed and I run out of time to go up on deck for a last final ´sit´ and contemplation.  When we arrive in Hawaii we´ll probably change our clocks one more time.  Conversation is beginning to turn towards what we are looking forward to when we reach the Hawaiian Islands.  Some are more eager than others to ´get there.´  Personally, I´m enjoying my time out at sea and feel I am living in the moment, not thinking about where we are heading.  It is easy to want what is ahead but I try to tell people to not wish away the time we have at sea.  This may be the last time many of us on board will experience our life here as it is now.  Getting to port, land, a city and all that that entails is something that will always be there and something we can enjoy for the rest of our lives.  But what we have had the past two weeks, today and still have for another week is precious and very unique and not something easily replicable.  I try to remind the trainees to look forward to land, but to continue to savour the moments we still have at sea and to make the best of the time we still have here.  By now it is very late, especially according to ´old´ time, or Victoria time.  We hope you celebrated well today.  Good night, Bonice.

When we woke up this morning it was already hot and people were in shorts and T-shirt; we seem to have made it to the tropical weather.  The heat of the sun is incredibly intense, we feel as if we can feel the sun burn the skin.  Quite a few of us had sunburns from the small amount of time we sat on deck in our wet suits yesterday.  Karen reminded everyone to drink 2 water, wear a hat and sunglasses, put on sunscreen, sit in the shade, cover up if possible; all good ideas to prevent against sun and heat stroke.  Some trainees were already starting to feel symptoms of spending too much time in the sun.  The change-over between our weather back home and our present weather is dramatic.  Today we were talking about how easy it is to feel ´drained´ of energy just because one feels too hot.  The hold gets quite hot now with the stove on, and makes sleeping for the guys somewhat more uncomfortable.  The foc´sle hasn´t heated up quite as much.  When the sea is smaller and the threat of spray less, the skylights can be opened; this makes a big difference to air flow below.  People are bundling up sleeping bags and quilts and sleeping under just a sheet.  Sleepwear is changing from flannel long pants to cotton tank top (for girls) and boxers.   We had regular little rain showers throughout the day, wet enough to send people below and dampen all our sitting spots.  You could see the squalls coming on the horizon, darker grey patches of cloud that would often bring an increase in wind.  This morning we nearly started the engine.  We were hesitant because it´s been so long since we had to use it and wouldn´t it feel great if we could sail all the way to Hawaii?  So we gave it another half hour, it went this way the entire night, and another half hour, and on it went . . . enough little squals with their extra puffs of wind to appease us, and so, the engine remains off and the quiet continues.  Jordan started work watch with Karen´s group today.  Their job this week is to scrape, sand and varnish some of the bright work on deck, more specifically the hold hatch and the skuttle going down to the foc´sle.  There is also some more baggywrinkle to be made.  Tavish climbed into the rigging with a 50ft tail of baggywrinkle dragging behind him.  His job was to wrap it around the shroud so the sail would be protected.  We caught two dorados today but both got away.  One of them we were able to get nearly into the net before he jumped free.  Noah said the fish was so big he had to fold himself double to fit the net.  We will try again tomorrow.  Antony did some review work with his watch on the Intermediate material.  Wednesday is their exam.  Trainees have material that they can study on their own and have marked off orally by their watch officer i.e. knots, sail handling, rigs, splicing etc.  Jordan and Jacob have begun to handsew canvas bags that I think they intend to use as laundry bags.  On board we have a book entitled ´The Marlinspike  Sailor´ and it contains quite a few very interesting things to make by hand that are quite useful.  We are all looking forward to bowsprit hanging.  We do this only offshore, undersail with light winds.  Two lines with carabeeners are tied to the whisker shrouds off the end of the bowsprit.  You put on a harness and clip yourself onto the end of one of these lines.  Then you jump into the water and the boat pulls you along on the surface of the water.  It is incredibly fun (and very safe).  Today at supper I was interrogated by my watch.  They can ask anything they want and I do my best at answering as truthfully as I can.  I admit I was not looking forward to it, despite how much I enjoy hearing other peoples´ life stories and answers, yet it turned out to be rather fun and we laughed a lot.  We have an amazing group of young people on board right now; I can´t say how much we are all enjoying each other and how ´one´ the group feels.  I sense that we have each come to appreciate something in the next person, a chance we may not have given ourselves, had we just chanced upon each other under normal situations.  This has become our social group, our community, and from this group we have all found others to share info with and someone we are interested in getting to know, people we find we can work alongside and enjoy the company of.  This is what´s so special about being put on a ship together for a longer period of time, away from anything familiar. But, it is late; I spent some time on deck chatting with Jose after putting my boys to bed.  I must go, Good night, Bonice.

Today was an amazing day.  I feel we are totally in the pattern of living at sea.  Days are melding one into the next;  the time goes very quickly.  Everyone has the routines down now as  we enter our third week at sea.  A total rotation through all the  = watches takes 3 weeks, thus we´ve all nearly had a turn at  standing every watch and doing every chore.  There is a pattern  to each of our days and it´s a comfortable feeling, almost like  this could go on forever.  The sun greeted us warmly when we  awoke and stayed the entire day; the occcasional cloudy periods  were a welcome relief from the heat.  If you settled yourself down  on deck in the shade of the sails, the temperature was  perfect.  Several of us have started doing some stretching and/or  yoga for various reasons; stiffness, scoliosis, back pain etc. Most  people tend to congregate in the stern, it´s a fun place to be,  usually lots of conversation and laughing going on.  Yesterday  morning, looking for a piece of deck upon which to do a bit of  stretching, I made my way up to the bow and it seemed as if I  was in a totally different place; it was quiet of people noises,  but the sound of the sea and the boat moving through the water  was so much more evident than in the stern, probably due to no one  being there.  I loved it.  I just sat there, cradled in the  bulwarks and felt the gently swaying, rocking motion, listened  to the ocean rushing along the hull, looked up to see the sails  full and powerfully pulling us forward.  It was quite something, a  prime spot for stretching and contemplating.  Today after Skipper  and Jordan had raised a good sweat skipping for 20-30 minutes,  they jumped into the water off the bowsprit to test the new  lines made especially for bowsprit hanging.  They had a great  time sloshing around together, with the rest of us peering over  the bow to watch them.  As our speed was slow and the sea  gentle, several pairs of trainees were given a chance to try  it.  Once we move faster than about 5.5kts we shut it down.  In  the afternoon we took the reef out of the mainsail and set the  main topsail.  This increased our speed and so we had to search  elsewhere than off the bowsprit for entertainment.  We had our  first haircut today; Jacob got his haircut amidships this  afternoon and it looks fantastic although he won´t take his hat  off to show us.  We´ll give him a few days to realize how much  cooler he´ll feel with his new ´tropical´ cut.  Jose cut his own  hair later in the day and a few others have already asked if  they too could get a haircut soon.  Since we moved the clock 2  hours behind, it is darker earlier in the evening.  This means  that people are now having to wear their harnesses and use their  headlamps to read or write on deck after about 2000hrs.  The  sunset tonight was the nicest its been as the sky was mostly  clear; oranges, yellows, blues, with the clouds lined in  grey.  There is a very small crescent moon which lies on its  back in between the two masts if you´re sitting on the portside  in the stern.  It creates a wide ray of gently sparkling light  on the ocean on the starboard side, just beautiful.  With  binoculars some of the trainees were able to see the moons of  Jupiter.  During supper we caught another fish, a dorado with a  barely eaten flying fish still in its mouth.  Everyone had a good  chance to see close up, what a flying fish looks like, wings and  all.  Tomorrow is the day for the Intermediate Exam and many of  the trainees are busy studying this evening.  As always there are  others reading and writing, or else playing games and just  talking.  The girls in the foc´sle had their second ´girls talk´  last night, boys excluded naturally, which went on into the  night.  It sounded hilariously fun and many important topics  were thoroughly gone over.  The boys are trying to organize  their own ´boy´ talk but are still questioning themselves as to  what they are supposed to talk about.  This is it for tonight.   Liz is busy in the foc´sle, getting ready for tomorrow, so we will  hear from her another night.  I´ve been told there are only about  400 miles before we may reach land.  I´m excited but also  hesitant.  We have a good thing going and I´m not so sure I´m ready  to give it up yet.  Take care all of you, Good night, Bonice.

