Picture: Pam standing on deck as we slowly moved toward "Finger Cove" anchorage in Adak Island yesterday.

After arriving at Adak, Alaska, Ted immediately did repairs on the autopilot, rudder and several other maintenance items on the list. That night neither one of us needed to be on watch so we were able to sleep for more than four hours - it felt very strange but it was restful to be at anchor with little rocking back and forth. It was like doing a marathon drive on a super hectic freeway and then finally stopping at a rest area.

Being a teacher, I always like to encourage my students to do reflections after a learning experi-ence so I am writing one on our voyage across the North Pacific Ocean. I did one after we crossed from Mexico to French Polynesia in the South Pacific and it was helpful to look back to see what was challenging, what we have learned; what went well; and what we could have done differently.

It took 21 days for the crossing from Hokkaido, Japan to Adak, Alaska, a week longer than our companion boats (S/V "Moon", S/V "Liv", and S/V "Kea"), which was not a bad considering they were able to use their motors more often as they carry more fuel than us. In contrast we had to sail about 85% of the time. During the 1,888 nautical mile passage "Shuang Yu" consumed 64 gallons (approx. 220 liters) of diesel. When we run the engine use half a gallon per hour at about 5 knots (approx 5 miles per hour), or about 10 miles per gallon. Unfortunately, in our search for "usable wind", we experienced two horrific storms and numerous becalmed days. It was one of the most challenging crossings we have ever done. In addition, it was cold and the condensation in the boat was unbelievable, water draining down the side of some areas in the forward and aft cabins. In order to keep warm and dry we had the shut off the two cabins and live in the main saloon. However, the boat has a double hull so most of the condensation ran down between the two hulls into the bilge and got pumped out so it could have been much worse.

The weather was foggy and cloudy most of time and we found it depressing to live in a gray world for such a long period. The windless days tried a person's patience. We did not want to use up the fuel so we WAITED for the wind and just rocked from side to side. The wind finally came; it was too much and came from the wrong direction, not to mention the discomfort that accompanies fierce winds and high waves.

We learned to rely on the electronic instruments like the "AIS" and radar to watch for other ves-sels because visibility was so poor. The "grib file" weather forecast was relatively accurate most of the time; however, the wind speed was often double what the grib indicated. Another issue was seaweed. We had no idea that seaweed can be so troublesome to a yacht. It was fortunate that Ted found out that if he turned the propeller shaft backwards and then shook it from inside the boat he could often get rid of seaweed and/or fishing nets from the prop. That relieved me from having to dive in the icy water. Last but not least, we learned to have respect for nature and the power of the Supreme Being. Floating on a vast ocean exposed to all the elements, we felt insignificant and helpless. We were at the mercy of God so prayers worked wonders.

We both are in good health, no sickness during the crossing. The kerosene stove gave us warmth and comfort. I think we would have suffered much more if we did not have it. The groceries we got from Japan were excellent and we had many delicious meals on the way. It is somewhat of a miracle not to fight or get on each other nerves when you are with someone 24/7 for three weeks. We did not fight, instead we supported each other; though it was difficult at times; but we pulled through together.

If we could change one thing, that would be to have lined the decks with more diesel containers. We would have probably motored much more and would not have felt the threat of running out of fuel or the fear of being stranded out in the middle of the ocean waiting for wind!

Despite the long voyage in adverse conditions, we did well and we thank you for all your prayers.