Aloha -
Well...about a week ago, Kalepa made a comment about finishing our voyage strong. He certainly is getting what he asked for! Yesterday afternoon, the winds picked up to about 30kts and the seas to 10-15 ft. This morning, using the bathroom was an exercise in survival: the winds on the bow are so strong that you blow backwards as you try to walk forwards. We are all much more adept at catching a bucket of water quickly, before the bucket catches you. There is no "dry" anymore, although I am trying hard to keep most of me dry by wearing full foul weather gear and a hat at all times.
It is a wild scene outside, but it is ALIVE. The spray blows off the waves sideways, and in the early morning sun, ghostly rainbows raced along our beam, appearing and vanishing with the mist. Moeata decided that that's what ghosts ought to look like. Waves crash regularly over the bow, sometimes burying one side or the other in white wash and aqua seas. Some waves even crash over the fare, and those inside cringe and feel happy to be dry. J-B took about 6 showers this morning, getting completely drenched repeatedly. If you're outside, you just take it and laugh...there's nothing else to do! Herve always thanks Ta'aroa for the blessing, and he's correct in that. It is a blessing to be out here, where the world is alive and still free of our control.
E Taa'roa e
e tono mai ra i to maramarama
Kanaloa - bring us your wisdom...
We are currently at 21 degrees 28 minutes S, 150 degrees 32 minutes W, having passed Rurutu in the night. We are still aiming at the east side of Tahiti, although Hikianalia seems to have slid about 50 miles to the east.
Back to singing in the fare with Herve and J-B...
Ms. Fuller
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
The Melting Point of Butter
It is Monday and we've been sailing pretty much north for the last two days. Saturday night the winds picked up to about 25 kts from the ESE...it was pretty wild, as the wind switched direction in about 5 seconds from northerly to southerly. We've been surfing along at a good pace, roughly about 9 kts since then, in a direct line for the island of Rurutu. It is the northern most of the Austral Islands, and puts us in a good line for Tahiti. We should pass Rurutu tonight and are currently about 360 miles for Tahiti. Our current position is 24 degrees 45 minutes S, 151 degrees, 43 minutes W. We are expecting to reach the island of Tahiti sometime on Wednesday, and will head for a place called Tautira. Tautira is the traditional second home for Hokule'a crews, as its families have hosted and adopted us for many years. Rainui, on our crew, is from there, so he is very excited to go home. The plan after that is to go around the island to Matavai Bay in the district of Mahina, where we will be welcomed officially with a ceremony. We should be spending the night there, on the beach. We will then have to move to Pape'ete, to the main wharf where Faafaite's home is and where Hikianalia will prepare to make the voyage home to Hawai'i. There is a lot of work to be done to clean the va'a after the trip, and we will see how long that will take.
It is nice to be in warmer air; one of the first clues we had as to changing climate was the fact that the butter that had survived being out for weeks now was a puddle in the bowl. The ironic part is that the higher winds create higher waves and we get splashed more often, so the deck is pretty wet. Therefore, we're still wearing foul weather gear in order to keep dry. As we close in, we have taken stock of our fresh water supplies, and have enough extra that we're now allowed fresh water showers. It felt nice to have one this morning, although the water is still, shall we say, brisk? I was hoping to have smooth, sunny sailing to get more of a tan, but I think just my face, hands and maybe feet, will benefit.
I am looking forward to getting to Tahiti, although my camera suffered a big splash and is currently out of order. I am hoping that a day of drying out will restore it in time for our arrival. My brand new sunglasses cracked a few days ago, and I have no idea how. I had still been wearing them, but yesterday, I pulled them out of the pocket of my jacket, and they were shattered. I seem to be a hurricane these days.
We are practicing some of the songs that we will have to sing as a part of the welcomng ceremonies. When I first started sailing, I didn't like the protocol part of arrivals and departures, but as I experience more, I understand the importance of the ritual. It is often more for the people on land than those who have been at sea. To be out on the open ocean is to be free of the restraints of land. In a way, as we are out here, we are tapu in a way. We always say, "what happens on the wa'a stays on the wa'a", and it is certainly true. The experience is vast, and people react differently to it. Some are completely different people on the water than they are on land. You can tell the long time voyagers, because they have reconciled themselves; they are the same, land and sea. My guess is that the sea personality takes precedence.
