The Tiki Trail

Our first impression of The Marquesas has been quite good. The town of Atuona is neat and tidy and the people are friendly. The checking in process was quite efficient and the wifi seems to be ok even though we have to go to the post office to get a good connection.

The most fantastic thing so far has been the wonderful French baguettes. They do know how to make bread here. We went a little wild the first day and bought three baguettes. It was irresistible, fresh out of the oven. So you can imagine with only two of us on the boat, we have had bread with ham, cheese and tomatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The island is quite lush and green with jagged peaks the tallest of which is 1,276 meters. There are plenty of fruit trees; breadfruit, pamplemousse, mango, banana, lemon and even hot peppers growing wild and lots of wild flowers.

Today we went on an excursion around the island. We visited several small communities, some where as few as two families would be living and some ancient sites to see the tikis, traveling along the coast passing through the picturesque bays of the northern shores. Hiva Oa is home to the largest tiki in French Polynesia. A tiki is a human-like sacred sculpture carved of wood or stone representing an important person from the community such as a queen, chief or medicine man. They were carved after they died and placed in a religious ceremonial area. The body of the person was mummified, wrapped in tapa cloth (a cloth made from the bark of a tree) and put in a small wooden canoe which was then hidden in a cove. They believed the tiki would keep the spirit of the person in the community, protecting them. The smiling Tiki you see in the picture below is 800 years old. But she still looks good for her age, don't you think? And the one next to Jens is the largest of them and is named after the warrior chief Takai.

The main source of income on the island is from copra. Copra is dried coconut which is rich in vegetable fat and is crushed and pressed and the oil refined for food and cosmetics. Ships come by to collect the dried coconuts and bring them to Papeete for processing. We came across several copra drying sheds along the way. It seems a long, slow process, but then the pace of life on the island is quite slow and calm.

Pacific Crossing, Part X—Land Ahoy!

Land Ahoy, Land Ahoy. I hear Jens shouting as I am just getting out of the shower, so I quickly run up to see. And oh what a sight. We have been anticipating this moment and it is as sweet a sight as you can imagine. Hooray, yippee, thanks to God we made it. I am at a loss for words to explain how this feels. We saw the island of Hiva Oa first, then just to the left was Mohotani. We'll arrive to Baie Tahauku on Hiva Oa some time after lunch today, completing our 21 1/2 day journey across the Pacific Ocean.

The last couple of days have been long and slow, almost as if the delight of arriving was being delayed on purpose, the wind teasing us as we got closer and closer. Suddenly we would have only four knots of wind, then 11 but from ENE. Then steady at 9 knots from ESE just barely enough to fill the sails. We were moving slowly, slowly but as quickly as possible. Last evening there was no wind at all so we dropped the sails and put the steel spinnaker into action.

Once we arrive we will tend to the practicalities such as getting some local currency, checking into the country and getting some laundry done. And we have a few phone calls to family in Denmark and Canada and some emails to send and the blog to update. And then it's time to start exploring these islands.

We have the next 23 weeks to explore the islands of the South Pacific as we make our way to New Zealand. We want to be to New Zealand by mid-October to be sure to avoid the cyclone season here. Keep those atlases handy, cause we'll be going to lots of islands with strange sounding names. Some will be familiar like Bora Bora, Tonga, Tahiti and Samoa but if you're like me you probably don't know exactly where they are. So far we have made a sail plan for the Marquesas Islands which will take us to the islands of Fatu Hiva, Tahuatu, Ua Huka, Nuku Hiva and Ua Pou before we set off for the Tuamotus.

Pacific Crossing, Part IX — And Now for the Flip Side

Time to put all those romantic notions away and spill the beans about what it is really like to cross the Pacific Ocean in a 44 foot boat. It isn't at all like being on a cruise ship with candlelight dinners, strolls along the deck and drinks under light of the moon. There are some wonderful and special moments to be sure, but it has not been without its challenges.

Luckily, we haven't had any major weather problems, no breakdowns of equipment and no medical emergencies. In fact no problems of any kind. Thanks to all the well wishes we received our journey has been smooth and trouble free. That's the good part. The bad part is it makes for a rather dull blog and we won't have that incredible, life changing moment story to tell when we get home. I'm ok with that, but I feel we may disappoint those hoping to hear how we conquered the ocean through our ingenuity, strength and sheer determination. The only thing we have had to conquer on this trip was a severe case of boredom and restlessness.

