28 September 2009, Vuda Point, Fiji
28/09/2009 0652UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 839 Up at 0600, 24C, Partly Cloudy, Wind Calm.
[Above, winter break over, our students returned to their studies aboard today as spring semester began.]
[A new chapter has been added to Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ.
In 'The Goal,' come aboard Wind Dancer for an exhilarating and tempestuous passage, this one spanning the 1,300nm of open ocean from Tonga to New Zealand. A jolly sailor brings a fresh new dimension to the boat; the crew achieves its principal voyaging objective; and we discover that the land of Kiwis is upside down.
To read our book, and receive voyage planning assistance (VIP Service), go to the Family Voyaging website at www.familyvoyaging.com.]
"Crew Quarters"
1st Mate: The heat is on. Our few days of cool breeze have left and we are sweltering again. I did find a fan in town at some little Chinese store. It is bizarre, some sort of kiddie animal face, but it works. I have been doing a lot of small projects on the boat in the cooler part of the day and then jumping in the pool. I did manage to get a hair cut, a shag to keep me cooler. I made banana bread one day and gave a loaf to Mike and Liz s/v Argonaut who couldn't believe I baked in this heat. But it paid off as Liz made some great cinnamon rolls for us. The trick is to get up early. We have been doing lots of barbecuing to keep the heat out of the cabin. I have a tray of sweet and sour meatballs ready for tonight, yet baking and making rice may dissolve what is left of our melting bodies.
Many kids are gone and it was time to get ours back to school. We plan to take it slow and easy this week to recharge their brains and routine. 3rd Mate did some language arts and math today and is required to read everyday -- no matter what! 2nd Mate seemed to enjoy his new math book and is working on marine science via a great workbook about giant squid. Next week the kids will begin a research type project. They will work together and gather information from the Internet. Thanks to their Extended Learning teacher from Juneau, Barb Mitchell, they will have a chance to explore deeper into their new world. We feel very fortunate that Barb has offered to give them some great assignments and even look over their work. Because the kids want to go back to regular school in the fall (March) in NZ, we chose to not participate in another full year at Oak Meadow. If today is any indication, the kids are still intellectual sponges and will learn through any venue.
After four months here in Fiji we have already used up over half of our allotted time. This is when it gets hard as we are in a state of flux and really want to be settled. I reflected lately on how lucky we have been to have this journey together. Our kids were miracles to us as we tried many years to have them. Now we are thankful for that time waiting. We were able to do this adventure because they were younger and we were older. I have always felt that because they were miracle babies that we owed it to them to give them something that would be miraculous. I hope that in twenty years this will all be apparent to them in many ways.
2nd Mate: Wildlife seen yesterday and today: least tern, squaretail mullet, convict fish, crowned urchin, rock crab.
Yesterday, we hung out on the boat for awhile. S/v Coco Kai left for some more of the Fijian islands, but Coco watched a movie with us before she had to leave. Then, we went up to the pool with Bertie from s/v Cristal Voyage and swam around. Later, we all went back to the boat and played cards and watched a movie. After we were done, Bertie went back to his boat and we got ready for dinner. We finished the episode of the 'Jazz' series we started the other day for our family entertainment.
Today, I woke up around 0600. I played some on the Internet and read in the air-conditioned (fan) comfort of my room. We ate breakfast, got the table up, and started our schoolwork for the day. Yes, we've begun school once again. However, instead of using Oak Meadow curriculum, we're practicing our appropriate grade levels using workbooks we found in town. I'm studying Math with a math workbook, Science with Karunui's Tentacles (a book on squids) and How to be an Explorer of the World (a book on how to observe the world around you), and Social Studies and History with Tools of Navigation (a book on navigation throughout history). I worked on a little bit in each of these books for awhile, and then we went up to the pool with Bertie. We played some games and swam before drying off and going to our boats. Bertie just came over and we're now playing cards. We plan to watch 'Lady and the Tramp' tonight as our family movie.
Today's Fijian word: yadra = a greeting equal to 'good morning.'
3rd Mate: The weather today: partly cloudy, light wind, the high was 26C, the barometer is 1007 and falling, the moon is waxing towards full.
The other day I went to town with Coco and our moms. We went to the thrift store and found a really pretty skirt, a hot pink sequined belt, a blue hippy gauze shirt and another red gauze wraparound skirt/shawl. We all went to Chinese food at The Great Wall of China; it was yummy. We also bought some new DVDs -- 'Lady and the Tramp', 'The Lion King', 'Bounty' (because our old copy is scratched), 'Johnny English' and 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. Coco left to sail the islands the next day and I miss her. I have been going to the pool everyday to cool off. Bertie our friend from New Zealand has been playing lots of card games with us and watching movies.