It is another beautiful day at sea, rockin' and rollin' along. We are finishing strong, as Kalepa says, and our Tahitian flag is up!
Ms. Fuller
It is nice to be in warmer air; one of the first clues we had as to changing climate was the fact that the butter that had survived being out for weeks now was a puddle in the bowl. The ironic part is that the higher winds create higher waves and we get splashed more often, so the deck is pretty wet. Therefore, we're still wearing foul weather gear in order to keep dry. As we close in, we have taken stock of our fresh water supplies, and have enough extra that we're now allowed fresh water showers. It felt nice to have one this morning, although the water is still, shall we say, brisk? I was hoping to have smooth, sunny sailing to get more of a tan, but I think just my face, hands and maybe feet, will benefit.
I am looking forward to getting to Tahiti, although my camera suffered a big splash and is currently out of order. I am hoping that a day of drying out will restore it in time for our arrival. My brand new sunglasses cracked a few days ago, and I have no idea how. I had still been wearing them, but yesterday, I pulled them out of the pocket of my jacket, and they were shattered. I seem to be a hurricane these days.
We are practicing some of the songs that we will have to sing as a part of the welcomng ceremonies. When I first started sailing, I didn't like the protocol part of arrivals and departures, but as I experience more, I understand the importance of the ritual. It is often more for the people on land than those who have been at sea. To be out on the open ocean is to be free of the restraints of land. In a way, as we are out here, we are tapu in a way. We always say, "what happens on the wa'a stays on the wa'a", and it is certainly true. The experience is vast, and people react differently to it. Some are completely different people on the water than they are on land. You can tell the long time voyagers, because they have reconciled themselves; they are the same, land and sea. My guess is that the sea personality takes precedence.
It is another beautiful day at sea, rockin' and rollin' along. We are finishing strong, as Kalepa says, and our Tahitian flag is up!
Ms. Fuller
Saturday, October 20, 2012
We are here....and we're going there
Aloha 6th graders!
We are experiencing our first rainy night since the start of the voyage. Luckily, the rain is light and intermittent, but the sky is completely covered with clouds. The moon is making a valiant attempt to come through the clouds, but it is no help to us as a navigational aid. The rain, when it is squally, brings good winds, allowing us to play a little game of tag with Hikianalia. Each va'a had a tri-light at the top of the mizzen mast. As we approach from the stern, we see the white part of the light. As we come along the left side, we start to see the red port light...a sign that we're moving faster and passing them.
As I write this, the wind has completely died, and we are being spun in a circle. Hikianalia seems to be experiencing the same problem, and so our course of action currently is patience. It's one of the biggest lessons of sailing; you can't always control your destiny. You are at the whim of the ocean and wind, and you just have to go with what they dictate. It can be frustrating, but it is also a reminder to enjoy the moment, whatever it is. It's ALWAYS a beautiful day out here, rain, shine or wind, because the experience is worth it. Something to remember even back home! Hikianalia has been sending out position reports that are very professional sounding. In response, we sent one to them stating "Position: we are here, course: we are going there." Now tell me that our position report is not just as accurate! haha
Today began cloudy, but warmer than normal. It was the first morning in the trip where I got up for watch and didn't need to put on my jacket. In fact, it warmed up enough for me to do a load of laundry, although tonight's rain isn't helping it dry. It is a fresh water rinse, though. Laundry is done in buckets of salt water, and is hung up on the rope part of the railing. Rainui washed his shorts the other day and hung them up right where the sheet line for the head sail crossed. I warned him about three times that he would lose his shorts, and sure enough, a good snap of the line took them overboard.
