Pacific Odyssey - Leg 5

It has been a busy 2 days; they have been good despite the rain.  All
the jobs that needed doing were completed by 1700hrs today and the attitude=
s
of everyone was top-notch.  The boat looks good and Jordan the bosun says
the rigging feels tight and ready for the long crossing.  Rain started
falling steady last night and has pretty well continued all day.  All 3
tarps were put up and work continued as much as it could underneath them.
Yesterday Robyn and Kara greased the masts.  They sat in bosun chairs
against the mast and with their hands rubbed the grease around the mast fro=
m
top to bottom; it is a big job, they both loved it and worked hard.  Sarah
B. operated the lines for the chairs, sending the girls up and down the 2
masts as needed.    The galley crew cleaned every corner of all the bunks
and areas where food is stowed.  They took inventory of what food was left
and stowed all the new food, also a huge job.  It is important when they
load to make sure the weight distribution is equal between the port and
starboard sides and the bow and stern areas.   Gillian and Katie will do on=
e
more big produce shop prior to our departure.  The hull crew cleaned up the
hull and did some needed painting.  Sara R., Elske, Becca, and Caley moved
around the ship in the zodiac sanding, filling and painting; they look quit=
e
something when they are through with fine black dust in every orifice and o=
n
every surface of their body.  Elske and Bec volunteer for this job every le=
g
end; they have become the ´experts.´  Another group sanded and oiled the
rails while yet another group, the rigging group, adjusted the rig,
tightening the stays and shrouds and positioning the masts. Everyone enjoye=
d
delicious ordered-in pizza for lunch both days.   There was some mail
brought to the ship by our shipping agent; Arwen received 2 letters and we
were all very happy for her; they were long awaited. Sean celebrated his
21st birthday yesterday, March 13th.  He chose eggs benedict for breakfast,
delicious, Katie did a nice job. In the evening fore watch went out for a
birthday/2nd watch supper.  Anyone else also wanting to celebrate Sean´s
birthday joined in. Some of the trainees have been spending a night in one
of the nearby Universal Studios hotels; it´s a treat to spend a night in a
big bed, with clean sheets, a big bathroom with a shower and bath etc.  It
doesn´t take much to feel ´spoiled.´  I visited the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium
with Arwen and the 3 boys this afternoon.   It was splendid; we thoroughly
enjoyed the 2 1=8E2 hrs we spent there. All of us were affected by seeing aga=
in
the sea life we had spent so much time amongst and it stirred up a longing
within all of us to return to the warm water, the snorkeling, the scuba
diving . . . I think Hawaii will come just in time.  In our walks up and
down the narrow streets of Osaka I have been impressed with the numbers of
bicycles.  Everyone uses them and there are parking lots full of them.
People are on bikes going to work, dressed in very fancy work clothes with
high-heeled shoes for the women and good leather shoes for the men.   For
the Japanese people, cycling is just a means of transportation and it works=
,
it´s no big deal that one bikes to work here.  Several times I have seen a
woman with a child behind her and a child in front of her in a kid´s seat
attached to her bike.  Today in the rain I saw a mother with her 2 little
girls all on the same bike and all 3 were holding an umbrella over their
head; it was beautiful, I wished I had a camera.  The train systems in Japa=
n
are superb.  I tried the train for the first time today with the boys and I
was very impressed.  Instructions for buying tickets was in Japanese of
course and I just asked someone for help; but after that it was very easy,
efficient and ran like clockwork.   We visited the bathhouse last night,
wonderful.   Gillian would like to wish Colleen a very happy birthday,
tomorrow March 15.  Happy Birthday Colleen, love Gillian.  Until tomorrow,
good night, Bonice.