Today started with a bang in the last hour of Antony´s 0400-0800 watch.  Skipper and I were still in our bunks when Dave stuck his  head in the cabin and said, "Skipper, we caught a huge fish, can we  keep him?"  We asked if he knew what kind and he said ´no, it was  different to the ones we´ve previously caught.´  We got up quickly  and ran up onto the deck to find that  Antony had reeled in a monster  of a Wahoo.  Yes, that´s what it´s called and it is also known by the  name of ono.  It is related to the mackerel and the tuna.  It is very  long and sleek, has a series of 9 finlets along its back, a pointy  nose and a long mouth with sharp teeth.  Antony had put a flying fish  that had landed on deck, on a hook as bait.  When we looked at the  insides of the fish´s stomach we found a partly digested flying fish  as well as squid beaks of different sizes.  We couldn´t find our  flying fish, but it worked to catch the wahoo.  The wahoo had a shark  bite on it, probably a week old which is known to fishermen as a  ´cookie cutter´ bite.  Tavish has a great fish book on board from  which we learn all kinds of interesting information.  Apparently the  wahoo is quite okay living with a bite out of its side and the sharks  can survive in this way, having a bite here and a bite there off  different fish; kind of like a symbiotic relationship.  It weighed  close to 30lbs. and was definitely longer than Simon, who is 110cm,  probably more like Noah at 140cm.  We tried to get Simon to lie down  beside the wahoo, but it was pretty bloody and messy and he wasn´t  too keen.  Soon after breakfast dishes, Antony, Tavish and Mike got  to work fixing the fish for lunch.  They basted it with a citrus  (lemon and limes), mayonnaise and garlic sauce, then baked it.  It  was delicious!  Gillian made homemade tortillas and a salad to go  with it; quite the feast.  I heard that trainees who claim to not  like fish tried some and enjoyed it.  The wind has been getting  lighter and our speed was down to 4 and 5 knots in the afternoon.  It  gave some of us a chance to bowsprit hang.  As well, Jordan needed to  do some work on the main and topsail, so we lowered it for a portion  of the afternoon, continueing to sail under the two courses.  The  Intermediate exam took place this afternoon; we don´t know yet how  people did, though there was some heavy duty studying going on prior  to.  We had a beautiful evening; supper was one sitting up on deck  which means that rather than eat separately in our watches around the  tables, we sing grace together on deck, then file down the  companionway into the hold to get our plate of supper and continue  through to the foc´sle companionway and back on deck to find a place  to sit and enjoy the food.  The watch officer on watch will usually  take over the wheel while everyone eats, and then the watch takes  over again.  The wind strengthened as the evening progressed and by  2200hrs we were back up to 7.5knots.  The main is still up, along  with the topsail, but I´m hearing rumours that it may come down to be  reefed or have the trysail set.  Every so often, the end of the boom  dips into the ocean, when the ship really rolls over, making a large  shudder.  The seas are beautiful, the motion is incredible, the ship  is soaring.  The moon is increasing in size and shining a larger band  of light onto the sea.  We are slowly learning more and more of the  constellations as it is now very comfortable to stay on deck at  night.  Kiesa and Corbin were playing their guitars and singing,  while groups of people hung about listening and chatting  quietly.  The feeling on the ship tonight is one I wish I would never  forget; one that I wish I could package up and unwrap at home, just  to experience it again.  We are now 280 miles away from land and some  of us feel surprised that it is so close; we are not sure whether we  are quite ready to end this portion of the trip quite yet, especially  as the sailing is so fine and the weather so perfect.  Take care,  good night, Bonice

This may be our last night at sea until the smaller passages between the Hawaiian Islands.  Our ETA has been roughly set for  tomorrow evening.  There is a group on deck sitting around Rebecca  and her head lamp, reading Lonely Planet´s guide on Hawaii.  The mood  is expectant, people are enjoying this possibly final night of an  amazing passage and are also excited about being on land,  experiencing Hawaii and the tropics.  After the dishes, Skipper  mustered everyone in the stern and discussed everything we needed to  know about entering port, possible travel and island hopping  scenarios for the next 2 weeks, practical matters about time ashore,  meals, curfews, responsible behaviour etc.  Katie did research into  some of the interesting events happening on the islands and shared  those with the group as well.  Arwen and Naomi had spent the  afternoon baking mint chocolate chip cookies and those were passed  around while we listened to Skipper and Katie.  It was decided that  the main would come down for the night as the motion is quite rocky  and the rig takes a terrible strain when the boom is bouncing around,  especially when the end of it dips into the water.  The trysail is up  to help once again, with stability, but it will definitely be a rock  and roll night.  Apparently the noise last night in the hold of all  the cups, pots, cutlery etc. sliding around in the cupboards was  quite something.  Mike thought it was the loudest it has been yet and  Tim said that it was like living inside a morocca!   In the middle of  the night, about 0230, the main came down with a very efficient crew  of about 10 trainees and some crew members.   The wind had died down  considerably from earlier in the night and the mainsail was slopping  around, again putting strain on the rigging. The trysail stayed in  the deckbox and so the motion was pretty severe until in the morning  when we raised the main.  During breakfast today we caught a small  dorado.  While Noah was trying to return it to the ocean, it took a  nip out of Arwen´s toe that actually drew blood.  The hatches are  starting to look smart.  Jordan has assigned watches to redo  them.  Port watch has work watch daily from 1300-1500hrs and we were  able to get the first coat of oil onto our hatch.  Fore watch is  working on the after cabin house and it has had a couple of coats of  oil already.  Tomorrow we will spend a good part of the day preparing  the boat for port.  We will give everything an extra shine, all the  woodwork an extra fresh water wipe down, all the lines will be  belayed and recoiled neatly, the sails will be refurled to look  neat.  Down below all bunks will be thoroughly ´tuck and tidied,´ and  the galley will get an extra clean as well.  As for ourselves, we  will be looking smart in our crew uniforms despite our needing a  shower soon.  A trainee mentionned tonight that it will be strange to  arrive in Hawaii because up until now, as long as we´re at sea, it  wouldn´t be too surprising to arrive at the Charlotte´s or someplace  similar.  The fact that we are very far from home and about to enter  a tropical country doesn´t feel real yet.  It will only be when we  see the palm trees with coconuts, feel the warm land air, see how  different the country is that it will become completely apparent that  we have travelled far, so far as to have arrived in a very different  place from where we started.  The night is late, Tony has just passed  me a cup of rooibos tea with honey; I will stop here and enjoy a few  more moments up on deck in a light sweater and shorts.  On this  solstice evening, Tavish would like to wish a very special Happy  Birthday to his mom, Fern.  We will be following the sun´s track  south after this summer solstice.  Fern, the entire crew wish you a  wonderful day.  
Take care everyone, good night, Bonice.

It is now 2200hrs, 1 hour still to catch up to Hawaiian time, 2 hours behind Victoria time.  Skipper says that tonight at 0230hrs Victoria time, we will be tying up at the dock in Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, the southernmost island of the Hawaiian group.  At this time we can see the lights on the land and again, the mood is very expectant.  I´m not sure what I think.  I am very happy being here, living our life together on this ship.  To me, we seem to have most of what makes a person deeply happy.  Luxuries such as cold cheese and crackers, real juice, ice cream and cream in the coffee are things to look forward to, yes, but it is something at this point in our year away, that I can still do without.  That is a very good feeling.  At 2130 we started up the engine, how loud it sounds.  How fortunate we have been to have sailed nearly the entire way.  Today marks 2 weeks since we turned off the engine.  During the day our speed hovered between 5 and 7 knots, but this evening the wind is very light and we have slowed down to 3.4kts.  We´ve also noticed that the swell is increasing, perhaps due to our proximity to land, the bottom of the sea getting closer.  This exagerates the motion and when one adds light winds, it can become somewhat frustrating.  Today has been our warmest day so far.  The heat continues well into the evening allowing bowsprit hanging to go until just before dark.  The two mates, Jose and Antony went out for their first time, as well as the sisters, Katie and Karen.  They loved it; it´s very exhilarating, like having an incredible workout.  Noah went out yesterday with his sister Elske and we realized it was perfect for him.  He loves to wrestle and with bowsprit hanging you get that chance as you work against the power of the sea and let it win.  The fun is in putting up a good fight and Noah did just that, he was exhausted.   It was warm enough to wash laundry at 1600hrs and have it dry before the sun went down.  Dave caught Bo cleaning a few underwear for the boys on deck and in this way won a point for the starboard side sleepers.  This is part of the BINGO game that Karen started in the first week.  As of now, the point standings are portside sleepers have 4 points, starboard sleepers have 14.  Skipper earned a point for his team by being the first one to sight land.  Karen passed out beef jerky to celebrate the sighting.  Dave used his celestial navigation today to estimate the distance away from our landfall.  At 1830 we pulled in a 25lb wahoo.  It is cut up and we´ll hopefully be eating it for breakfast.  I woke up this morning to hear Corbin playing his guitar and singing; what a great way to wake up. Mid-morning we were spoiled with a rendition of Bach´s Cello Suites by Elske on her violin.  Later in the day, mandolin and fiddle music by Antony, Skipper and Elske together wafted up onto the deck -quite the smorgasboard.   Trainees and crew are now regularly showering on deck with our one deck bucket.  It is becoming normal.  The decks become quite hot and thank goodness, we scoop the occasional water rocking side to side, it cools them down; otherwise we throw a bucket or two on the deck to make it bearable for our bare feet.  We are wearing tropical attire, bathing suits, shorts and tank tops.  Jose tried to tan his torso, wanting it to catch up with the tan on his arms and face, but managed to turn it pink in just 20 minutes.  Most of us have managed to get a sunburn somewhere.  We spent part of the morning cleaning the boat and tidying our bunks in preparation for port tomorrow morning.  The port captain is coming at 0700hrs.  We have the American flag and the Quarantine flag flying, part of the entry procedure.  Karen gave a splicing lesson to all Intermediates yesterday and followed it up with a whipping lesson today.  These are both very satifying rope techniques to learn and to master.  Several trainees have started making turkheads around their wrists and ankles.  Yesterday Skipper had a haircut - very short - what he calls his ´tropical´ cut.  A few more of us are wondering if we should follow Skippers example and make life easier and cooler.  In the hold a handful of trainees are playing cards and in the foc´sle there are clusters of trainees, mostly girls, chatting.  Quite a few of us are up on deck, enjoying the night.  The moon is waxing and gives off quite a bit of light.  Well, this is it for tonight.  Who knows what lies in store for us tomorrow morning.  I always enjoy arriving at a new place in the dark and waking up to find yourself in a very different situation.  That is definitely what we will be experiencing, in so many ways.  I will try to share it all with you, good night, Bonice