Last night was the advent of the Snack Wars. We have a community box of snacks: ccokies, chocolate, trail mix and other goodies. The goodies are supposed to be split between the watches, but one watch decided to pilfer extra snacks, including the sacred Tim-Tams, which were in a SECRET hiding spot. After the pilferage, we decided to split the remainder of the snacks into three equal lots. We also removed the Tim-Tams from their hiding place and replaced them with a "note" from the mother of one of the bandits reminding him that too many Tim-Tams are bad for his health. In retaliation for that, the bandits came and took pictures of us sleeping. What that does for them, I'm not sure. Anyway, that seemed to end the war for a bit.
This evening, we had a cloudy sunset, very red and orange, but also a red rainbow across our bow. For the Tahitians, a rainbow is a good sign; the ancestors are with us. As we enter into their waters, I guess it is a good sign.
There is a cold front forming to the west of us that will create good wind, and the weather experts are advising us to turn north, but also slow our progress so that we can take advantage when the winds turn from the east. We are on a course of 55 degrees this evening, starting to make the turn for home. As of this afternoon, we were 850 miles or so from Pape'ete, on a straight line course. However, our course plan is not straight, and is dependent upon the winds.
Our current position is 30 degrees 30 minutes S, 154 degrees 31 minutes W.
See you soon!
Ms. Fuller
Friday, October 19, 2012
Faafaite Crew Status
Aloha Hikianalia
We noticed that you kindly include us in your daily reports, which we are enjoying, and would like to throw in the true status of our va'a:
We are fine and very well fed over here. Today we had homemade shortbread with Nutella on top, and our captain is currently making a cake from scratch. Our mornings are highlighted by the zoo watch: the tiger (Cat), panda (Fati) and wolf (Herve). Lately, they've been auditioning for a fourth member. The choices currently are a sloth (J-B, who is anything but a sloth), gorilla (Rainui) and a vet (Brenda). We'll see what else we get. The midday is characterized by the mynah bird snack bandits (Matani aand Rainui)...today they raided the Tim-Tam stash, thus touching off the Great Snack Wars. Funny, considering their third member, Brenda is allergic to wheat and can't eat many of the snacks anyway. They chatter and giggle through the hours, and I'm sure Brenda is getting a quick lesson in French and Tahitian! The Froid-Chaud (cold-hot) watch (Tamati, Moeata and J-B), from 2-6, always thaws out from the morning in time for a musical afternoon. Tamati, our Maori, is always dresed in more layers than anyone else, while J-B comes on deck in his shorts, acting like it's a sunny day back home in Tahiti, then goes to his bunk and shivers! The star of the show is Rafiki, otherwise known as our captain, Titaua. As you can see, we're having wayyyy more fun than we should! Faafaite is clean and loving the swells we've been riding for the last few days. The four-sail theory is working well, and giving us a good lift. Everyone is healthy and relatively clean, given the temperature of the water! We sing often and are attempting to speak Reo Maohi as often as possible. It seems to be a chop suey of Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tahitian, with a little Ra'ivavae for flavor. Seriously, though, with a crew of 11, all activities require all hands, and we all pitch in to help each other, even if we're off watch. We are all working very hard. When someone is thanked for their help, invariably they reply with "One Team". We send our ka'oha, aloha and iaorana out to our families and friends at home. Big Hugs!!!
