Living the Dream: SailBlogs

A Week of Fanning Ourselves on Fanning!

Sally — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:43:00 -0600

Okay, I know, it's a bad tittle, but it is sooo hot and steamy here we have been doing just that - fanning! We have two 12V fans going round the clock in the main salon and two more going over our bed at night. The batteries are not liking the constant power draw, but when they get low, we smile, because that means we get to start the generator and turn on the air conditioning! :) Also in an attempt to stay cool, we have been swimming (more like just hanging on to the rope as the current whisks by us!), taking lots of quick showers (thank goodness we have fresh water again!), and taking dinghy rides whenever there is a good breeze. Our attempts at exploring the island have been somewhat short - the minute you get away from the water, it feels even hotter, but we have managed to see some interesting sights. (Continued...)

Safe, Sound, and Supplies Delivered!

Sally — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:18:00 -0600

We are now safely anchored at Fanning Island. We arrived on Saturday, about 1:30 in the afternoon, but couldn't get checked in until this morning. The crossing started out absolutely wonderful! We had the "Sally Sail" up and were flying at 6.5 Kts - we can't even remember the last time we had the jenniker up, but we think it must have been before New Zealand! It was great to get away from Christmas Island and be out on the blue again. About 12 hours into it, however, the wind picked up and we hit major squall after squall! It would have been the perfect time to collect fresh water if we hadn't just filled the tank with our handy-dandy new water maker pump - one of the few times we haven't been in the right place at the right time - oh well! The ride got a bit bumpy, but not too bad - just had to reef in most of the sails... "Sally" went back into her bag and the mizzen had to come down. The worst part was the downpour, but at least the deck got a good wash down! Neither of us got much sleep, so we were a bit happy when no one answered our calls on the radio when we arrived. (Continued...)

Santa Came to Christmas!!!

Sally — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:21:00 -0600

Through no easy means, we were visited by Santa this afternoon! Several people helped wear the Jolly Man's suit are we are grateful to all... Kyle at Spectra Water-makers in San Rafael, CA , John and Emma Bryden here at Christmas Island (JMB), and Anna Bryden in Honolulu, Hawaii - they all helped get our new water maker pump and motor to us. We're thinking we may have to strike up a chorus of Jingle Bells or something to celebrate!!! Seriously though, we were a bit concerned (okay, I was panicked!) about having to go two months with the remaining amount of fresh water we had on board. If push came to shove, or course we could have done it, but boy are we glad we won't have to try! Glen is installing as I type, so we should be back in the water making business shortly! :) (Continued...)