It feels later than it is. This morning we changed our clocks for the third time and we were ready in uniforms, with a smart-looking ship by 0645hr for a 0700 visit by the port captain.  Skipper was whisked away for half an hour and returned happy, he´d had a great visit with the port captain, one of the most pleasant American entries he remembers having. The fellow was friendly, realistic and interested in the boat. He gave a few tips regarding laundry, showers, farmers market etc. Katie made a delicious one-sitting breakfast of cinnamon buns, porridge and oranges.  Several pots of hot coffee topped it off wonderfully.  After dishes and a final muster with everyone to deal with some housekeeping matters, i.e. declaration forms, obtaining passports for entering Pier 1, curfew, lunch and supper sign-up lists, trainees were free to leave the boat.  The mood was light,  everyone was excited to see what the day would provide.  In general most were just going to do some wandering and see what Hilo had to offer, be reminded what it was like to walk on land again, eat some favorite foods.  Mike rented a car and took several of the trainees on a planned tour of some of the island.  Right now the boat is very quiet.  The last group of trainees just left to do some laundry at a 24hr. coin laundry.  After three weeks, that´s something we all need to do. There were only 20 of us who returned for supper. Katie made a wonderful meal of baked wahoo and dorado, rice, stir-fried vegetables and salad with walnuts, cranberries and orange slices. This is one aspect of port that is different than being at sea. Supper is often a small group (at least until money runs out or restaurants are few) and we sit together on deck and discuss our day, learn from each other what is worth doing, what we should plan for the following day.  Dishes get done by anyone that is there and all the while talk continues about nearly everything.  Before and after supper many of us showered on the dock with the fresh water hose.  What a luxury.  The deck is motionless, the water is fresh and it comes out of a hose rather than a bucket.  We look pretty ´fluffy´ with our shampooed and fresh-water rinsed hair.  From our supper discussion I gathered that most of us did an incredible amount of walking today.  Hilo is not large, the population is 40,000, but yet it is spread out and we are not in the center of town.  We are tied up to a commercial dock, close to where we tied up with the Swift 15 years ago. The town looks quite similar, nothing too special, but the surrounding landscape looks spectacular, very green, with both hills and mountains.  The volcano in the southwest part of the island has recently started flowing again and we should be able to see the lava flow into the water when we round that part of the island.  Roads have been closed, so we are fortunate to be able to see it from the ocean.  There was an open market that many of us visited. The cooks, Gillian and Katie were able to restock on vegetables, thus all the fresh vegetables we enjoyed at supper time.  We stopped by a macadamia nut booth where the man showed us the nut as it comes off the tree and explained the process from there to the ones he offered us to try.  The kids loved them and he generously refilled the sample bowls.  He learned we had sailed across from Canada and was impressed and gave us an entire bag free, to enjoy.  They are delicious and we will be picking up more for our ´stash´, food everyone brings along on the boat as snack food.  As we walked with our boys and Arwen along the roads, we noticed many things that were different from home.  First of course is the temperature, we were very warm.  The trees and the bushes were very different; the leaves were huge and so were the flowers.  There were trees of frangipani and hibiscus flowers.  Hibiscus flowers grew as weeds on the islands between lanes of the road.  Where we grow grass, they too had grass but it was of a much courser variety.  We saw bananas growing on the banana trees, with their purple blossom hanging down ahead of the bunch.  They were still green.  We also saw little hard green mangoes growing very high up. The coconut palm trees are everywhere with bunches of coconut high in the crux of the palm.  They have branchless but rough trunks that end in a very smooth section of new green trunk, which then gives way to the palm branches and the coconuts. All around us was lava rock.  Where we have rock, they have lava rock.  We saw rock walls built out of it.  It is very light in weight, black in colour.  The sand on the beach is of a darker colour also.  About half of the trainees walked to Rainbow Falls, a beautiful waterfall where they swam above it. I noticed as we were walking and other people mentionned it too, that one does not see many tourists.  It´s mostly hawaiians one sees, we are the minority.  They are a beautiful people; very Polynesian-looking with their darker skin, often long, dark, thick hair, and beautiful faces.  We found them to be very friendly and easy-going.  Hilo is said to be one of the wettest places in this area.  This is because it is on the windward side of the island and the tradewinds force the clouds up the mountains and there they condense, bringing rain.  Now that we are in port, trainees and crew can sleep on deck where it is considerably cooler, they just might be chased below by one of the frequent rain squalls.  Last night several people tried to sleep above, but were eventually forced to return to their hot and sweaty bunks.  We all noticed the lack of motion in our lives once the boat docked. Making coffee this morning was easy; one no longer needed 5 hands to hold onto the cups, pot, honey, kettle and grinder.  Mike and Kiesa said they felt as if they had had a 3-week core workout keeping themselves from falling over, trying to move gracefully along the deck. Sara said she noticed she wasn´t wedging herself in her bunk while she slept. I haven´t heard whether anyone felt ´land sick´, something some people do experience once they walk on land again. If you get it, it feels as if everything is still swaying around you, quite an interesting sensation.  I´m sure that a lot of the trainees and crew are going to be emailing and/or phoning you to share so many more details about their lives so far.  I´m glad you will be getting a chance to catch up with them and possibly ask them some of your questions.  This is it, sleep well, good night, Bonice.

I´m sorry that there was no log for yesterday.  We had a very full day.
We left at 1100hrs to return at 2330hrs for an amazing day on the highest mountain in Hawaii, Mauna Kea.  Once I put my very tired boys in their bunks, I was too tired to do justice to the wonderful day we had just experienced together.  I will first recap on June 24th, then move onto today.  We woke up to balloons and a very happy Simon;  he turned 6, the best age according to A.A. Milne:  ". . . Now that I´m six, I´m clever as clever, I think I´ll stay 6, forever and ever" (or something close to this, I can´t find a copy of Winnie the Pooh on board).  He was spoiled with gifts from his family as well as from crew and trainees.  Bosun Jordan bought him his first hammer with his name and age burned into the wooden handle and a turks head knotted around the hammer end.  We are still looking forward to eating cheesecake to celebrate the big day.   At the morning muster, the
suggestion of visiting the Onizuka Centre for International Astronomy as a group was brought up.  Several of the crew had been there the night previous and were so impressed with what they learned and saw. The vote was pretty near unanimous and so the process of getting all of us up the mountain, 1hr 15min away began.  We left at 1100hrs with food for 2 meals for 33 people.
The drive inland was beautiful; the road passes over large lava flows and climbs through a variety of terrains and climates.  Initially we drove through the rain, through a very green and tree-covered landscape. Gradually the lava rocks became more obvious, the trees and bushes becoming less, the imprint of lava flows more, until finally the landscape was mostly brown and terra-coloured lava rock and dust, with clusters of volcanic mountains and the occasional plant.   It is quite desolate, at the same time stunningly beautiful; something almost surreal, something one just doesn´t see often, if ever.  The air was cold and we wore pants, sweaters and our down jackets once again, and still we shivered.  The summit air has only about 60% of the oxygen available at sea level and altitude sickness is apparently common; many of us felt dizzy and lightheaded.  We drove to about
9,000ft where the Visitor Centre was located.  Here we watched a
presentation about Mauna Kea´s observatories.  There were also photo
displays of the observatories (there are 6 or 7 of them) , information on discoveries made from the summit and exhibits of the mountain´s history, ecology and geology.  We then followed the park wardens up a mostly gravel, switch-back road to the summit, nearly 14,000ft high.  "The summit of Mauna Kea has the greatest collection of state-of-the-art telescopes on earth and superior conditions for viewing the heavens."   At 13,976 ft  "the summit is
above 40% of the earth´s atmosphere and 90% of its water vapor.  The air is typically clear, dry and stable.  Not only are the Hawaiian Islands isolated, but Mauna Kea is one of the most secluded places in Hawaii.  The air is relatively free from dust and smog.  Nights are dark and free from city light interference . . .  Only the Andes match Mauna Kea for cloudless nights (from Lonely Planet)."  The tradewinds blow the clouds up during the day, but at night, the air cools and the clouds drop down and it rains in Hilo.  At the top we were given a tour of some of the observatories.  There was in-depth explanations of each, with a chance for questions.  The guides were very animated and knowledgeable; passionate about sharing what they were so interested in.  After a couple of hours, we returned to the Visitor Centre for some food and oxygen.  Gillian did a great job with bringing soups, bread, carrots, potatoe salad and cookies along.  We planted ourselves and our food on the stone wall, alongside the other vans of tourists, who were also providing their customers with a meal on the mountain.  At 1830 we returned to the summit to watch the sun set.  It was . . . superlative, astounding, awesome in the true sense of the word.  Words
hardly describe it; we felt as if in another world.  We were up above the clouds, watching the sun set behind them in an array of colours.  Alongside this was the moon-like scape of Mauna Kea, and the science fiction-looking observatories, dotted on the mountain top.  The types and textures of the clouds varied drastically, from layered and light, to convoluted and thick.
Many, many excellent pictures were taken.  I will suggest to the crew that we send one on the site.  By the way, did you see the one we sent of the fish coming over the side?  Antony took it; it´s excellent and wonderfully shows the action of that moment.  Back to Hawaii, it was very cold at 14,000 ft and so our visit was only 45 minutes long.  We returned once again to the Visitor Centre for hot chocolate and an excellent presentation on the night sky.  With a laser, our guide Justin, pointed out and described the various stars, planets and constellations we could see.  We saw Jupiter, Venus and Saturn, as well as the Southern Cross.  There were high-powered telescopes set on different stars and we were free to have a look.  We could see the rings of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter.  By 2115 people were beginning to get really tired and so we headed back down the mountain to the ship.  Many of us slept on the trip home.  We were home by 2330.  Another larger ship needed our spot later that night and so we were asked to move to a new spot on the dock.  We all slept well.  This morning we all woke up for one sitting for breakfast at 0800hrs.  We decided that we would leave Hilo after lunch and head up to Molokini, a small island off of southwest Maui,  to take advantage of some good snorkelling at 0500hrs Tuesday, before the tourist boats arrive.  From there we will continue to Maui, anchoring off of Lahaina for a day and a half.  The morning was spent doing last minute jobs
i.e. laundry, and getting ready to head out again. The sea today has been big, partly due to sailing close in to land. The winds have been fickle and several sail changes have already been made.  We are now under courses and a trysail, with the wind mostly aft.  It feels good to be out at sea, living as a group again, though I think everyone enjoyed being on land, touching base with home, eating some different foods, and experiencing a somewhat different culture.  This is it, time for bed.  We are being roused very early to put on our snorkels and fins so as to enjoy some hopefully great snorkelling before too many others join us.  Good night, Bonice.