Faafaite's Poisson Crew
We noticed that you kindly include us in your daily reports, which we are enjoying, and would like to throw in the true status of our va'a:
We are fine and very well fed over here. Today we had homemade shortbread with Nutella on top, and our captain is currently making a cake from scratch. Our mornings are highlighted by the zoo watch: the tiger (Cat), panda (Fati) and wolf (Herve). Lately, they've been auditioning for a fourth member. The choices currently are a sloth (J-B, who is anything but a sloth), gorilla (Rainui) and a vet (Brenda). We'll see what else we get. The midday is characterized by the mynah bird snack bandits (Matani aand Rainui)...today they raided the Tim-Tam stash, thus touching off the Great Snack Wars. Funny, considering their third member, Brenda is allergic to wheat and can't eat many of the snacks anyway. They chatter and giggle through the hours, and I'm sure Brenda is getting a quick lesson in French and Tahitian! The Froid-Chaud (cold-hot) watch (Tamati, Moeata and J-B), from 2-6, always thaws out from the morning in time for a musical afternoon. Tamati, our Maori, is always dresed in more layers than anyone else, while J-B comes on deck in his shorts, acting like it's a sunny day back home in Tahiti, then goes to his bunk and shivers! The star of the show is Rafiki, otherwise known as our captain, Titaua. As you can see, we're having wayyyy more fun than we should! Faafaite is clean and loving the swells we've been riding for the last few days. The four-sail theory is working well, and giving us a good lift. Everyone is healthy and relatively clean, given the temperature of the water! We sing often and are attempting to speak Reo Maohi as often as possible. It seems to be a chop suey of Hawaiian, Marquesan and Tahitian, with a little Ra'ivavae for flavor. Seriously, though, with a crew of 11, all activities require all hands, and we all pitch in to help each other, even if we're off watch. We are all working very hard. When someone is thanked for their help, invariably they reply with "One Team". We send our ka'oha, aloha and iaorana out to our families and friends at home. Big Hugs!!!
Faafaite's Poisson Crew
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Ups and Downs
Aloha 6th graders!
We are sailing steadily along on a heading of 90 degrees, or directly east. Our current position is 32 degrees 19 minutes S, 160 degrees 48 minutes W. We are planning to continue east to a point somewhere between 160 and 155 east, depending on the winds. We know the winds will turn out of the east shortly, and will be good for us when we make the final turn for Tahiti.
Yesterday was a day of gifts and sacrifices. On the happy side, we caught two fish, both blue albacore. We're guessing ahi?? We had sashimi and fried fish for dinner last night and steamed fish and poisson cru for dinner tonight. Of course, there are always leftovers the next day as well! We were planning a ceremony called oti'a moana for yesterday evening, but the fish interrupted that plan. We ended up having the ceremony this morning. It was to thank the Maori gods for their protection and guidance while we were in their seas, and to ask the Tahitian gods for the same as we enter THEIR waters. We were each given a stone to drop into the water as a gift, and then we sang some songs that are a part the Faafaite va'a repetoire.
The bad parts of yesterday were tearing our gennaker...we were starting to raise it, and a part was tangled. In the confusion of trying to untangle, the halyard came loose and the pressure tore it. It dragged in the water, and we worked hard to pull it in, but it was in two pieces. As compensation, some of the crew rigged up a jib for our mizzen, or back sail, so we are now running with four sails.
The other difficulty yesterday was a problem with our electrical system, causing a brief outage of our VHF radio, which is the primary means of communication with Hikianalia. Fati and Kalepa, and today, Brenda worked on it, and came up with "plan B", which, as far as I can tell, involves rerouting a secondary system from the primary system. It seems to work, which is a good thing! We were forced to create makeshift navigational lights last night. All vessels are required to have a red light on the port, or left, side, and a green light on the starboard, or right, side. A red light was easy to come by, as most of us use headlights with a red lens at night. However, the green light presented a bit of a conundrum, until I remembered that I had a green plastic water bottle. We put a small flashlight in it and voila! we were good to go. Tonight, our systems seem to be working fine, so I don't anticipate any problems.
We seem to have a flock of birds that are following us from New Zealand. There are many smaller dark grey birds, a few even smaller white and grey-barred birds, and, of course, our albatross. I think they like the food scraps (and yesterday's fish scraps!) that go overboard. Banana peels and chicken are special favorites. The birds also make sunset pictures very dramatic, as they will swoop behind the va'a. It's been a challenge to the photographers on board to capture good pictures of them in flight. They seem to like the cameras, but always come so close in front of you that they're impossible to catch. Would you guys like an albatross? I think it wants to come home with one of us.