For two people who have spent most of their lives being incredibly busy with work and family, I think we have coped quite well with this slow paced life on the ocean. We talk a lot about the things we want to do and make all kinds of plans for our return. But at some point, I can't help thinking of that Elvis Presley song - a little less conversation, a little more action please. Enough planning and discussing, let's just do something!!!

The difficult part of being on a boat for so long is being confined to such a small space and the limited movement. Well, that's not exactly true. We are moving all the time because of the waves and that, in and of itself, can be quite annoying. Especially when the boat is rocking a lot and just a small task like washing dishes takes a great deal of coordination and balance. And after a rough night at sea I feel like I haven't really slept cause it is impossible to lie still. So, I guess I am saying I miss moving around on my terms.

We eat incredibly well on this boat even if every meal is taken on your lap, one hand on the plate at all times. We did a good job of provisioning but I still have cravings for things we don't have (of course) like ice cream or oranges. Hmmm. I sure do hope they have ice cream in Hiva Oa.

This has been an experience like no other and I am glad for the opportunity but I won't hurry to do this again. Maybe it's a bit like childbirth and after a few months the memories of the boredom and the lack of mobility will be forgotten and I will romanticize the trip as I flip through my many nice sunset photos and enjoy the benefits of this long journey as we island hop in the South Pacific and will change my mind. Or maybe a not.

But talk to Jens and he has a completely different view. He is doing something he has dreamed of since he was a child and read the stories of Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon Tiki. He has romanticized this journey as following in the footsteps of the famous Captain Cook, crossing the largest ocean in the world. He is all about the journey, whereas I am all about the getting there. Perhaps not such a bad balance.

Pacific Crossing, Part VIII — The Last Stretch and Making Yoghurt

It is April 20th and we are less than 500 miles from our destination. The wind died down yesterday to a disappointing 4 to 5 knots but it picked up a bit during the night bringing our distance for the day to a respectable 125 miles. Today the winds have been reasonable and it looks like we'll be making landfall in another three or four days. We may actually need to slow down a little so we don't arrive in dark.

Our food supplies are still plentiful despite the lack of fish. However, we are down to the last bit of purchased yoghurt. Time to try out the recipe for homemade yoghurt. I remember my Turkish friends telling me they made yoghurt all the time. I just never realized what a simple process it was. I made my first attempt this morning and so far the results look impressive.

What you need:
• 3 tablespoons of yoghurt (pick one that you like the flavor of, make sure it does not contain sugar and is natural flavour)
• 1 liter of milk
Sterilize your pot and containers before you start (usually if they come out of the dishwasher that is sufficient, otherwise just pour boiling water over them)

Bring the milk to a temperature of 110 to 115°F. You can bring it to a boil and let it cool to the right temperature, just be sure to stir it so it doesn't get a skin on top. Mix the three tablespoons of yoghurt into one cup of the warm milk to thin before mixing into the rest of the milk. Stir it gently and then cover the container and keep warm for 5 to 10 hours depending on the consistency and flavour that you like.

To keep it warm, I heated a cast iron pot, covered it in a towel and put it in the bottom of a cooler bag, put the yoghurt in a plastic container on top, zipped it up and left it on the counter. When I get home, I'll just use my warming drawer, but I read you can also put it in your oven on bread proof setting. Another option is to put it in a thermos that has been warmed up with hot water.

Once the yoghurt is at the consistency you like (longer equals thicker and tarter), put it in the fridge. It will last for two weeks. If you want to add flavour do so just before serving (i.e. jam, honey, fruit, garlic and herbs, etc.). See how easy that was!

So, even though we have plenty of food and water and fuel on board and continue to find things to keep ourselves busy, we are both getting a bit stir crazy and look forward to planting our feet on the ground. Almost there!

Pacific Crossing, Part VII — The Night Watch

It is April 17 and we have completed 14 days at sea as of 9 AM this morning. Hah! And I thought I could never do it. I had always said I could never, and I mean never, imagine myself so far away from land. Well, here is living proof, that one should never say never as that is exactly what you will end up doing. It has been true for me many times during my life.

To celebrate two weeks at sea we had a glass of wine and a snack of nuts and raisins and raised a toast to the fine winds we have been having lately (ps the wine came out of a TBA 1 liter slim from Chile - quality was so, so; and the nuts were rather poor particularly in comparison to the world class nuts we had become accustomed to in Lebanon, Turkey and Iran. Oh yes, those were the absolute best!! And just for the record, we are saving the good wine to celebrate our arrival to Marquesas.)