Another wonderful day and it´s not over for most of us yet; Brad turned 22 today and a large group of trainees are celebrating on the beach at a restaurant in Lahaina.  It has been incredibly hot today.  We notice the difference between the leeward and the windward side of the island in that the clouds are fewer and we don´t experience the regular rain squalls during the day and especially, during the night if one is sleeping on deck.  Sleeping on deck has become more popular because there is less likelihood of a squall sending us down to our bunks.  I´ve seen several spots reserved by a pile of bedding already.  Skipper, Jose, Antony and the three little boys are sleeping; last night turned out to be quite eventful weather-wise and all three spent most of it awake; add to that the early arrival at Molokini and the chance to snorkel, along with diving with scuba gear 10ft below the Grace´s waterline to grease the propellers and you have an excellent recipe for very tired crew.  They had a chance to go into town about 1900hrs together, but called on the radio by 2030 if we could please pick them up, as the dory wasn´t intending on coming until 2300 and they just couldn´t stay awake.  Last night, between 0130 and 0330, while passing between the islands of Maui and Hawaii, the Grace was flying along at plus 10 knots, with 10-12ft seas.  The gap between the two islands is known to get messy but this apparently was quite something.  The surf was travelling parallel to the Grace´s fore and aft line and would break over the sides of the ship onto the deck.  It was pouring rain, not just drizzling, but rain coming down hard and steady for a long period of time.  The motion was enormous.  Even as I slept I would put my hand above my head to stop the books I anticipated were going to come crashing down, whenever I felt the beginnings of a monster role.  In the hold, the gimballed table bottomed out and all the jugs of juice and the leftover bread were violently thrown to the floor, waiting for someone to wipe it all up.  On top of this was the usual orchestra of the cups swaying from side to side, bumping into each other, the cutlery sliding back and forth in the drawer and the pots sliding in the cupboard.  I know I´ve written of this noise before, but it is worth repeating, just so we remember those poor fellows sleeping in the hold.  Someday it will become a hilarious story, a heartwarming memory . . .  remember when . . .  We arrived at Molokini by 0630 and had sent groups to the snorkelling site in the zodiac by 0700.  The variety of the colours and the detail on the fishes are remarkable; everyone had the chance to see them.  There were enormous sea urchins with both thin and fat spines, red, orange and purple in colour.  We saw moray eels, a 50cm lobster, a white-tipped reef shark and many very colourful and shapely fish.  It is illegal to put down an anchor on the coral at Molokini, so the crew took turns heaving to with the Grace while everyone snorkelled.  After about 40minutes in the water we were getting cold and the zodiac returned us to the ship for a delicious one-sitting breakfast of egg McMuffins with cheese and fruit.  It took about 3 hours to motor to Maui.  We had sunday service en route; we read the creation story from Genesis and sang quite a few songs.  The landscape is dry, with bands of green around the bottom edge of the islands.  The islands are mountainous with big valleys coming down to the water.  The ocean is clear, light, Gatorade-blue.  When we anchored at Lahaina, we could see the bottom.  The trainees were given their first lesson on dories, as we have never had to use them yet.  The afternoon saw all of the trainees ashore doing various things.  Lahaina is an old whaling town which has gone touristy.  There is an over-abundance of shops selling stuff you don´t need, but it is fun to look around and some of the trainees found interesting things to buy.  It;´s always fun to see what people bought and find out what they did, when we all return in the evening.  There is a beautiful courtyard that is completely shaded by banyan trees which have formed into wonderful little caves to stand in.  There are benches to sit on and enjoy the shade, eat an ice cream etc.  Several of us walked in the scorching heat for 40 minutes until we came to a nice beach.  We swam and stayed cool for a few hours before finding a place to get ice cream.  A simple but very fulfilling day.  As I mentionned, most trainees stayed for supper in town, only a small group of us returned to the ship for a wonderful supper of brown rice and peanut satay with chicken.  Night life in the town was very busy and hot, but fun, I was told.  The evening on the boat was pretty wonderful too.  We are now able to jump off the ship and swim, rinse, and cool down.  The water temperature is very comfortable and the moon is getting bigger.  It shines beautifully on the water and there is a light breeze, perfect conditions for sitting on deck.  Miriam has arranged with CBC in Calgary to do an interview on June 27.  It will be recorded and then broadcasted later in the day.  We are still waiting for cake, our days are just so busy.  I heard there is another birthday in 2 days, so we may just be waiting until then to celebrate all three of them with cheesecake.  People are enjoying the chance to be ashore doing things with their friends in a context other than the boat, though the ship is home and is a wonderful place to return to.  It´s ´home base.´  Tomorrow we are staying in Lahaina until 1700 hrs when we will be weighing anchor and trying to make the trip to Kauai.  Hopefully the tradewinds will settle somewhat and we will be successful.  Weather forecasts predict an increase followed by a decrease in wind strength; if the wind stays strong the return trip from Kauai to Oahu will take 3 days, too many for our schedule.  Skipper sounds hopeful about the weather working with us; let´s pray he is correct.  This is it, I will return tomorrow, good night, Bonice.

We woke up to a very warm morning.  After breakfast we immediately put up the two tarps that provide shade; it made a wonderful difference along with the breeze that was blowing across the boat. The tarps fit over the two gaff booms and are lashed down to the shrouds and stanchions so that they spread out towards the sides of the ship.  Many of the crew and trainees went swimming off the boat while the dishes were being done and the dories were lowered into the water.  We tend to stay in the shade and play in the water in an attempt to stay cool in this temperature.  We can´t imagine what it will be like at the equator.  We try not to complain about the heat, especially after hearing of the very un-springlike weather you are having, and we much prefer this to the cold weather of the beginning of the leg.  The trick we realize is to try not to get too hot as the biggest complaint is that it drains us of energy.  Today was an in-town day for most of us.  Some of the crew stayed behind in the morning with several jobs to do, but in the afternoon everyone except Jordan, had a chance to visit Lahaina again.  Jordan worked on the boat and ran the zodiac to pick up Katie with groceries, and to shuttle crew and trainees from the land to the boat at pick-up time.  Activities ashore included visiting a second-hand book store, doing internet, visiting the Whaling Station and beautiful beaches of Kanapali, shopping at ´an amazing dress shop,´  finding the tool needed to help  with greasing the props (shopping for the boat often creates interesting and memorable interactions with the local people), watching "Oceans Thirteen," eating ice cream and shopping for ´stash.   This morning those of us who stayed behind on the ship noticed a huge billow of smoke coming from the southwest side of Maui.  By the time we returned from town, the entire sky was smoky and the fire was moving towards Lahaina.  We could see orange flames moving up the slopes of the valleys and we heard that roads were being closed, possibly even the airport.  At the moment Karen is on watch and they can see the helicopters monitoring the fire.  It really looks awful; the land is so dry.  On Hawaii, we heard that they were in ´drought´ conditions and we needed to be mindful of our water consumption.  Everyone returned to the boat by 1730.  The wind was starting to pick up and our rides back to the Grace were wet; Liz and Simon were great ´sports´ about sitting in the bow on the first trip back, getting completely sprayed by water over the bow.  Simon was mostly concerned about his ´nerds´ (candy) getting wet, and we were all able to laugh and enjoy our ride, even Simon.  I find that the trainees are very good with the younger kids.  Trainees are quite patient and I try to monitor when someone has had enough or is no longer enjoying it.  I´m trying to teach the kids to sense when they need to move on, leave someone alone, and to recognize a trainee or crew having ´down time.´  It doesn´t always work, but in general I think the trainees are enjoying them as I know the kids enjoy the trainees.  They play with them quite a bit and tolerate their childish (as they are meant to behave) behaviour.  I´m sure some of the trainees are not normally around kids this much, but I feel very lucky to have the trainees here interacting with my kids.  So, we returned to the ship damp; not cold, just wet, refreshing really.  There was personal stuff all over the decks and we all buckled down to find a spot for everything.  There were tanks, scuba gear, snorkel gear, wet clothing, wet towels, personal shopping items, knapsacks, shampoo bottles, tools, rope, etc.  By 1815 I think most things had found a home and we raised anchor and ate supper.  Initially we were in the lee of the island but soon enough the wind picked up considerably.  Supper blew off our plates as we came out of the companionway onto the deck and water sprayed over the entire ship.  We quickly closed all the portholes and skylights.  We raised the trysail, the foresail and the jumbo and are now clipping along at a pretty good speed.  Skipper is somewhat concerned about our return trip from Kauai if the wind continues to blow.  Weather reports say it is supposed to settle somewhat, but one never knows completely, and the seas could still be messy.   The moon is incredibly beautiful and there are a handful of trainees chatting together around the helmsman and Karen, who is on watch.  It will probably take us close to 30 hours to get to Nawiliwili Harbour on Kauai.  ETA is early Friday morning, June 29th, Rebecca´s 18th birthday.  Miriam was interviewed by CBC early this morning (0530 our time, I think) and it should have aired already in Calgary.  They have asked her to visit them when she returns.  The ship is sailing along beautifully, we are broad to beam reaching on a starboard tack.  The motion is very comfortable; healed over but surging ahead strongly, rolling only slightly.  We should sleep well tonight, except for those who have sunburns.  This is it until tomorrow, good night, Bonice.

