Aloha 6th graders!
We got good wind in the afternoon, and are now on a heading of 10-15 degrees north of east, going about 10 kts with southeast winds. The skies look clear this morning, and when I awoke for the 6-10 morning shift, Orion was clear in the western sky. It was a contrast to last night, when overcast skies kept us from seeing much of anything...maybe a glimpse of the Southern Cross and Alpha and Beta Centauri. According to the forecasts, the winds are supposed to die down, but they're going pretty good right now, and it would be nice if they keep up so we can make some ground. Hikianalia caught an ono last night as we left Aotearoa behind us. They are currently behind us, having caught up and then dropped their head sail to let us get ahead again. When we initially passed them yesterday morning, the captain decided to play a trick on them by having most of the crew hide and then tying down the steering sweep. He sat alone in the back with the lines to the back sail, pretending that he was running the canoe by himself. We thought it was funny, but the other captain on Hikianalia wasn't as amused.
My watch has developed a nice relationship. Fati and I bought knit animal hats with earflaps at a flea market: hers is a panda and mine is a tiger. they're a little silly, but they are certainly warm. Our third watch member, Herve, missed out on the hats, but we attached clothespins to his beanie to look like ears. We have a good time steering and support each other quite well. We even have crew hugs. The three of us like to sing, and Herve is teaching us chants from the Marquesas to call the wind. They seem to have worked.
Last night Kalepa was telling stories about Mau Piailug to Moeata, who was asking about him. One of the things Kalepa said was that Mau's greatness came not only from his skills, but his discipline. He said Mau knew how to behave on the canoe. He never used harsh words or said anything unkind. He treated others with respect, and held himself to a high personal standard. A good example for us all to follow.
A hui hou!
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