Another night watch ahead of me. Luckily, I have the sunset and the moonset to distract me. Tonight the sunset was quite lovely as there was a clear sky but for a few wispy clouds here and there. I had my camera out and as I lean out of the boat, stretching my arm as far as it can reach hoping to get that magical shot of the sails, boat and sunset all in one, I'm happy Jens is below so he doesn't worry I might fall out or drop my camera.

Taking the sunset photos keeps me busy for about 15 minutes or so.  Then I have some time to read before it gets too dark. I can always use my headlamp but it is not my favorite thing to do. The book has to be really compelling. Otherwise, I reach for my iPad and play some games - Sudoku, Solitaire, or Angry Birds, or watch a movie. And then I wait for the moonset. I know I won't get a photo, but I can look longingly at it and think of how beautiful this world can be.

I have six hours ahead of me to think and do nothing but contemplate life before waking Jens at midnight. I often think about the wonderful people in my life and the many places I have been and the things I have done so far. I can't say my life has been boring. Interesting, sometimes exciting and perhaps a bit unusual, but not boring. And then I imagine how I would like the next 30 or so years to be.

Mind you, I sometimes also spend a lot of time thinking about rather dull things. Lately I have been working on making bread. I had tried the no knead bread recipe last fall without success. I liked the idea of a bread that you didn't need to knead. A lazy persons bread. But, for some reason, I just couldn't get it to rise. So I gave up and switched to beer bread. I soon got tired of that one and on this trip Jens wasn't prepared to donate his beer anyway, so I went back to experimenting with the no knead bread. I had read a few articles about making bread on the Internet and deduced that I had one of two problems. Either too much water or the yeast was insufficient either in quality or quantity. That leaves only the flour but I have to assume that the flour is fine. Well, the water one was solved. It is extremely humid here so I reduced the water. But the dough was still not rising very well. So I used more yeast and tried activating it with some warm water and a bit of sugar first. That worked really well and we now have some great homemade, crusty, chewy bread. So much better than some of the bread we had been buying which was all air and had the consistency of styrofoam.

As it gets darker the sea becomes a mysterious place. The waves make strange noises and I start to imagine things. What if there are monsters in the sea, knocking against the boat, thier breath making those strange pouffing sounds as they are climbing over the hull, making their way into the cockpit. They could grab my ankle and pull me into the ocean and Jens wouldn't notice until morning. No, don't be ridiculous. That's just silly.

Ok, so then I get to thinking about the mole on my shoulder that has been itchy and maybe suddenly it has turned into a cancerous growth that is eating away at my bones and muscles. No wonder my shoulder has been aching. I thought it was from sleeping on it for too long. Hmmm. I wonder if we will get to a doctor in time to save me.

Well, I have to say, that even though the mind can play little games now and then, we always find our way back to the rational reasonable world. That even though it is pitch black except for the twinkling of the stars and there is nothing but miles and miles of ocean around me, I know there are no such thing as monsters. And I am pretty sure it is just a harmless mole. Oh, oh. What was that noise. It sounded like something at the stern. Is it a giant octopus clinging to the ladder, slowly making its way on board, its tentacles slithering up into the cockpit. Maybe it is already there, hiding in the dinghy, its big eye peering over the edge, just waiting, watching...

Pacific Crossing, Part VI — The Things You See at Sea

There are not so many things to gaze at while in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. One wave looks pretty much like the other. Mind you the color of the water tends to change shades from a deep blue to dark gray, depending on the clouds and the time of day. And the swells are rather interesting to watch as they slowly make their way towards the boat, some cresting so close that you think they are actually trying to get into the boat with you. But waves and swells are not so interesting to photograph.

Dolphins
We love dolphins and they seem to enjoy coming around the boat as well. We had the pleasure of their company yesterday evening. It was a pod of dolphins, difficult to say how many but at least ten. They seem to like swimming in the surf the boat creates. They can swim quite fast and are lovely to watch. I think they came by to help us celebrate our reaching the half way mark on this journey.

Sunsets and Moonsets
We all love a beautiful sunset and I have taken my share of photos. I never cease to be amazed at the changing colors and hues and shapes and patterns created by the setting sun. At sea it is really cool to see the sun dipping into the ocean or sometimes it looks as if it is falling off the edge of the earth.

Moonsets are also quite beautiful. Impossible to photograph on a boat that is constantly moving but amazing to watch. Tonight I was treated to a real beauty of a moonset. It was a crescent waxing moon, the type where you expect to see someone reclining in its curve. As it slowly sank on the horizon it turned an incredible shade of peachy pinky orange, slipped behind a cloud for a moment before making its final dip into the ocean and out of sight. I think it was almost as beautiful as those great big harvest moons we see back home.