Today has been different for everyone.  It is somewhat more difficult to record our life out here together when we are in port, especially when the big group splits off into smaller groups, doing different activities.  It is hard to know what to tell you about today.  Two-thirds of the group left by 0600hrs to tour the island and they haven´t returned yet.  I think they are due to be home at about 2200hrs.  It´ll have been a long day for them. I think the plan was to do some hiking on the Na Pali coast and perhaps to visit Waimea Canyon, two very beautiful parts of the island.  Those of us who stayed in Lihue had a good day doing various things, as well as taking it easy.  The remaining 7 or 8 trainees visited a waterfall 20 minutes from here.  The walk to the waterfall was through very tall grass; they said it felt like being in Jurassic Park.  Kauai is the greener and more lush of the Hawaiian islands due to more rainfall.  The trainees jumped from cliffs into a large basin.  It was spectacular they said and they wouldn´t have wanted to miss it.  There was also a rope swing to tarzan into the pool with.  They left good and early and there weren´t many others there.  When they were about to leave though, a busload of tourists drove up.  A handful of us spent a wonderfully quiet morning on the boat doing odd jobs, enjoying the peace and the space.  The boys were able to swing on the ropes, their playground, and Jacob helped Jordan the bosun sand and varnish the hatches.  Katie baked banana bread while I finally made the cheesecake.  Today is Becca´s 18th birthday and we´re hoping to get people together to celebrate the last three birthdays again, this time with birthday cake and candles.  Close to the boat is a beautiful sandy beach with good surf.  I spent some time there this afternoon with Arwen and the 3 boys.  There are a lot of tourists, with all the services and stores this implies, as well as the Merriot Resort located at the end of this nice beach.  But, we too are ´visitors´ though we feel more like travellers than tourists.  We definitely look and smell different than the tourists.  After about an hour of being wonderfully tossed and thrown around in the surf, we hopped into the Merriot´s amazing outdoor swimming pool.  We sure enjoyed the cool, fresh water and spent another hour soaking our bodies.  Our feet and hands by this time were completely ´pruned,´ exfoliated, and clean.  After an ice cream and a play in a nearby park, we returned ´home´ where some of the trainees were already hanging out and relaxing on deck with books and music.  Some of the guys bought hammocks and were testing them out.  It´s always nice to get back to the boat and it´s familiarity.  We are fortunate to be able to travel with our home, not living 100% out of a knapsack, though, there definitely are some pretty hefty knapsacks on the bunks below, looking like they´re being lived out of!  The trainees are quite admirable in terms of how they put up with so little personal space; one does get used to it and we are literally all ´in the same boat´ in that respect.  Supper tonight was with a smaller group, always a nice change.  Jordan left immediately after supper to the beach, to test out his new surfboard.  It went well, he was able to get up.  Tomorrow, a group of trainees are trying to pull together a surfing lesson from a fellow named Ambrose we met here 3 years ago.  If those who were away today want to take advantage of the same thing, there may be another lesson Sunday morning.  We have been given another berth for tomorrow night, which means we can stay an extra day.   Skipper prefers this as the wind is supposed to be calming down starting soon; it would make our return trip to Oahu more comfortable and efficient.  On the way into the harbour yesterday we were discussing how remarkable it was that we had come all the way to Hawaii and through the islands on wind power, especially considering how much fuel is spent by so many people flying to Hawaii, and once there, renting a vehicle.  Since leaving Victoria, we are only nearly halfway through our first of three fuel tanks.  A bit smug, perhaps, but what better way to come here and visit the islands, creating community and friendships along the way.  The wind blew steadily today, keeping us somewhat cooler.  The tarps are up, the sleeping spots are being claimed, the hammocks are hanging, waiting to be slept in and the moon looks huge and full.  A good night to all; I will hopefully be able to share something of the travels of the rest of the crew and trainees tomorrow, Bonice.

We have arrived earlier than expected at Nawiliwili Harbour on Kauai. Today was a day of great sailing; we were moving along between 7.5 and 9.5 knots for most of it. We woke up to gentler winds with a gentler motion but by the time lunch came around we were out of the lee of Oahu and there were strong tradewinds from the northeast. Port watch was on dishes and floors and it was a workout to keep the water from spilling out of the basins, the dishes on the counter and the mopping bucket from sliding away. Up on deck the activity was also very intense. The trysail was lowered and a double-reefed main was raised. The foresail and the jumbo were already up but we lowered the two courses. The wind was blowing 20-30kts and water was spraying over the entire deck, dousing trainees and making it down into the hold. The courses and the trysail needed to be spread out and folded to fit into their respective bags and deckbox but the wind was so strong that it took at least 8 people just to hold down the sails let alone try to do what needed doing. Everything worked like clockwork though, the trainees have done the sail handling and the folding of the sails so often now that things went smoothly. Skipper was impressed and pleased with how well the crew worked together; by crew, I mean both the permanent crew and the trainees, we are all the crew. What seemed like chaos in a howling wind was really teamwork at its best. The decks were wet most of the time, it became a challenge to stay dry trying to get from the foc´sle hatch to the stern. At one point Sara, Karen, Katie, Tavish and myself, with Simon sleeping on me, were completely covered by a random wave over the starboard quarter. Up until that point, the stern had been the only safe place to sit. Simon was woken up, completely wet and not impressed. Tavish was startled out of his peaceful snooze on deck, jumping around as if something bit him. We all had to change clothes as we were soaked. Water regularly came up through the scuppers with the rail also nearly in the water. We continued on a starboard tack in strong winds until we were just inside Nawiliwili Harbour, at 1930hrs, where we lowered our sails and tied up. The wind is still blowing strong and the Hawaiians we spoke with on the dock said that this is unusual weather for this time of year. The sun didn´t shine as intense today because of the clouds, giving our sunburns a chance to heal. The stove was acting up today and Gillian had to restart it 4 times. Finally after some fiddling around with open hatches and stove pipes, the stove stayed on and supper was started. We ate at 2000hrs, delicious lasagna and salad. It worked out well, as it was more enjoyable to eat our meal tied to the dock; our salad stayed on the plate. We have a few days here. I heard there are 2 vans of trainees and crew heading off at 0530 to the Napali coast at the northern end of the island. We were allowed off the boat this evening; most of us took a stroll along the waterfront to the ABC store (the Hawaiian convenience store) for a cold drink or ice cream and along the beach. It is quite a beautiful beach, nice to walk on and play at. Tomorrow I will take the kids there to swim. Last offshore we were able to get some surfboards and offer lessons to the trainees who were interested. We are looking to see if this can happen again. Skipper has made contact with Ambrose, our surfing contact from 3 years ago, and he is excited to do it again. It is late, time to sleep. The hold and the foc´sle are quiet, everyone is asleep. Good night, Bonice

Right now we are bouncing around at sea with a strong headwind.  This will be a short message as the motion isn´t too comfortable and I didn´t take Stugeron, seasick medication.  I´m seeing if I am accustomed to movement at sea and being below.  So far, so good.  Quite a few of the trainees are in their bunks or lying on deck as they don´t feel too good.  This is a completely different motion to what we had leaving Victoria.  The wind is ahead of us and so the motion is fore and aft with our bow coming up over the waves, then crashing down.  Regularly the hull gets a hard smack and it is felt through the entire ship.  There is some lunging motion every now and then, but we are mostly heeled over on a port tack. Water sprays mostly over the bow but we have been soaked back in the stern as well.   Port tack sleepers are digging out their lee cloths tonight, hoping to stay in their bunks.  Our speed has decreased but we hope to be in Honolulu by lunch tomorrow.  We are trying to make the most of our last sail together with everyone taking a turn at the wheel tonight.  Most watches set the night time rotation up so that trainees can have a complete nights rest every few nights.  We left Nawiliwili Harbour at 1545 with a stiff NE wind.  We soon raised a double-reefed main, the fore and the jumbo but had to leave the engine running as we need to point quite high to make our landfall.  Just before dark, we lowered the main and put up the trysail, for one last time.  The trysail has become well-known to everyone; we have used it extensively for the entire leg and most of us know how it is set and stowed.  Our final day on Kauai was a good one.  We all stayed pretty close to home, boogie boarding, body surfing, and big board surfing at the beach nearby.  After a few hours on the beach and a picnic lunch, a large group went to the beautiful pool at the Merriot Resort to enjoy a final fresh rinse, some ball throwing, some hot tub soaking and a lawn chair to lie on.  It is an amazingly gorgeous and luxurious setting; a large round pool with an island in the middle for lawn chairs and 5 hot tubs scattered around the outside.  There are animal statues spouting streams of water into the pool and coconut palms providing shade.  We felt very fortunate to be able to enjoy it.  This is it for tonight.  I think I need to go up on deck for some fresh air, the boat is warm below and like I said, the motion is intense.  Good night, Bonice