Because of our electrical issues, we were forced to stay close to Hikianalia all day. This morning's winds were exceptionally light, and I got a chance to play a bit while I was steering...I felt like Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" when the orcs are chasing the group and he stands on the bridge and says, "You shall not pass!" That was my plan - being an OFFENSIVE driver, haha. If they turned one way, so did I, as they were a bit behind us. The members of the watch after ours got very little sleep last night, as they were up for the fish catch and up again early this morning for the ceremony, so our watch did a double shift to help out and let them sleep. We are usually up during those hours anyway, and the sun warmed us up enough that we got to sunbathe a bit.
Herve and Fati have been teaching me songs on watch. I'm trying to learn them and also write them down. Maybe I can teach you some when I get back!
Ms. Fuller
We are sailing steadily along on a heading of 90 degrees, or directly east. Our current position is 32 degrees 19 minutes S, 160 degrees 48 minutes W. We are planning to continue east to a point somewhere between 160 and 155 east, depending on the winds. We know the winds will turn out of the east shortly, and will be good for us when we make the final turn for Tahiti.
Yesterday was a day of gifts and sacrifices. On the happy side, we caught two fish, both blue albacore. We're guessing ahi?? We had sashimi and fried fish for dinner last night and steamed fish and poisson cru for dinner tonight. Of course, there are always leftovers the next day as well! We were planning a ceremony called oti'a moana for yesterday evening, but the fish interrupted that plan. We ended up having the ceremony this morning. It was to thank the Maori gods for their protection and guidance while we were in their seas, and to ask the Tahitian gods for the same as we enter THEIR waters. We were each given a stone to drop into the water as a gift, and then we sang some songs that are a part the Faafaite va'a repetoire.
The bad parts of yesterday were tearing our gennaker...we were starting to raise it, and a part was tangled. In the confusion of trying to untangle, the halyard came loose and the pressure tore it. It dragged in the water, and we worked hard to pull it in, but it was in two pieces. As compensation, some of the crew rigged up a jib for our mizzen, or back sail, so we are now running with four sails.
The other difficulty yesterday was a problem with our electrical system, causing a brief outage of our VHF radio, which is the primary means of communication with Hikianalia. Fati and Kalepa, and today, Brenda worked on it, and came up with "plan B", which, as far as I can tell, involves rerouting a secondary system from the primary system. It seems to work, which is a good thing! We were forced to create makeshift navigational lights last night. All vessels are required to have a red light on the port, or left, side, and a green light on the starboard, or right, side. A red light was easy to come by, as most of us use headlights with a red lens at night. However, the green light presented a bit of a conundrum, until I remembered that I had a green plastic water bottle. We put a small flashlight in it and voila! we were good to go. Tonight, our systems seem to be working fine, so I don't anticipate any problems.
We seem to have a flock of birds that are following us from New Zealand. There are many smaller dark grey birds, a few even smaller white and grey-barred birds, and, of course, our albatross. I think they like the food scraps (and yesterday's fish scraps!) that go overboard. Banana peels and chicken are special favorites. The birds also make sunset pictures very dramatic, as they will swoop behind the va'a. It's been a challenge to the photographers on board to capture good pictures of them in flight. They seem to like the cameras, but always come so close in front of you that they're impossible to catch. Would you guys like an albatross? I think it wants to come home with one of us.
Because of our electrical issues, we were forced to stay close to Hikianalia all day. This morning's winds were exceptionally light, and I got a chance to play a bit while I was steering...I felt like Gandalf in "The Lord of the Rings" when the orcs are chasing the group and he stands on the bridge and says, "You shall not pass!" That was my plan - being an OFFENSIVE driver, haha. If they turned one way, so did I, as they were a bit behind us. The members of the watch after ours got very little sleep last night, as they were up for the fish catch and up again early this morning for the ceremony, so our watch did a double shift to help out and let them sleep. We are usually up during those hours anyway, and the sun warmed us up enough that we got to sunbathe a bit.
Herve and Fati have been teaching me songs on watch. I'm trying to learn them and also write them down. Maybe I can teach you some when I get back!
Ms. Fuller
Monday, October 15, 2012
Faafaite Report
Aloha 6th graders!
