Pacific Odyssey - Leg 6

It has been a good day; the weather is great.  The regular and very
light showers are just enough to mist us, helping us stay cooler.  Gillian,
Steve, James, and Elske left by 0900 to make the Anglican service; they were
welcomed by the congregation and invited to an ´aloha lunch´ afterwards.
When people discovered the story of the Grace and its travels they were
fascinated and asked many questions.  A group of 10 trainees caught the bus
and visited the North Shore of Oahu.  It is a wide expanse of beach, usually
with strong winds and big surf.  The past few days though it has been very
calm and one sees no surfers.  It is still beautiful though, and very
peaceful, especially in comparison to Honolulu and Waikiki.  Leanne, Sophie,
Keira, Molly, Ian, Blake, Adam, Liam, Raven, and Sean spent a great day
together seeing famous surf spots, the home of Jack Johnson etc.  While they
were on the beach they met Jose, his mom Terry, and brother Daniel who were
touring the island, and stopping at Shark Cove to do some snorkeling.  Near
suppertime Jose and his family dropped by the boat to say hello; it was good
to see them again.  Jordan joined his family on a walk through an interior
rain forest to a waterfall; they said it was stunning and a refreshing
change from the busy and very tourist-oriented city.  Caley from legs 4 and
5 came by the Grace to say hello; it was wonderful to see her again.  She
joins us again for leg 7.  James made supper for anyone who signed up.  It
was delicious; we had Polynesian chicken with fresh, gingered green beans
and real iced tea (with ice cubes!).  He did a fantastic job and hopes to
treat all of us again during the next leg.  I went to the beach with some of
my kids; it´s so great to be able to go there and just swim off a few hours,
the water is perfect.  On Sunday many Hawaiian families go to the ´A la
Moana´ beach to be together, bringing along barbecues and big coolers.  We
are trying to savor our remaining days in a tropical country.  We are
beginning to feel our proximity to ´home,´ to Victoria, and this ultimately
means the end of our voyage and our experiences together on the ship.  We
want to enjoy and remember fully so many details about this life and this
community, something so irreplaceable once we are home.  Some of these
small, seemingly insignificant details are; the water temperature and the
ability to play in it and use it for so many water activities i.e.
snorkeling, boogie boarding, scuba diving, swimming etc., the air
temperature in the evening and during the night . . . perfect for walking
and wandering the beach, the warmth of the sun, the lack of need for towels,
sweaters etc., a life lived mostly outside, our simple yet incredibly full
and satisfying lifestyle on the Grace, the opportunity to be with people one
knows well any time one wants . . . there are so many more.  I find that the
more I involve myself in the lives of others, the more interesting my life
is because of these people, and the more valid my life seems because others
have come into mine.  I feel fortunate.  Tomorrow is our final day and the
leg end dinner; we´re all looking forward to it.  Today Skipper and I
celebrated our 23rd anniversary; at breakfast the crew presented us with a
card that perfectly rendered the comfort we have with each other, and added
some money so we could have an evening out.  They told us they were all on
´stand by´ to watch the kids whenever the evening looked good.  We are well
looked after.  It is late, most crew and trainees are asleep on deck; I will
grab my toothbrush, paste, and water bottle and enjoy a few quiet moments on
deck amongst the breathing and sleeping bodies before I too will go to
sleep.  It´s one of those times I will miss at home; the night is beautiful
and the stars are out.  Until tomorrow, good-night, Bonice.