Flying Fish
These strange creatures that can't seem to decide if they belong in the ocean or in the sky are quite abundant in this ocean. We have seen large schools of them flying out of the water, apparently being chased by a predator. Or perhaps just going for a fly the same as we dip in the ocean for a swim.

Debris
Well, the most interesting debris we saw was what appeared to be a raft. Three large logs held together somehow bobbing along. We could only speculate what it was, where it was coming from and if anyone had ever been on it. But we didn't see any sign of Wilson.

Pacific Crossing, Part V — The Halfway Mark

We are now, according to our maps, half way to our destination. We have decided to head for the island of Hiva Oa instead of Nuku Hiva. Hiva Oa is a little further south in the Marquesas group of islands and from there it is a shorter trip to Fatu Hiva, which is an island that is apparently worth seeing. So, why don't we just head directly to Fatu Hiva? Well, first we must check in to the country, clearing through customs and immigration as you would do on arrival to any new country and we can only do that in either Nuku Hiva or Hiva Oa where there are ports of entry. From Fatu Hiva, we will make our way North again before heading West to Tahiti.

Coincidentally, we have also just about completed half of our three year adventure. If you remember, we had started with the plan to be out sailing for three or four years, but have since decided that we will stop after three years. It was not an easy decision as there are still so many places we would like to explore. Jens' ambition had been to cross the Pacific Ocean and although he would easily continue with this lifestyle for much longer, he knows that I yearn to be home again.

By this time next year we will begin the preparations to go home and continue with our careers. What that will mean, we don't yet know. We spend a lot of time discussing various options and scenarios. But who knows what will transpire. I have often said, if you keep an open mind doors will open up that you never thought of and opportunities will come.

We have been 10 days at sea. They have been largely uneventful (which is a good thing!) and the wind has been favorable. The past five days or so we have sailed an average of 175 miles per day. I am hoping this trend will continue which means we reach landfall in another 10 days.

In this big vast ocean we are but a tiny little speck.

Pacific Crossing, Part IV — One Zero to the Fish

We had imagined life at sea to be smooth, lazy days with a fresh fish on the table for dinner every night. Not so. At least not so far. We have had our lines out a few times on the days when the swells were not too big, but we haven't caught a thing yet. Even using our new lure. In fact we lost a lure making it 1 to 0 for the fish. Dang.

Mind you, if we didn't mind eating squid, we would have some every day. They literally jump onto the boat at night. This morning the harvest consisted of 12 squid and a flying fish. Yummy! Ok, maybe not so yummy.

We have started to do a squid count every morning now as it seems it will be the only fish coming onto the boat this trip. Today the flying fish outnumbered the squid. Oh yes, and after another day with the lines in the water, the score is 2 to 0 for the fish.

We had the lines in the water again and I unfortunately have to report the score is now 3 to 0 for the fish. Jens is losing hope. And running out of lures.

We haven't put away the fishing gear just yet. We had a line out with a small lure for a couple of days. We didn't catch anything on that so today Jens decided to try one of the larger lures we had bought before we left Galapagos. Good try, nice effort, but the fish are still winning and we can now count 4 to 0 for the fish.

The only fish Jens has brought in are these small, smelly flying fish that landed on the deck last night. It's a pretty poor situation. Seems you have lost your fishing mojo, Jens?

Pacific Crossing — Captain's Log

Left Santa Cruz, Galapagos anchorage at 9am on April 3rd, 2013. Clear skies, light winds from the East. Motored for most of the day. Wind picked up in the evening and we set the sails. Distance of 3020 miles and an estimated transit time to destination of Marquesas is 23 days.

