Zen - family cruising catamaran: SailBlogs

Spinnaker Flying and Potlucks

Monique — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

This week has had ups and downs. Tom was really ill. At first we thought it was Dengue Fever, a mosquito-borne disease that knocks you down for a week or more. But after consulting a couple of local friends, we learned his symptoms were not completely resembling Dengue. Kamala just survived Dengue a few weeks ago and remembers her pain oh too well. At the same time, a piece of the watermaker broke after putting up a valiant fight. The internet allowed us to order the new part and have it flown to us. But, nothing is fast, not even Fed Ex Priority. So, here we'll wait for the part and continue shuttling water in jerry jugs to Zen or do the rain dance and catch rainwater...we call it farming water. In the meantime, laundry is piling up and showers are quick. How some cruising boats do this journey without a watermaker is totally beyond my comprehension. I admire them for their creativity and water conservation. (Continued...)

Beepin' Bora Bora

Monique — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:04:28 -0500

Beep...beep...beep...beep. Every now and then, at exactly 2:00p, that soft sound emerged from somewhere on Zen. On a boat, any beeping sound is cause for concern. Is something overheating? Overflowing? Sinking? Everyone, adults and kids alike, always go in search of the beep. One such beep had all of us stumped. It wasn't daily and the beeps didn't last long, so to catch it we had to be up and scrambling quickly to find its origin. A couple weeks ago, a friend of ours (names will be changed to protect the innocent), Sam, asked if we knew the two "old guys" on s/v Oscar. Tommy and I nearly fell down laughing. Those "old guys" are barely 6 or 7 years older than Tommy. Of course there was lots of joking and kidding around and it became a favorite inside joke between Zen and s/v Oscar. Lo and behold, Tommy inducted himself into the "old guy" club a little early today. When the mysterious beeping started to chime, the scramble commenced, but quickly our 10-year-old "young guy" said, "Whoa, Dad, it's YOUR wristwatch!!!" Sit down, laugh yourself silly until the tears start. Only a few days ago I was complementing the intelligence and preparedness of my old salty dog of a husband, key words: "old" and "dog". After chasing his "beep" tail for a few months, what will he do next? Heck, we all chased it. Are we overcooked by the sun? Too much fish in our diet? I told the kids to remember the scene, because when I call them at university someday in the future, explaining that their dad is burying treasure in the backyard, they'll believe me. (View Post...)

Taha'a Tours-Vanilla and Pearls

Monique — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500

Marrying orchids and impregnating oysters. Sounds very Georgia O'Keefe, doesn't it? Alain Plantier (vanilla.tours@mail.pf or VHF 9) lives in, quite possibly, the most tranquil setting I've ever seen. His home, overlooking Bay Hurepiti on Taha'a, consists of multiple structures, each covered with hand-woven thatched roofs, one for living, another for sleeping, another for bathing, all surrounded by acres of beautiful mature landscaping, most of which you could consume. Twenty years ago, Alain, an avid sailor and botanist, opened his Vanilla Tour company, hosting between 4-10 guests at a time. His small round spectacles frame a gentle face and an encyclopedic mind, filled with facts he readily shares. Did you know that vanilla originated in Mexico, grows on vines, and in Polynesia, the vanilla orchids are pollinated by hand? True. One farm we visited hand pollinates 10,000 flowers per day. The French Polynesian vanilla has a unique scent...licorice. The aroma in the air as we toured the island, was intoxicating, not just with the vanilla, but the ylang-ylang, jasmine and of course, gardenias. It was a school field trip for all of us. Zen was the water shuttle for 6 other cruising friends from s/v Obsession and s/v Szel. The 10 of us tasted wild basil Alain picked from the side of the road that numbed our tongues and reminded us of the dentist's chair. We rubbed ourselves with lemongrass to keep the bugs away and discovered certain flowers in the hibiscus family, when used to clean our snorkel masks, will de-fog them like magic. It went on and on. Each bend in the road brought new facts and historical awareness. When I asked the kids, "What was the most interesting thing you learned today?", they responded with these answers: "It's so cool those flowers that are all over the place turn from yellow to red in one day and then fall from the tree." And..."I didn't know there are special bees in Mexico that automatically pollinate the vanilla orchids in that part of the world." (Continued...)

Shark Bait Ooooooh Ha-Ha!

Monique — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:15:28 -0500

As you can see from the above picture (and more in the Photo Gallery), Polynesian Night happened and we enjoyed it "full-throttle". In the center of the photo is our Master of Ceremonies. How would he go over in Newport, Rhode Island??? The whole crew of s/y Carl Linne joined us for the party at our hotel. Whenever there's a good bash, our buddies Greg, Jinny, Steve and Gabby are close at hand. You may recall we all did the Marquesan pig roast, too! I have a feeling our sailing paths won't be crossing much further and we're so happy to get some extra time w/them. When the MC called us all down to the beach to witness the fire breathing and more dancing, the entire roster of hotel guests paraded behind this character, all making grunting sounds and loud cheers. Cole and Tommy have promised to get similar full-body tatoos while Camo and I are settling for the grass skirts and floral leis. (Continued...)

Zen receives TLC

Monique — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 22:06:37 -0500

Cruising life has two gears: full forward and neutral. We are in neutral, sitting out of the water in Ra'itea, French Polynesia. Full forward is shown in our ever-expanding photo gallery. Neutral is the maintenance side. Just like a home requires spring cleaning, lawn mowing and painting, a well-cared for cruising boat has similar needs. Periodic maintenance helps us avoid major breakdowns and problems before they happen. Pictured above is our Gori Props; before and after a cleaning. (Continued...)