A Drop in the Bucket

May 20

Going to sea now for just a couple of days feels like a drop in the bucket.  2 days?  Pssshhtt.  That doesn't even register after 30 days.  However, it is enough to make me all warm and fuzzy happy again.  I do love it out here.

While I miss having a buddy (Oly), it's nice to take a more active role with the boat.  Jean has a great deal of experience, but there's something about his manner which makes it feel like this is really a co-skipper arrangement.  We're sharing the duties well.  He has local knowledge of where we should go, but the only detailed chart we have is what's on my computer.  And he's new to the workings of the Raymarine chart plotter and auto pilot.  So he points to the place we need to go on my computer chart, and I enter it into our route for the autopilot.  I'm glad to be pulling my weight.  If I weren't here things would be considerably more difficult for him, not only the navigation, but also dealing with arriving and departing (launching/securing the dinghy, anchoring) and the obvious round-the-clock watch-keeping.  Elze, though I'm sure she means well, has the unfortunate combination of timidness and poor to no English plus not ever having been on a boat before.  So when we ask her to do something plus gesturing and demonstrating, we're met with "Eh?"  It's fine - Jean and I are quickly sorting out our little team.

We had no wind for the first full day, but we are finally cruising along now under main and jib at about 6-7 knots.  Life is good. 

Well, sailing life is good.  Food life?  Notsomuch.  We're down to the bottom of the barrel from the crossing, and since food was so expensive in Rangiroa, we opted for just a few basics.  Sadly, no fish have found their way to us either, so dinner tonight consisted of opening up 3 cans and boiling a package of pasta.  Yum.  BUT, I did get inspired this afternoon and decided I could figure out how to make tortillas sans Google instructions.  (I had a failed attempt about a week ago.)  But today, SUCCESS!  I wanted to do beef tacos, but we have no beef so it was turkey chili + rice + a mild picante I mixed up.  It was actually pretty good, though it was chili and you wouldn't think so.  (The tortillas were the best part!)

Very early this morning we will arrive in Bora Bora.  Jean asked me tonight what Americans think Bora Bora means.  I said "honeymoon".  He laughed and agreed.  He said it's like that for people from all around the world.  He doesn't know why it got that reputation, but it is his personal belief that it's one of the most beautiful places in the world.  It'll be nice to be there with a (former) resident.  He worked for years at the Club Med there before it shut as well.  Can anyone give me a "Hands UP"? :-)

UPDATE:  Arrived Safe and Sound in Bora Bora, 0800 local time May 21, 2010