Distance and Position Log:
Day 1 - 121 miles, 02°06"625S; 91°48"455W
Day 2 - 84 miles, 02°49"685S; 93°01"103W. Met SY Melana May just before sundown and saw whales
Day 3 - 129 miles, 03°47"207S; 94°51"431W.
Day 4 - 122 miles, 03°48"145S; 96°54"465W.
Day 5 - 166 miles, 04°12"258S; 99°38"143W.
Day 6 - 162 miles, 04°08"732S; 102°22"199W.
Day 7 - 182 miles, 04°06"533S; 105°24;498W. Clocks adjusted back by one hour.
Day 8 - 184 miles, 04°08"418S; 108°28"893W.
Day 9 - 185 miles, 04°13"179S; 111°34"327W. Record day for distance.
Day 10 - 176 miles, 04°41"331S; 114°28"859W.
Day 11 - 154 miles, 05°16"791S; 116°58"942W. Total to date 1,680 miles for an average speed of 153 miles per day. Saw dolphins at sundown.
Day 12 - 132 miles, 05°22"688S; 119°11"29W.
Day 13 - 154 miles, 05°31"522S; 121°46"287W. Clocks adjusted back by one hour.
Day 14 - 152 miles, 05°48"527S; 124°20"290W.
Day 15 - 152 miles, 06°05"255S; 126°52"030W.
Day 16 - 131 miles, 06°40"837S; 128°59"213W.
Day 17 - 125 miles, 07°15"047S; 131°00"147W.
Day 18 - 125 miles, 07°50"838S; 133°00"499W.
Day 19 - 142 miles, 08°30"718S; 135°17"949W. Clocks adjusted back by one hour.
Day 20 - 111 miles, 09°07"024S; 137°09"059W.
Day 21 - 100 miles, 09°44"408S; 138°38"133W. Land sighted at 07:00 hours
Arrival to Baie Tahauku, Isle Hiva Oa, Marquesas at 15:30 position 09°48"147S; 139°01"863W. Clocks adjusted back 30 minutes.

Trip averages: 142 miles per day; speed of 5.9 knots per hour.
28 hours of running time on the engine and 78 hours on the generator for total fuel consumption of 45 gallons.

Distance to New Zealand - 3020 miles

Pacific Crossing, Part III — Riding the Waves

The swells are up around 3 to 4 meters at times. This little boat of ours is a pro at riding those waves. Even when they come at us sideways she just gets up on top of the wave and surfs down the other side.

For the swells to be so big, it means the wind is also blowing quite strong. We have had steady 12 to 15 knot winds with gusts up to 17 knots. This has given us a record day for distance clocking in 186 miles in 24 hours. We reduced our sails to make it a little more comfortable, otherwise we would be keeling at a constant 10 to 15 degrees. And it wouldn't give us much more speed even with all the sails out. To explain, our waterline speed is 9 knots and the last few days we have been traveling at an average of 8 knots, so even with all the sails out, we wouldn't improve our speed by much.

We are now into our second week at sea. The novelty of the night shift is wearing out, but at the same time, a certain routine is setting in. Despite that, I still struggle with the change of habit. I tip my hat off to those professionals working shifts. Heck, anyone that has to be up late or get up in the wee hours of the night to go to work has my respect. I don't know how they do it.

Pacific Crossing, Part II — Establishing Routines

We will be many days on this journey and I realize that one day will soon run into another with not much happening in between. Today, our big excitement was a bit of rain, whale spotting and meeting up with another sailboat. S/V Melana May had left Puerto Ayora the afternoon before us and they were also 'looking for wind' to carry them westward.

During the first three days we had been sailing in the direction of SSW aiming to get down to 3 or 4 degrees South where there should be more constant wind blowing from ESE. The wind during our first three days has been intermittent and when there was wind, it was blowing at about 7 to 8 knots per hour which has us moving at 3.5 to 4 knots, a bit less than our anticipated average speed of 5.5 knots. Perhaps I was a bit too optimistic with my calculations.

On the third day we were well down past three degrees South and the wind picked up as expected and was blowing at about 10 to 12 knots. Yesterday we sailed 124.4 miles, a little closer to what we had been hoping for.

We are getting daily emails on our satellite phone from our new friend Andy on S/V Spruce. We report in our position to him and he replies with information on where they are and any weather info he has for our course for the next couple of days. A very nice bit of information and very kind of him to have us 'on his radar' sort of speak. This supplements the updates Eric sends to us from Passage Weather which is the website we have been using for wind and waves since we started sailing.

We are now in our fourth day at sea and have settled somewhat into a routine. We take our main meal at lunch so that Jens can get to bed around 6pm. He takes a late afternoon snack and then makes himself a sandwich during his shift. I prefer to have a midnight snack of popcorn or crackers or something sweet right now as I am still feeling a little queasy. Still looking for those sea legs!

It is good to have routines, because the days can be quite long. There is not much to see out here at sea. We look forward to charging the batteries at 8:30AM, sending an email to Andy with our position at 9AM, noting our position on my iPad at 10AM with an email to Eric and Michelle every third day, morning nap for Jens at 11AM, dinner at 1PM, afternoon nap for me at 4PM, receiving weather reports from Andy at 4ish, another quick charge of batteries between 5 and 6PM and then the night shift starts. Emails from Eric, Michelle and Nick have been the highlights of this week. It's nice to hear from the folks back home.

