Sailing across the pacific.

Well Carla took her first step to learn how to sail. I put her in the Dyer, set it up, and towed her out of the anchorage (it’s tight in here). As soon as I started towing her I noticed she was passing me (down wind) and threw the painter in the Dyer. She’s a natural and took off like a bird in first flight.

The dyer is really fast with Carla in it as opposed to me, she weighs less than half my weight. As I watched her I must say I felt quite proud. Sailing is such a beautiful, spiritual, green, and fun way to travel. All good karma.

I can’t wait to have the passagemaker, it will be much faster and easier to row with the increased waterline. If the passagemaker stows well where I want it, I might keep the Dyer for Carla, it’s such a great boat and a perfect size for her.

After Carla’s sail I sailed through the anchorage. It’s funny the response other sailors have when they see a hard dinghy being sailed or rowed, there is just something romantic and positive about it. A Frenchman scampered to the bow of his boat waving, “beautiful” (in a thick accent), “how many meter…”, “I love it”?

After my sail Carla and I witnessed a strange site. A camel strolling with two Shetland ponies on the beach. We just had to take a few pictures. What a magical place this is.

The owner of one of the big properties here has something to do with politics, and when illegal animals are found in the country they end up on his property. I’ve heard he has a tiger as well.

I spent an hour this morning playing with charts & pilot charts dreaming of where to sail next. I must say returning to the Pacific is the big draw for me. I really want to spend more time in the Galapagos than I did last time.

I must say I loved the Marquesas islands. Tahiti & Bora Bora were not so interesting for me. I did love what I saw of the Cook islands and Tonga.

However dodging Pacific cyclone season is the trick. Most people race across the South Pacific islands in one season (as I did) and spend the cyclone season in either Australia or New Zealand.

I’m thinking to cross back into the doldrums (equatorish) from the Marquesas for Kiribati, the Phoenix, and Gilbert islands which are all just above the Pacific cyclone belt .

There isn’t much there and Splendid will really have to be dialed in for some out, out, out island cruising. This means home canning and drying fish, vegetables and fruit. And that is exactly why I sold Namaste, to visit these places and have the stores to cruise for extended periods of time.

Painting the hull seems unimportant. The “must do” projects are rolling through my head. I want to replace all my steering cables, do a bottom job, hook up my little tiller pilot to my wind vane, build a solar food dryer, and buy a good drifter and mizzen stay sail. Light air sailing will be the key and Splendid is fat and wind is scarce!

My EPIRB is also on the fritz and I’ll need another satellite phone so I can post blogs.  I’d love to say I’m off in March but I just don’t see it happening as I’d need 10-12 grand to pull it off. I’m going to have to release the Minimalist Sailor and hope for the best. My income trickles like a leaky faucet and I do need to put a few bucks away.

But that’s my Plan (at this point). Crossing the Atlantic for Europe is just too expensive and matrix intensive for me.

I’m also going to have to find the help of a doctor to build a really nice medical kit. I don’t know if you remember but last time I had to sew up my thumb after getting it caught in-between the fly wheel and the starter. I want some good pain killers, epinephrine, antibiotics, and maybe a small O2 tank. When I was crossing the Pacific I came across a number of boats with oxygen aboard. There are plenty of docs to call on the sat-phone but having supplies aboard is key.

When I look at my old photos of crossing the Pacific my soul burns. My only wish when I sold Namaste was to return with a boat that I could grow old and possibly raise a family on.

I am such a lucky man!!!!

Sail far and live slowly.

– alex

Author: Alex

I'm just a sailor bum ;) View all posts by Alex