This morning is a beautiful morning to surf...I woke up about 5 am to the sounds of the waves rushing past the hull, and the familiar rumble of...SURF!! We are heading NE with a large swell directly behind us from the WSW winds...probably about 10-12 ft swells. Steering this morning was real exercise, and for the first time, I got sweaty; almost a nice feeling after being so cold. The air is slowly warming up as we inch northwards. Steering swells takes real talent, and Herve is a master. Fati and I try our best, and catch some real bombers, too. When we are on the big ones, we're going up to 13 knots and the hulls begin to rumble. When I was sailing this summer, the crew said the hulls would "waiata" or sing, in Maori. On Faafaite, it's the voice of the wolf, Herve.
Hikianalia somehow snuck past us in the night. I think the 10-2 watch let them by. As they are being more cautious with their va'a, we're letting them dictate course more. However, we got a good squall blowing through this morning at the end of our shift, and we decided to throw the course line out the window and follow the wind and surf until the squall passed. As long as we're within sight of Hiki, it's all good.
Last night's big excitement was a large squid, about 8 inches long, that we found in the middle of the deck. It had large blue eyes the size of quarters, and was still alive. Kalepa looked at it and said, "where did that come from?". Fati and I both replied, "It flew!" Kalepa was astonished and kept repeating, "They fly!". And of course, we laughed our heads off. I have never laughed so much as I am on this voyage. All night, when we'd get slapped by a wave and bump about, Fati and I would say "SQUID!" We did throw it back because it was still alive...and so it would tell the fish to start biting on our lures, 'cause we're all REALLY hungry for fish.
The full name of Faafaite is Faafiate i te Ao Maohi, which means "the reconciliation with the traditional world". It describes the need of modern people to rediscover and maintain their culture, and is a big step forward for the Tahitian people, who have never had a va'a of their own until now. Before we left, Moeata and I had a discussion about Faafaite choosing her crew; those who are on board are the ones who are meant to be here for whatever reason there is. Perhaps there are other types of reconciliation to be had...between old friends who had gone separate ways perhaps? Or between new friends who are meant to share knowledge and inspiration with each other. In a larger sense, reconciliation applies to the idea of the two va'a sailing together as a family. We are reconciled to staying with them, despite the fact that we would probably be a couple hundred miles further along our course now, if we didn't. Yes, it would be more fun, but that's not the point. We are two va'a out here alone on a wide ocean...not a thought that comes often to mind, however, and that's probably a good thing, or we'd all freak out. When you're out here, your world shrinks to the size of the va'a and what you can see beyond it. It's about survival as a family...and reconciliation with the power of the sea.
Be good!
Ms. Fuller
This morning is a beautiful morning to surf...I woke up about 5 am to the sounds of the waves rushing past the hull, and the familiar rumble of...SURF!! We are heading NE with a large swell directly behind us from the WSW winds...probably about 10-12 ft swells. Steering this morning was real exercise, and for the first time, I got sweaty; almost a nice feeling after being so cold. The air is slowly warming up as we inch northwards. Steering swells takes real talent, and Herve is a master. Fati and I try our best, and catch some real bombers, too. When we are on the big ones, we're going up to 13 knots and the hulls begin to rumble. When I was sailing this summer, the crew said the hulls would "waiata" or sing, in Maori. On Faafaite, it's the voice of the wolf, Herve.
Hikianalia somehow snuck past us in the night. I think the 10-2 watch let them by. As they are being more cautious with their va'a, we're letting them dictate course more. However, we got a good squall blowing through this morning at the end of our shift, and we decided to throw the course line out the window and follow the wind and surf until the squall passed. As long as we're within sight of Hiki, it's all good.
Last night's big excitement was a large squid, about 8 inches long, that we found in the middle of the deck. It had large blue eyes the size of quarters, and was still alive. Kalepa looked at it and said, "where did that come from?". Fati and I both replied, "It flew!" Kalepa was astonished and kept repeating, "They fly!". And of course, we laughed our heads off. I have never laughed so much as I am on this voyage. All night, when we'd get slapped by a wave and bump about, Fati and I would say "SQUID!" We did throw it back because it was still alive...and so it would tell the fish to start biting on our lures, 'cause we're all REALLY hungry for fish.
