Pacific Odyssey - Leg 7

We are tied up in Nawiliwili Bay on the east southeast end of the island
of Kauai.  The closest town is Lihue which is close to the airport.  We have
been on this dock several times during the past offshore voyages; we like
being here.  It´s a 10 minute walk to some small shops and a beautiful
beach.  There is a resort at the far end of the beach but it doesn´t
necessarily set the tone for the area, the area feels sleepy and quiet after
Honolulu, something we´re all ready for.   We left Honolulu at 0230 this
morning and arrived just before supper at 1730.  For the main part of the
day we sailed along beautifully in 15-20 knot winds, beam to broad reaching.
We made speeds up to 9 knots; it was great.  A handful of the trainees were
feeling seasick as a rocking motion started quite soon after we left.  I was
surprised though how many people were able to eat below and help out with
sail handling.  We raised a double-reefed main, the foresail, the jumbo and
the jib while the winds were strong.  The mainsail is at the back of the
ship and is the biggest; from there I mention the sails moving forward to
the bow; thus, the jib was the most forward and smallest sail we had up
today.  ´Reefed´ means that we take some of the canvas at the bottom of the
sail and tie it to the boom with lines called ´reef nettles,´ so that not
all the sail goes up i.e. the sail area is less.  This happens in winds that
seem too strong for the entire mainsail to be up.  Mid-afternoon the wind
died and after trying several different sets of sails, Skipper decided to
lower everything and turn on the engine.  When winds are light, the sails
flap, the booms bounce hard, and the rigging takes a beating as everything
gets jolted and crashed against itself.  There were a couple of rain squalls
in the afternoon otherwise the weather was sunny and quite hot.  Towards
evening we started pulling out our sweaters; is it getting colder or are we
just getting acclimatized to the tropical weather again?  It was great to
see new and former trainees working together raising sail, coiling lines,
lowering sail etc.  It takes awhile to get one´s sea legs and stay balanced;
it´s easy to feel awkward and clumsy trying to walk and work at the same
time on a rolling deck.  Trainees did well; they seem eager to learn and to
help, there were always enough trainees to do the job.  We had a chance to
eat in our watches today for breakfast and lunch.  This is a time when we
really get to know each other; I look forward to it.  Fore watch is led by
Jose and contains James, Steve, Mark, Chris E., Becca, Maddie, Rona, Caley,
Tristan, Bonice, and Simon.  Port watch is led by Sarah B. and contains
Adrienne, Selina, Elske, Lisa M., Adam, Raven, Sean, Jordan T., Arwen, and
Jordan C.  Starboard watch is led by Antony and contains Keith, Blake, Chris
P., Susan, Leighsa S., Emily, Sara R., Christina, Noah, and Jacob.  With
Katie, Gillian, and Skipper we have 37 people on board; a very big family.
Tonight after dishes we had our first Sunday service; an introduction to the
next 5 Sundays, some singing with Jose on the drums and Gillian on the
guitar, a personal story by Jordan of something lost and found,  and a look
at the parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep.  After service many of
us took a short walk to the beach, bought a cold drink and enjoyed a first
taste of Kauai.  For Skipper and I, Kauai is so wonderfully familiar.  We
were remembering being here 11 months ago, imagining the year ahead of us;
now here we are with that year behind us, it feels as if it went too
quickly.  We remembered our mothers today; we hope you had a wonderful day.
I received numerous hugs and messages from my immediate and ´extended
family;´ I was thrilled and honored.  Tomorrow trainees will have the
opportunity to explore Kauai; it is a beautiful island, very lush, green,
mountainous, and not quite as touristy as Maui or Oahu, though there is
definitely an infrastructure set up so it can be seen by outsiders.  We are
looking forward to a few days here before we set out on our crossing of the
Pacific to Canadian shores.  Everyone is well and very happy.  Until
tomorrow, good-night, Bonice.