Today I started school again. I have a daily drill book; I reviewed common, proper and plural nouns. I have a Math 4 book that has Metric problems and addition/subtraction opposites. Pacific English today covered tenses, phonics, spelling and reading comprehension about rain and I got to draw the water cycle. I have a Spark Reader 4 that I have to read a story from and answer many questions. It was fun to do school again but I'll miss being a cruising bum.
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26 September 2009, Vuda Point, Fiji
27/09/2009 0421UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 838 Up at 0615, 24C, Clear, Wind SSE 5-10 Knots.
[To read our book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, and receive voyage planning assistance (VIP Service), go to the Family Voyaging website at www.familyvoyaging.com.]
In the tradition of the South Seas, where working on a Sunday is right on the edge of criminally negligent, Wind Dancer's crew is taking the day off. We've become quite accustomed to everything -- except service businesses, i.e., restaurants and bars -- being shut on the day of the week that God rested. It compels people to spend time with their families and friends, enjoy their homes and country, and, yes, rest. Me? I'm shooting for a two-nap day.
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26 September 2009, Vuda Point, Fiji
26/09/2009 0557UTC 17 40.828S 177 23.159E Day 837 Up at 0625, 24C, Partly Cloudy, Wind Calm.
[To read our book, Family Voyaging - Ak to nZ, and receive voyage planning assistance (VIP Service), go to the Family Voyaging website at www.familyvoyaging.com.]
Among the careers I might have chosen was meteorology. The weather has fascinated me since childhood. I had my own weather station by the time I was about ten years old and kept daily records. Sailing supplied the first real-world occasions to exercise the knowledge I'd gained. First coastal cruising and then long-distance voyaging presented ample prospects for me to practice my amateur meteorological skills. I'd like to think that I have a knack for it; I unquestionably enjoy forecasting the weather as much as any other aspect of sailing. This week I had my first opportunity to do it for someone else.
Our friends Clint, Janet and Abbey aboard s/v Kairos left on Tuesday afternoon for Vanuatu, about 500nm to the west of Fiji. Their single sideband radio was on the fritz and they had marginal communications only. This meant that they'd be without consistent weather information for the duration of their four-day passage. Because they could receive our transmissions and hear my voice in spite of the radio problem, Clint asked if I'd provide forecasts for them. I jumped at the chance.
Using tools available on the Internet, I was able to formulate the prognostications. I employed Fiji Met, NZ MetService, Buoyweather, Passage Weather, satellite photos, surface maps, GRIB files and so forth. Analyzing the combined and complex picture, I prepared daily forecast summaries and broadcast them on the morning SSB network. Clint sent us Kairos's position each day via email, which was a struggle using his ailing radio. But part of one message made my day when Clint wrote: "Thanks again for the weather. It has really been spot on -- swells, wind, rain, everything has been about what you said."
I'm learning. A year ago Southwest Pacific Ocean weather stymied my efforts to comprehend it. The systems, as I've noted in previous posts, act a great deal differently than those in the Northern Hemisphere. But now that I've had many months of observation and experience, it is all beginning to make sense. Even though it's a little late to pursue a new career, the rewards at even this recreational level are, for me, intensely gratifying. As Dylan so aptly put it, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."
"Crew Quarters"
1st Mate and 3rd Mate: [The girls are in Lautoka shopping.]
2nd Mate: Wildlife seen yesterday and today: least tern, frigate bird, black surgeonfish, squaretail mullet, blueback jack trevally, crowned urchin, rock crab, red-necked stint*.
Yesterday, we did not do much. Grace and I washed up a ton of dishes and watched TV. After lunch, we walked up to the pool and met some new friends from Australia. They're very nice, and we played with them and Coco for a few hours in the pool. After we were exhausted and starving, Grace and I got out of the pool, dried off, and went back to the boat to get changed. Then, we walked up with Coco and her mom to the yacht club for a big dinner. We ate and chatted for awhile, then went back to our boats for the evening.
Today, I woke up around 0600. I played some on the Internet and ate breakfast. It wasn't as hot this morning as other mornings, so we hung out on the boat until Mom and Grace went to town. Then, Dad and I ate lunch and got our swimming suits on. The pool here has been much warmer lately because of a lack of breeze, which lets the sun heat the water just right. After a nice refreshing dip, we dried off and made use of the billiards table by the bar. We played three games, each of which had some of our best shots ever. We came back after our little championship (Dad won two out of the three games, so he's the current champion between the two of us) and got the fans going inside. It's still a bit early, and the girls aren't back yet. We plan to watch the last episode we have in the 'From the Earth to the Moon' series, and then start the PBS series 'Jazz' by Ken Burns tonight as our family entertainment.
Today's Fijian word: paidar = on foot.
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