Pacific Odyssey - Leg 6

Day 19 . . . and we´re fine.  The winds change regularly but none of
them bring a lot of wind and none of our sail changes last long before we
have to douse a flogging sail.  Skipper is up and down all night; whenever
there is a wind change or increase in wind, he´s seeing if we can take
advantage of it, save some fuel, and squeeze out a few more knots per hour.
This entire passage he has slept in his down coat; he is ready to come on
deck in a seconds notice.  Our bunk is right beside the after cabin hatch
and the navigation station; he can hear and feel any slight change and can
be called on in an instant.  Skipper thought this morning that we would
perhaps be able to have a ´swim-stop´ mid-day, but the weather changed and
so the pool remained closed.  Early this afternoon the rain started and some
beautiful fog moved in until suppertime.  The cloud cover was quite thin and
periodically, when the sky became brighter, the fog looked translucent; it
was lovely.  The swells are long and very steep but the tops of them are
soft.  The fog on the long hilly-looking swells looked like fine snow,
again, very beautiful.  We have been motoring all day making good speed at
6.5 - 7.5kts.  If we keep up this speed we should cross the dateline
tomorrow night on Sarah´s 2000-2400 watch, and we will relive April 14th.
The ditty bag crew sewed on their bags today, and the knitting needles
continue to click away.  Molly and Keira hung out together on the bowsprit;
Molly laughing and Keira shrieking when the water came up underneath them;
they loved it.  We had Sunday service today with several group interaction
games to encourage a guided discussion on what these 3 weeks have taught us
and what we´ve learned about ourselves so far.   Jordan and Tristan took
deck showers; they said it was cold.  Arwen, Simon, Keira, and Katie baked
chocolate mint cookies tonight, always an appreciated treat, especially as
many of us have run out of stash (personal snack food).  The air is not very
cold, just very, very damp; our hair is damp and our clothes feel wet when
we´ve been on deck for any length of time.  We are still wearing pants,
jackets and rain gear, but many of us have returned to bare feet.  Chess has
started up again, alongside the popular card games and Catan.  Sarah B. and
I also started teaching and playing ´Slap Scrabble´ from the previous
offshore.  We are eagerly anticipating the warm weather and a return to the
tropical feel on the ship, which many of us lived for so many months.  Katie
and Arwen have taken to stretching in the after cabin late at night, when
they think no one is paying attention, often laughing more than anything
else.  There is still a lot of motion to deal with but in general spirits
are continuing to rise, projects are being started and I think we are
beginning to live in the moment again, at least some of the time.  Until
tomorrow, good-night, Bonice.