Today marks the beginning of a final phase of this leg.  We are happy that we still have 9 days together and are trying to make the most of them.  This morning at breakfast, our final one with our watches around a table, we shared what we would take home with us and what we learned from the person sitting left of us.  Learning how to sail, learning to be patient and trying new things were some of the responses.  Several people commented on having the chance to spend time with people one may not have otherwise, realizing there is something interesting about everyone if you give yourself the chance to get to know them.  One trainee mentionned how neat it was that we became such a close group and how quickly we were able to share personal information about ourselves within such a short time, with people who were recently perfect strangers.   I think it was Brad who brought up the small living quarters he was able to survive in.  Everyone has something they will leave the boat with; some won´t realize it fully until they are home again, in their familiar surroundings.  We arrived in Honolulu about 1000hrs.  The passage improved as the night progressed.  Before midnight the engine was reduced and this made quite a difference in the motion of the ship.  Coming into the lee of Oahu also improved the stability of the Grace; most of us slept well, though Skipper was up for most of the night.  We saw the skyscrapers of Honolulu from quite a distance, they are unmistakable if you´ve arrived from the sea before.  Some trainees were a bit dumbfounded at how big a city Honolulu is.  We were dressed in our uniforms as we came to the dock and are tied up below the Aloha Tower at Pier 8.  We are around the corner on the north side of the dock from where we were on our last voyage coming home.  Because of the fourth of July celebrations, they have put us here, out of the way of central stage.  There is a chance we may be asked to move when the festivities are over.  It is actually quite nice where we are.  We are less conspicuous and thus have more privacy.  We have been given a hose to have showers with and we can roam freely through the enormous ´mall-type´ complex that this dock is a part of.  It was built in 1993 to try to recreate the Boat Days from years back when people arriving from the mainland could only come by ship.  There would be a huge welcome for them with hula dancers, music, food and people swimming out to meet the boats.  The cruise ships also tie up close by and the plaza is filled with very posh and expensive shops.  There is a Starbucks here though, and an open courtyard with beautiful wooden tables to sit at, so we feel pretty fortunate, once again.  We were able to find a small convenience store on the corner nearby with cold drinks, chips, ice cream and other neccesity items!  My kids remembered it from last time and I´m sure the owner will do a good business with us being here for 10 days.  Our shipping agent came with lots of mail; it was like Christmas for those who received some.  It´s always wonderful to get mail.  I remember the first few offshores, before the existence of email, faxes, etc.  Mail was really the only contact we had with home, except for the occasional phone call or fuzzy ham radio message.  The amount of mail has definitely lessened, it´s nice to see it hasn´t disappeared altogether.  The day was spent roaming Honolulu.  Most people returned for supper.  Today is Blayre´s 22nd birthday and a group of trainees went out tonight to celebrate.  We had a service on the boat for those interested; we did some singing with the guitars, mandolin and drums and Skipper spoke on the word ´grace,´ reading a wonderful bit from Yancey´s book "What´s so Great about Grace,´ where it tells the story of "Babette´s Feast" in relationship to ´grace.´    Nearby there is a movie theatre that shows about 7 different films and they charge only $1.  It was here three years ago and we made good use of it, especially in the hot, middle-of-the-day hours.  Today a large group of trainees and crew frequented it saying the movies they saw were ´okay.´  Tonight at 2200hrs another group left to watch . . . I can´t remember, something about two male skaters.  Nearby the ship is a walkway that will take you all the way to Waikiki, much of it along the beach, at least an hours walk.  You pass by some commercial areas but also some great beaches and shopping malls, Pearl Harbour and finally the tourist and condo section of Waikiki where most of the tourists swim, surf and boogie board.   The kids and I found a spot on the water along the walkway with many different types of tropical fish that we could feed.  A dispensing machine would spit out 25 cents worth of fish food in your hand which would bring the many colourful fishes to the surface.  Great fun.  Yesterday was Canada Day and yes, we did celebrate.  Tatoos were handed out and we wore them proudly on our foreheads, arms, wrists etc.  We were also given ´Made in Canada´ stickers to put all over our lunch bags.  There was a streamer of Canadian Flags hanging under our foresail.  Apparently there are fireworks tomorrow night from the Aloha Tower, right beside us; we should have a great vantage point.  On July 4, there will be fireworks again from the beach by the Ala Moana Mall, about a 40 minute walk from here.  The boat is very quiet, the crew have gone to sleep as they were the ones, along with Skipper that spent long hours awake last night.  The moon is still very beautiful and the air feels soft.  There is a wonderful breeze still blowing from the land, it´s a good night to sleep on deck.  I will return tomorrow, good night, Bonice

I will start with yesterday as I just didn´t get around to typing.  The day was similar to the previous one.  Trainees had another wonderful day off, while the crew was working on various jobs that needed doing, i.e. fixing grommet in course sail, greasing propeller, sanding and varnishing, chart corrections.   Skipper spent a part of the morning arranging funding for the cooks as they needed to begin their huge shop for the next leg.  Things worked out cash-wise and so Gillian and Katie along with Mike, Sara, and Skipper shopped for several hours at COSTCO buying some of the basics in large quantities.  I heard that they had a lot of fun shopping together, with Mike offering to buy ´very berry´ sundaes for everyone.  Two van-sized taxis were used to bring the groceries to the boat.  Once the taxi´s arrived everyone available at the boat helped out unloading, transfering and ´de-cardboarding´ the items.  Anything that comes in cardboard we unpack down to it´s plastic bag, or repackage in ziploc bags.  We do this to prevent cockroaches from coming onto the boat.  They lay their eggs in the corrugated cardboard and in cracks between the layers of cardboard, even in cereal and cracker boxes.  We found last offshore that this worked well; we found very few cockroaches during the entire trip, we´re hoping for the same thing this time around.  At 2100hrs there was the most amazing firework show I have seen in a long time; that might not say much as I don´t see many firework displays, but from the talk around me, that was the general feeling of the crowd.  We had front row seats as the display was on the water off the end of our dock.  The middle courtyard of the Marketplace was cordoned off so people could not get too close to the end of the dock, but where the Grace is tied up is outside of this blockade and we could sit at the end of the dock and watch.  It was spectacular; many of the explosions reminded me of underwater sea plants, the colours and shapes were incredible.  I enjoyed the choreography of the show and wondered if someone thinks about that ahead of time; it seemed like it.  Most of the Grace crew and trainees were watching.  Tonight there have been more sporadic explosions of colour and sound from different sections of the city.  After supper, which was an all-american meal according to Mike, many of us went to a casual clothing shop nearby that had a 25% sale.  The sale was for July 4th, and I think was intended for cruise boat shoppers.  Unfortunately for the shop, there is no cruise ship in at the moment so we stepped in and did our best.  I´m pretty sure most of us are now looking pretty smart (for the guys) and feeling rather gorgeous (for the girls) in something from that shop, i.e. dresses, board shorts, light cotton dress shirts, and T-shirts seem to be the most popular.  Other than shopping, people went to see a film at the $1 theatre down the street; the seats are soft, the air is cool, ice cream is cheap and so is the movie . . . why not?   Blayre and Corbin are very busy putting their music video together about life aboard the ship.  They did the filming in many sessions during the crossing and are now editing, clipping, tweaking etc.  They have been here in the after cabin finishing off the editing section and said that tomorrow they still need to put the sound to it, another big job, but they are enjoying it and learning from it.  My sense is it was a bigger project than they bargained for, but from what I´ve seen of it, it´s going to be very fun to watch.  They are planning to show it at our formal dinner friday night.  Today was the first day of the two work days that all trainees partake in.  Everybody chooses one of three groups to work in, and the day goes from 0900-1700 hrs. with an hour off for lunch (usually pizza and coke), with the purpose of getting the boat ready for the following leg.  Jobs are divided into 1) setting up the rig, 2) refinishing hatches and rails, and 3) cleaning stowage areas for food and stowage of food.  It is a day of hard work and sweaty bodies.  By the end everyone is tired and sweaty and ready for a hose shower and supper.  It is a very satisfying feeling.   Tomorrow is another workday; jobs are being finished quickly, the boat looks good.  The cooks need to do one more final big shop at SAFEWAY and then they can start preparing with the rest of the crew the formal dinner that is catered by the crew to the trainees.  There will be table settings, tablecloths, nice drinks, good food, friendly, personal awards, slide show etc.  I´ll tell you all about it when it´s happened.  They are very fun, with lots of laughing.  I spent the day with 4 of my kids away from the boat.  We took the bus to the Honolulu Zoo and swimming at Waikiki Beach.  It´s quite something, all the people there, but we had a good day.  Good night until tomorrow, Bonice