We spend most of our free time reading. I have been browsing through the book, "How to Sail Around the World" which we had bought long before we started this journey. I had started reading it before but it seems that every chapter is wrought with stories of ships sinking, capsizing, running aground, losing their masts, booms, rudders, sails and whatnot that I was almost put off going to sea. Looking though it again makes me think that perhaps we have been a little too casual about our state of readiness. I really hope we don't have to endure the types of things I have been reading about. Can you imagine crashing your boat into a sperm whale or seeing a 35 foot wall of water about to crash down on you or losing your rudder to some odd bit of debris in the water and having to rig up hand steering for the whole trip!

But let's be reasonable. Those massive storms are more typical of the Atlantic, or the South or North seas. Much less likely here at the equator. After all, there are at least 200 boats on this same journey. And sailing those boats are people just like us. Not necessarily hardened sea-faring rogues with years of experience sailing in the most difficult places and in the worst of conditions. Those salty bastards that are more comfortable in rain slickers and rubber boots than they are in shorts and deck shoes. We'll be all right. Yes, we will!

It is now the end of our first week and we have covered about 900 nautical miles which puts us pretty much on track for a 23 day crossing. The winds picked up nicely these last few days but then so have the size of the swells, making me a little nauseous now and again. I think my Indian blood is reminding me that I am a girl of the woods, not a girl of the sea!

Pacific Crossing, Part I— And We're Off!

We lifted the stern anchor and then the bow anchor, started the engine, said farewell to Andy and Sue on s/v Spruce and headed out of Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz. The winds are light today, about 4.5 knots, and are coming from SSW. Too little wind to sail, and of course, also from the wrong direction, as we are currently heading SSW trying to get a little further South to catch the right winds before changing course and heading directly West.

It is 9AM on April 3rd, 2013. We have at least 23 days before reaching land. It is a good feeling to be under way once again, even if we can't put up the sails. We will send the first of our position emails to Eric and Michelle in a couple of hours time. We agreed to report in every three days. We will be in contact again on Saturday sending our coordinates and Michelle will update our SEGWUN Facebook page and our Track My Tour app so everyone can see how far along we have gotten.

The wind picked up before noon and we had the sails up until just before sunset when they tapered off again. Oh, and what a glorious sunset it was. All shades of pinks, reds and yellows, contrasting with the blue sky and a last look at the Galapagos islands of Floreana on our port side and San Isabela, Quatro Hermanos and Tortugas on the Starboard.

I am on my first night watch. We decided to try six hour shifts with me taking the first watch since I find it hard to fall asleep so early. I will try and stay alert until midnight or so giving Jens at least six solid hours of sleep. Then I can sleep till daybreak and during the day we will take turns napping.

We have picked up a passenger this evening. He flew around the boat about six or seven times, trying out different roosting spots before settling for the lazy jack of the main sail. I'll have to remember to tell Jens not to raise the mainsail before he has finished sleeping and flown off again. I doubt he plans to travel to French Polynesia with us.

Captain and First Mate

So we are back to just a Captain and First Mate on board SEGWUN. Our guests have packed up all their things, which seem to have grown to almost double during their seven months on board, and are headed to San Cristobal by ferry where they will board their first of many flights to get back home to Denmark. Their cheap tickets take them home on a bit of a milk run via Guayaquil, Madrid, London and finally Copenhagen.

We have been together with Anna and Christian since they landed in Toronto at the end of July having already spent a month of touring the Western United States. We traveled to Panama together and explored the many islands on both coasts, traversed the canal and sailed South to Salinas, Ecuador before setting off to Galapagos. We have celebrated birthdays and Christmas together and last night's Easter celebration marked the end of their tour of duty on SY SEGWUN with a nontraditional dinner of sushi here in Santa Cruz.

They are going home brown as nuts with sun-streaked hair as evidence of their time in South America, but this will soon fade after a few months back home. However the hours of videos and thousands of photos they have taken will be a more permanent record of their adventures for the years to come. But now they have to focus on career and school. Anna graduated with her Nursing degree last Spring and has sent off applications for positions in hospitals and Christian graduated as an electrical engineer but will be returning to the world of academia to pursue his Master's degree choosing to study in Odense, Denmark. After this long break they should be ready to face the next chapter of their lives.

We will look back fondly at our time together as Jens and I continue to cruise the world, happy in the thought that we don't need to head back to work any time soon.