The full name of Faafaite is Faafiate i te Ao Maohi, which means "the reconciliation with the traditional world". It describes the need of modern people to rediscover and maintain their culture, and is a big step forward for the Tahitian people, who have never had a va'a of their own until now. Before we left, Moeata and I had a discussion about Faafaite choosing her crew; those who are on board are the ones who are meant to be here for whatever reason there is. Perhaps there are other types of reconciliation to be had...between old friends who had gone separate ways perhaps? Or between new friends who are meant to share knowledge and inspiration with each other. In a larger sense, reconciliation applies to the idea of the two va'a sailing together as a family. We are reconciled to staying with them, despite the fact that we would probably be a couple hundred miles further along our course now, if we didn't. Yes, it would be more fun, but that's not the point. We are two va'a out here alone on a wide ocean...not a thought that comes often to mind, however, and that's probably a good thing, or we'd all freak out. When you're out here, your world shrinks to the size of the va'a and what you can see beyond it. It's about survival as a family...and reconciliation with the power of the sea.
Be good!
Ms. Fuller
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Faafaite
Aloha 6th graders!
Our wind has calmed sufficiently to make sailing pleasant, and is coming from a warmer direction. This morning's watch was more like the morning wash, as Fati and I both washed our hair. SO nice to feel a little cleaner. Still too cold to take a shower, but I bathed in my hatch last night with a bottle of water and soap and a towel. We're currently at 34 degrees 01 minute S, 170 degrees 39 minutes W.
Before we left new Zealand, I bought a small set of iPod speakers, which have been the hit of the voyage. It's really nice to have music, and we're slowly changing song lyrics to fit our journey. "Stayin' Alive" has become "Stayin' in Line", "Stir It Up" is "Steer it Up" and so forth. Usually we listen to Bob Marley in the mornings, although we got a little disco this morning and had a little dance party on the deck. Jean-Baptiste, or J-B, has decided our watch is more fun, and he stays up to play with us. His animal nickname is the sloth, although he's anything but. He's a very considerate guy and a hard worker. PLUS, he loves to cook and clean and he does both well. We decided we would keep him with us if we could. He got included in our group hug this morning, which I think he really enjoyed.
This voyage's theme is "Va'a Nati", or "Canoes Tied Together". There's a similar Hawaiian word, naki'i, which means to tie a knot. Anyway, yesterday, we found ourselves about 30 miles ahead of Hikianalia, meaning that we were out of radio range. When we finally downloaded email in the evening, we discovered that they had made a course change and a speed change. Because this is the first major trip for her, the crew is discovering how things work, and sometimes if they work. As a result, they are being more cautious about their speed, especially in high winds and seas, whereas we know what Faafaite can handle (a lot) and are more confident to hold higher speeds. We had to come to a decision last night: each canoe go on their own way and arrive in Tahiti in their own time, or stay together and sail as an 'ohana. Although, we'd really like to go fast, the only choice, really, is to stick together, and fulfill the theme for the voyage. Titaua, the captain says, however, that the "rope" is too tight around his neck and he needs a little slack. Oh to go fast!!! When the va'as fly along the water, it's like being one of the birds that is following us. Oh well. And then he suggested that the rope ought to be a bungee instead. He's forgetting that bungees snap back. When Hikianalia arrives home minus a few thousand pounds of food and water, I'm looking forward to getting on board to see what she really can do. As fast as we are, she has the capability to be faster. Sweet!
We have not yet caught fish, as we're finishing the meat we have in our coolers. We do have a freezer full of meat, but most of us are really hungry for fresh fish. Hiki caught a large tuna last night. Maybe that's what slowed them down. Nah.
I hope you are all studying hard for the World Religions test and are practicing karma...Mrs. Reid can start instituting karma points: anti-detention points for goods deeds.
Ms. Fuller
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