It is late but I´d like to put down a few words.  The weather today was very hot, with little cloud cover for relief.  Our hose on the dock is well-used.  The evening has been beautiful with a strong warm breeze blowing.  The deck is littered with sleeping bodies and heaps of sleeping gear, put ready by the trainees that are staying out later.  The last two mornings I have woken up at 0630 hrs and seen the trainees and crew sound asleep, puzzled together on, in and around the bed linen and pillows.  It´s quite a nice sight.  To reach the head in the foc´sle, I make my way on the cabin tops from the stern to the bow, working around everyone.  There are a few other early risers, Miles and Mike usually, walking around the market, using the public washrooms with warm water, soap, paper towels and mirrors, waiting for Starbucks or one of the other coffee shops to open at 0700.  It is a wonderful time to be up; everywhere is very quiet, the air is soft, the temperature somewhat cooler but never cold.  Today was the second workday and people worked very hard, getting all the jobs done.  The boat looks beautiful; the brightwork crew was able to sand down and refinish the deckhouses, the caprails, the toe rails, the pinrails, the skylights, the wheelhouse and the bits.  The purple heart wood looks very purple and shiny; quite stunning.  The rigging crew finished tightening up the rig, then relashed the dead-eyes and lanyards (the circular wooden blocks of wood and rope that connect the cable shrouds to the sides of the hull) and the newly varnished pinrails (these are lashed in at the bottom of the shrouds and hold belaying pins for the various sail handling lines),  Jordan feels good about how tight the rig feels, ready for another passage.  The cooks along with Mike and Sara, as well as myself and the 4 kids, helped with another big shop at SAFEWAY.  It went well; 5 huge shopping carts of food, the taxi driver didn´t quite know what to think.  I think Gillian and Katie hope to do one more fresh food shop the morning of Leg 2 as well as an additional second shop at COSCO.  The food is all put away and there is still stowage room to spare.  Hopefully the ´bunk diving´ that is such a big part of the cooks´ lives will be easier as they relocated some of the food, according to gained experience ´gathering´ and cooking on Leg 1.  Since we arrived here, our garbage has been piling up.  The cardboard was flattened, ready for recycling.  Antony took on the ´garbage issue´ as we found out that food garbage is not allowed off our ship because it is deemed contaminated.  So, Antony, along with nearly all the trainees and crew, hand-picked through all the garbage, sorting the food garbage from the ´food contaminated´ garbage, putting them in separate bags, food garbage on the ship, mixed garbage on the dock.  There is a specialized ship service collection group that is in control of refuse from boats on the dock and they charge $100 for each green bag!  We said ´no thanks,´ but they did take our cardboard for a fee of $125.  We haven´t quite figured out what we will do yet.  My job on workdays is to keep the 4 younger kids away from the ship, not a bad job really, something I know how to do.  We spent the morning helping out the cooks, enjoying a nice walk to SAFEWAY and some Haagen Daz ice cream.  After lunch we stepped on the bus and returned to the beach.  The kids love the beach and spent the entire time swimming.  We also build turtle holes, one for each, big enough for them to lay in.  It´s become something we always do on the beach; when it´s nearly time to go, they climb into their holes for one last time and I cover them up, leaving their hatted heads exposed.  People walking by laughed at the three boys stuck side-by-side in the sand at the waterline.  In Hawaii on the beaches there are often fresh water showers where we can rinse off before we return to the boat, feels very nice and means we return to the boat clean as well as tired, hungry and happy.  The two boys bought lava lava´s (sarongs) today and are proudly wearing them tied around their waists, though I did see Noah flying across the deck with his being used as a cape.  They are very versatile; we use them as towels to sit on and dry with at the beach, and sheets to sleep under at night.  They clean easily in fresh water and dry quickly too.  The kids and I decided that we have had enough of the busy beach with all the people.  It is very beautiful and we enjoyed it, but I think we will find a quieter, more remote beach next time.  Slowly, the crew is feeling our time in Hawaii coming to an end.  Some of us feel we are ready and excited to move on, though at the same time we are anxious about what lies ahead.  The very different part of our offshore voyage is about to begin, our trip up until now has still been relatively familiar.  The crew are beginning to plan how they will spend their two days and two nights off.  We are taking turns so someone will always be on the boat.  There are two days between legs where there are no trainees, except Tavish who is continueing on with us, on the boat.  We all look after ourselves but can stay on the boat to sleep.  Some will take off and spend a few nights in a B and B, some will just stay close,  take it easy, spend money on nice food, visits to Pearl Harbour etc. and sleep on the boat.  It´s all fun and well-deserved by an amazing crew.  Tomorrow is our formal dinner and we have planned a wonderful meal and evening.  Trainees will have the option to explore Honolulu again, which they haven´t done for 2 days, volunteer with the dinner preparation or just hang out at the boat and write or read etc.  It should be a good day; I am looking forward to it.  If I don´t connect with you tomorrow, it will be because of a fantastic evening that went very late, and I will  describe it the following day.  Thank you so much for all the positive feedback re; the log.  I enjoy doing it, good night, Bonice

I am trying to write the log earlier as it has gotten later and later that I sit at the computer and write to you.  Poor Skipper is the one who actually sends the log and  each night, at about midnight, I go up on deck and wake him up where he has already been sleeping for awhile.  He gets little enough sleep as it is, I shouldn´t make it worse!  The plan now is to communicate after supper, before I put the boys to bed.  Today I had a chance to look at the SALTS website; it looks smart.  We´ll try to send some more photos.  I noticed on the chart that the Grace seems to be floating north of the island, not tied to the land.  I take the coordinates off the GPS, I´m not sure what happened but we are definitely tied to the pier.  This evening I took out the chart and checked our latitude and longitude; I hope I "pinned the Grace onto the land.´  Tomorrow we are moving around the corner to a less private spot, in front of two restaurants, one of them with live music every now and then.  It will be easier for the new trainees to find us.  We had one of our ´basic hang-out´ days today, saying good-bye to Mike, internet, laundry, lying on Waikiki, visits to the North Shore, shopping, etc.  There was a fun group of 20 eating together at supper; I do enjoy those times, we sit around, on deck, talking about our day, about whatever comes up, which by now can be pretty well anything.  I´m not looking forward to having to say good-bye; it´s difficult to have 20 trainees leave so suddenly, when we have been such a unit.  With Mike leaving this evening, some of us felt it already; one of the ´chicks´ left home, something has been ´ruffled.´  The boat becomes just a boat, the life is removed.  A group of trainees who were staying on the boat, took a dory out to row around the harbour.  Kelsey was the steerswoman and proved she could manouevre the dory as well as surf.  It was quite the exciting ride, with many lurches side to side, taking in some water.  A few trainees, Liz, Ashley, Lindsay and Naomi are still working on the Intermediate Course work, trying to complete the level.  Good for them.  Yesterday morning, Katie was spoiled by her friend Angela, who now lives in Hawaii.  Angela took Katie home and turned her bathroom and bedroom into a private spa, just for Katie.  Katie enjoyed a candlelight bubble bath with all the extra fixings, shampoo, soap, conditioner, dry, clean towels, hair accessories, shavers, etc.  Being on the ship allows one to truly appreciate the seemingly insignificant details of our lives at home; little things become luxuries, something we all continue to learn.  Katie loved it and was so excited to tell me about her amazing morning.  She told me about it while she was sweating away in the galley on the formal dinner.  She didn´t feel so fresh anymore, but that didn´t seem to faze her; she has a wonderful presence in the galley.  We are very fortunate with both our cooks; it is not an easy job.  A sushi club was created on the 3 week crossing, but the group has been unable to find a restaurant that was good and affordable.  One attempt, after 2 hours of walking around town in the dark, ended at a Thai restaurant.  The food was great, but it wasn´t sushi.  The club tried instead to have lunch rather than supper, and yesterday was successful.  For $14, in the middle of the day, they could eat as much sushi as they wanted, the club was validated and the food was apparently excellent.  Last night we held our formal dinner and entertainment night.  We had a GREAT evening.  The cooks start the earliest.  Many people were on hand to help with various jobs.  Arwen and Karen wrote out the menu on a board at the entrance to the eating area.  It read very poetic, many adjectives. The afterhouse was transformed into a large table with clean maroon sheets spread over it as a tablecloth.  Placemats, personalized by the boys, were set around the perimeter.  Various bosonic items were removed from the seat lockers to keep the tablecloth down as it was very windy.  For benches we pulled out the 5 gallon buckets from the bosun´s lockers and spaced them around the house.  On top of them we placed the fender boards (long planks used with the fenders to protect the hull from certain docks).  For the remainder of the seats we lay down the remaining fenders, a bit rolly and tippy, but we have mastered that from being at sea.  A string of lights was wrapped around the hatches which looked festive once it got dark.  The dock lights provided enough extra light to see with.  Everyone dressed up in good clothes; we were impressed how smart everyone looked.  At about 1830 appetizers were passed around on deck, with general mingling happening, a constant on board ship generally.  The cooks made brochettas with a tomato salsa and melted parmesan cheese, cucumbers with cream cheese and grated carrot, and shrimp cocktail.  Mike carved an amazing whale out of a watermelon and filled it with fruit:  cantaloupe, honeydew, and watermelon balls, cherries, strawberries and blackberries.  Trainees were then lead to their seat and punch with frozen strawberries, blueberries and raspberries, was brought to them.  Then spinach salad with almonds, cranberries, mandarins and an amazing dressing was served, followed by chicken cordon blue and brown rice decorated with grated carrot and parsley.  There was also baked acorn squash stuffed with brown rice, mushrooms sauteed in garlic and topped with cheese for the vegetarians.  It was an incredible meal; the cooks did an amazing job, we were all very satisfied.  Throughout the evening there was entertainment.  Corbin, Kiesa and Dave took turns at center table playing their guitars and singing.  We have a lot of talent among this group.  Tavish and Jose did a drum duet on the tall marquesian drum.  They enacted a legend of time long ago, told by Karen.  Tavish and Jose have played together before and something incredible happens when they do.  Dessert was Breyers French Vanilla ice cream and all the fixings:  caramel or chocolate sauce, Reese´s pieces, m and m´s, bananas,strawberries and whipped cream.  What a feast!   Once we had eaten our fill and were resting our stretched and very full stomachs, Jordan and Sara presented awards to everyone.  In the afternoon, Elske, Becca, Sara and Jordan met for a few hours remembering noteable details of each one of us, and creating an award around it.  We all laughed because each one of us knew why the award was so appropriate.  An outsider watching would be in the dark as to what was so funny, but for us, it was a wonderful close time, reminiscent of all the personal parts of ourselves that just can´t be hidden. Corbin, Chris and Blayre presented their SALTS rap video, it was great, very funny, told part of the story of our trip and the experience we have had as Leg Oners.  We watched it three times.  Then Jose presented a 20 minute slide show of photos various people had taken during the Leg.  Together we relived the entire trip, from the Send Off Ceremony and the speeches, to the ´Days of Suffering,´ to the very cold weather (we can´t believe we needed all those layers), to the gradual adjustment to life at sea, the motion, the slow increase in temperature, the changing colour of the water and the bird and sea life, catching fish, oh, so many things, to reaching Hilo and the sailing and visiting to the different Hawaiian Islands and all that happened in each of those places.  It was wonderful; we sat there huddled close together in the stern around the computer which was balanced on the marquesian drum, spellbound we sat and watched the photos, each one returning to us so many memories, some the same, some different.  A lot has happened during this Leg, more than we know, I think.  I´m hoping some of the trainees will keep in touch and let us know what some of the lasting lessons were and like I´ve said before, some things won´t be realized until they are away from the boat, away from what has become so intensely familiar.  Karen wrote at the end of one of her seasons, "I spent my every waking moment with my crew, in thankfulness of their obscenely thorough friendship . . . and in joy of who they are.  Spend as much time, in such a way with anyone and you will see the glory of God.  It´s unhideable."   I think it applies to the time we have all spent together on Leg 1.   Skipper then took some time to thank Mike for all that he has added to our trip; he has been an invaluable friend to all of us and has graciously and generously shared his knowledge in very practical ways.  We all had a chance to share something we appreciated about Mike; something he left us with.  We will miss him.  At the very end of an already full and glorious evening, Kiesa and Ashley came forward and read a poem of thanks they and the rest of the trainees had written, to the crew.  They had brainstormed words they thought described each of the crew and from these, the poems took form.  It was excellent and we now have it hanging on the wall of the aftercabin.  I think I have remembered most of what occurred yesterday; the rest of it you will hear soon enough as trainees are preparing to leave in a few days.  I have the feeling though, that everyone is continuing to make the most of the last few days we have together, though at the same time, I know trainees are looking forward to seeing their friends and family.  Coming home is often one of the nicest part of going away.  This is it for the night, I will continue tomorrow, good night, Bonice.

