Day 26
12 June 2016 | 873 miles from Initial Approach Fix
Rod
Saturday, June 11 Ok, I asked what you might want to talk about last night. No responses so far, so I know that this blog has gotten boring. Yeah? Well, let's see you hang out on a small boat, often in no wind for a month and stay sane, much less interesting. I'm doing my best. I want to be a good dog. You know, that's a saying that Elisabeth and I share with each other. It comes from an earlier life when I had a dog named Ricky. He was a Queensland heeler, and was just about the best dog you can imagine. His goal in life did seem that he just wanted to be a good dog. We lived in the forest in Humboldt County, Calif. on 2.5 acres. Where did Ricky poop? Haven't a clue. Never saw him do it, and never found any piles. Did he bark? Yes, but only when someone approached, he would call out and announce the "intruder". Would he bite? Absolutely never. He was the quintessential good dog. The kind of dog that deserved a gold watch when he retired. So, we use him as an inspiration, and when we want to emphasize that our intentions are the best, we say that we want to be a good dog. In Ricky's honor.
In a few minutes, we will cross into Latitude 40. A milestone. It seems that we have been trying forever to get past the 30s. It really hasn't been that long, but we have had a few delays along the way, and now the 40s feel like something special. That is about the latitude of Laytonville, Calif. The weather forecasts are encouraging, and show steady wind for the next week, all the way up. If it holds out, and we think it will, and we make 5 knots average, and with the wind as forecast, I believe we can, we may be looking at a Dutch Harbor arrival in, say, about a week from Monday. I really don't dare to predict, as this trip has been very unpredictable, but that is the view today. We are very happy.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was mostly clear, and the wind was light, but not too light, and just from the perfect direction to keep us on course to destination. And we made good speed with a smooth sea. If you compare our 24 hour distance, you will see however that, yes, we were becalmed again last night from about 730 in the evening to until about 0430 this morning. But, as I said, it looks very steady from here on in - at least for the next week. And that, my friends is wonderful.
So, let us know what you want us to talk about. We even are starting the "Just Ask Lizzy" page. This is where you can ask Elisabeth about anything. Boat life, science, how to pronounce a word in German, gardening, family harmony, etc. She knows much more than I do, so her views are always fun and interesting. Until tomorrow, thanks for being here with us.
Be Excellent to Each Other! Rod and Elisabeth,
"Your Rock and Roll Argonauts" "Les Pirates d'Honneur"