Days are simple and the dimension of time ethereal,elusory. Eat,read,take your shift,adjust the sails-reef,main up,down,gib in ,gib out...eat,dish duty-it is written...cards,nap,make bread,sit on the bow and drink it all in. No longing,disapline to see and feel the treasure of presence,knowing you soon will look back to the singular rare raw detatched capsual of a jewel in space and time.
We have 300 miles left ,have been on a broad reach mostly,and the swells are bigger with white caps and the winds are averaging 15-20knots.The profusion of flying fish have been courtly company with their humminbird-Dolphin like gift for flight ,they leap ,sublime and glide - actually steer ,soaring up from headsmack of a wave to achieve more airtime.Why?Insect food?A deft ambitious push to evolve out of the wet world or are they just doing reconnaissance? I choose to explain these pretty sidekicks as spirit guides holding Rhythm gently to her destination.
Dancing atop Rhythm has actually given me blisters, a rare sailing injury...!What arush,balancing on the tilting dance floor,the invisible partner tossing me gamboling,perilous footwork as I tilt and cha cha cha aside the mainsails boom. Focus on the beat,space and awareness -dont look too long at that mammoth wave- wind and one two three, sea and sky and feet and boom.
Then its,whats for dinner?Two days left-maaaybee,and one carrot,two insipid tomatoes,two oranges,two pommellos,enough lemons to ward off scurvy and mountains of canned tuna and rice. WE have caught one fat succulent tuna,reeled in by Joey and filleted by Jillian.
Who is Jillian?Oh dear yes,how long its been since I wrote...we have no internet,this is a satellite email account only. Jillian is the wonderful young woman who is directing and managing the documentary on Laura Dekker.Laura is "The "15 year old Dutch solo circumnavigator and we first met her in Bonaire.WE really like her and had a good visit in Panama where we met Jill and rocked to the Latin beat of Shakira,Again we played in Galapagos meeting them on our tour from San Cristobel to Isabella,There Joey and Olivia rented surf boards with the girls and they hung out with our group-Topp SEcret and John from Beyond.Jillian,sporty and game,took us up on our offer to cross with us in a vague hope that she might get some shots of Lauras 41 foot monohaul out in the wild blue.Laura left two days ahead and remains out of range,speedy ,gutsy and an excellent sailor-not without a competitive edge. She is going to Hiva Oa where we too must check in,however,we head directly to Fatu Hiva where Joeys Magali is hovering.Tonight we received a message from her saying the winds are too strong and that her Father is anxious to push o to the Tuamots group of islands.We therefore may alter course and meet Laura in Hiva.
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Peg..loving the thought of you dancing your way across the ocean..such a spirit driven sprite! Be safe..love to all you Hills!
ReplyDeletexox janie joe and jera
How fun! We met some Norwegians who had met Laura in Lanzarote (I think). We have read a bit about her, and it must be quite fun to meet such a special girl. We have lifted Sirius out of the water now, Ingeborg and Thorstein are in Norway (for exams) and I will go to Norway tomorrow. We'll all meet up in Moses Lake in August. With your speed around the world you might get to come and visit us there before we are off again! Best wishes from all of us to all of you!
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