It was good and hot today and a number of us visited the beach for a few hours staying cool in the water.  Karen is nearing the end of her two days off and spent all of yesterday basking in the sun on the beach on the North Shore of the island, reading a book, being anonymous.  Antony, Jordan and Tavish rented a car and went scuba diving at Shark´s Spit, also on the North Shore.  They dove through lava tubes with turtles swimming alongside them and also had a great day exploring, stopping at whatever caught their interest.  Most people returned to the boat for a final supper together and remained for the evening.  Jose, Antony, Lindsay and Noah did an ice cream run and this was followed up by Mug-Up on deck; one last chance to sing.  Corbin, Gillian, and Jose played guitar, Antony played mandolin, Dave played ukelele and Tavish, Kiesa, and Noah played the drum, quite the band and great singing too.  At 1730hrs the Grace moved around to the front of the pier, in front of several restaurants.  We are very exposed and people are coming by to look, ask questions and have their picture taken in front of the ship.  There is a lot of interest in the program.  One of the restaurant owners came by immediately and thanked us for being here, we were quite beautiful to look at, he said.  We do need to be somewhat more discreet in our showering though.  Nice, live music was playing from the nearest restaurant until after 1900hrs.  Then we picked up the baton and started Mug-Up.  Kiesa offered to perform as live music with her guitar and her singing, but they haven´t gone for it yet.  She was successful at a place in Maui, I´m sure she´ll keep trying.  She has a beautiful voice and her lyrics are thoughtful.  Nouri and Christina are busy packing their new surfboards in bubble wrap, ready to board the plane and meet family in Kauai for a holiday.  They are pretty excited.  I found a wonderful, new beach with the boys today.  It took us about 30 minutes to walk there but they always find interesting things to look at and ask questions about, the time passed quickly.  It´s often a good time for us to be together. just to talk about whatever they bring up; I enjoy it.  The water seemed cooler and cleaner.  It gets deep quickly and further out there is a reef which at low tide is exposed.  Next time we go we will bring our snorkels and masks.  We saw young kids going out with their harpoons and of course my guys now want to do the same thing.  We´ll start with the masks.  There were less people and the beach was bigger.  The texture of the sand here is incredible and it just goes on and on.  I don´t think sand is brought in here as I would dig down very deep to make turtle holes again, and the consistency of the sand doesn´t change.  It´s slightly courser, very light yellow but soft.  The boys made fantastic castles, then destroyed them.  We discovered that the seed pods on the various trees we pass under are very interesting.  We try to open them, but some are incredibly resilient.  They are often quite big and have very interesting shapes;  large walnut-like. long beans, perfect golfball-like, round-ended ovals with a velvety fuzz covering them . . . the list continues.  Jacob enjoys opening them and seeing what´s inside.  Lindsay completed her Intermediate today; she worked hard, there is a lot of material to cover.  Tomorrow is a big day.  Most of the trainees have made a start at packing though the foc´sle still looks wonderfully lived in.  Once we have said good-bye to them, the crew will spend several hours cleaning the ship, preparing it for Leg 2.  We hope to have a supper together tomorrow night and talk about our time so far, focusing on our amazing first leg and starting to think about Leg 2, being mentally and physically prepared for new trainees and our sail down to French Polynesia.  It will be a difficult day for all of us, it is very sad to say good-bye.  I hope all you parents, siblings, friends etc. have a wonderful homecoming with our trainees.  Enjoy their tales.  Think about us as we get ready to do it all over again.  How fortunate we are.  Good night, Bonice.

Except for the noise of Jordan taking on the three girls, Elske, Bec and Kira, in a massive tickling fight, the boat is quiet. Jose has left for two days to the North Shore to visit his cousin. They came to see the boat several days ago and invited him to take his rest at their place. Skipper also will have two days off, where he is theoretically not responsible for the ship and Antony, Jordan and Karen will stay on the ship. We will spend some time at the beach with the kids, but spend our nights and meals on the boat. Gillian has a room with a kitchen rented for two nights close to Waikiki and is looking forward to some time alone. Katie also has two days of rest. She spent an amazing day with her sister Karen yesterday visiting Pearl Harbour, sunbathing on Waikiki beach and then dinner together and a film. The cooks don´t have to cook until lunch on the day the new trainees board, 2 days from now. We are all in charge of our own stomaches till then. We had a good day with the trainees. It started out with a delicious breakfast of croissants, bagels, cream cheese and different fruit, including chocolate dipped strawberries, and real, cold orange juice. Jacob made the chocolate mix and dipped the strawberries. We spent the morning leisurely hanging out together, taking our time to say good bye. Some of the trainees stayed on till close to suppertime. A comprehensive email list was put
together by Arwen on the computer and everyone has a copy. Many last minute photos were taken and groups of us took a last visit with friends to the Starbucks to enjoy a ´mango citrus.´ Last night after Mug-Up, everyone had a chance to edify each other, to speak out about what they liked about each other. It´s a great activity, and binds everyone together one last time before separating. This dialogue turned into a general discussion about a real variety of aspects of the trip, all kinds of memories, impressions, initial thoughts that had changed through the process of sailing and living together etc. It went on till past 0200hrs; a great way to spend the last night together. Breakfast was bumped later in the morning because of it.
Once most of the trainees had left, the crew plus a few trainee volunteers, started to clean the ship below decks. It looks pretty empty, the life is gone. I´m looking forward to filling the Grace with trainees again and getting to know them, starting the process of creating a community all over again. I´m pretty sure we will see or at least hear from many of our trainees, it was an amazing leg. The rest of the day was spent getting personal and boat jobs done. Antony, Skipper and Jordan still had quite a bit of bosun-related shoppng to do and were able to get most of it done. I walked with 3 of my kids to the laundromat, a 25 minute walk. It was a pretty hot walk, but we found some juice and ice cream and some fun things to do while we waited between the washes and the drying. It was a relief to
get back to the boat and rinse under the hose. You have no idea what a
luxury the hose is. Yesterday we got our waterbill for the first week, $24ish dollars. We figured that the use of the water, the pleasure it provided each of us several times a day, was probably the cheapest activity all 37 of us enjoyed.  When we arrived in Honolulu, Loren, our executive director, sent a summary of some of the many things that are happening and evolving within the SALTS organization.  For the crew on the Grace, it was wonderful to read about all the work that is taking place, all the projects and decisions being worked on.  We want to thank Loren, Pam, Andrew, Deborah, Charissa and David for leadership in the office and for the incredible amount of work they do. We couldn´t be out here running the program, if it wasn´t for them.  We´d also like to thank Patrick for the beautiful dovetailed, teak binocular box he built for the stern of the Grace.  It fits and looks wonderful.  At our final breakfast, Corbin created a new melody for our grace Johnny Appleseed. He sang and accompanied himself on the banjo. It sounds great.  Jordan recorded the newest version on the video so we could
learn it after Corbin leaves.  As Skipper is taking tomorrow off to wander the beach with his kids, I will not be writing a log in the evening.  I will continue as soon as the crew returns the following day.  We have bumped into 2 of the new trainees already and it makes me excited about taking off again.  They provide the material for this log.  Pray for safe arrivals for the new trainees and a smooth start. Welcome Home some of you Leg one trainees.  Good night, Bonice.