On To Samoa

We are less than a day from sighting Samoa, and are having our first day of sunshine.  We skirted the edge of the low pressure system yesterday, spending most of the day under constant grey skies and rain.  When the stars came out last night, it was a welcome sight.  At last, we could hold direction with stars rather than relying on the GPS.  This has been an extremely rough leg to sail.  Because of the circulation of the low, we traveled with a large swell and the wind behind us all the way.  Downwind steering, especially with that kind of swell can be dangerous and difficult.  Our more skilled steersmen were having a ball trying to see who could hit the highest speeds down the swells.  Imagine a 72 ft surfboard with 14 people on it...we hit a high of 18.8 kts on a wave that lasted about 30 seconds.  It has been quite obvious through the last four days that the sea's power and strength are not to be disregarded.  On one night, in cloud cover so deep it was pitch black on deck, my hand got caught in the rope we use to control the steering sweep.  I had a glove on, and got my finger pinched.  About a half hour later, I realized that the funny thing I felt in the tip of the finger of the glove was my fingernail, which had been ripped off by the pressure of the rope.  Ouch.  I nearly passed out once I looked at it.  It was pretty gross, but it is healing, and having 5 days of land time ahead will help to heal it.  Never, ever, underestimate the power of the sea, and the fact that being out here means you choose to live at its mercy.  In the mean time, to counteract the relative dreariness and danger of the sail, our culinary creativity has been blossoming.  The bonus is that we have a stove on board and an oven, which you don't find on Hokule'a.  The other day, we had homemade pizza for lunch, we've had fresh bread just about every day, and had hot scones for breakfast yesterday.  We're looking at polenta and sausages for lunch, and I'm thinking about baking some shortbread. This morning was pretty spectacular: three double rainbows, a blazing golden sunrise and some mellow reggae tunes on the stereo.  Fresh bread and butter, pancakes with syrup and Nutella...Despite the hardships we have faced over the last few days, the crew's morale has remained high.  Despite the occasional personality conflict, we support each other and laugh with each other.  When I got hurt, my watch closed ranks without saying a thing.  I apologized to them for not being able to carry out my duties, whereupon I was told that "it's all good - we sail with love."  In a day, we'll be back with our larger family, but in the crucible of this last trip, our Haunui family continues to grow closer.

6th graders, as you enter your final week of school, and you look forward to summer and the Upper School, remember that wherever your voyage takes you, you need to sail with love.