April 18,2009
good morning all,
am sitting here on my watch - 2-6am, trying to get weather! we are motor sailing right now trying to get easterly - quite the challenge with the wind going the wrong way, but it is turning so that is good. the other night when we hove-to we had a steady 35 knot wind with gusts to 42!! that was not the most fun we've had! the seas were huge too. not a comfortable night to say the least so Steve decided to go further south, Malachi is also doing the same. we will be turning _- wholly cow ,just had a huge wave hit us and soak the inside of my galley through that same dam solar vent - salt water everywhere!
anyway, will keep this short now as i have a mess to clean up, all are well on board and have managed to get more sleep. We will be in VHF range with malachi soon again, hopefully! have been talking a few times on the ham, and ssb.
must go and wipe up the water.
hugs
Dionne
April 21,2009
Sandra asked about the chickidees here's the answer no we lost one to the ocean, poor thing just couldn't make it back to the boat, me and the kids cried to steve to turn the boat around to rescue him, steve almost did, and then said no - he was right, but poor Emma was so upset!!! we had lots of talks about that, then the next day the other one showed up - but he to is gone,not sure what happened to him, but I think the same thing, lucky for us we didn't see that one happen. we were so far away from land, they couldn't possibly make it back. I got to hold the other one, we tried to warm him and feed him, but no luck. very sad time on orca 3
we are now in this sloppy rocking back and forth sea with the wind still going the right way. malachi is still with us just a mile of our starboard. we talk all the time. today the girls played hangman and did brain teasers with the malachi girls via VHF - that was fun.
Poor graeme is still working on his sea legs, during breakfast lost his balance and "ran" into maya knocking her oatmeal everywhere. funny it was! we have settled into our nightly watches well. steve 6pm-10 graeme 10pm-2am Kyle 9pm-1130pm maya 130am-4am dionne 2am-6am Emma whenever she gets up in the morning, usually around 6am and has also come up with Maya's shift to see Graeme. during the day we all take turns getting naps. i do most of the cooking and have now got everyone to wash their own bowls most of the time. forgot what it was like during a long crossing, hasn't been to bad this time. guess we are seasoned offshorers - still love being anchored better. I am looking forward to the Australs, and also Hawaii, and for sure coming home. its time for me! this has been good for us as a family - glad we did this, will miss it too once back and will and do miss all of our other cruising buddies we left in NZ. we talk on the ham and email though so that is good.
love ya and miss you lots
hugs
Dionne
April 22,2009
good morning everyone!
we are doing great here. have had a fantastic couple of days sail and now we are motor sailing - not much wind and fairly calm seas with the odd big swell. Tomorrow is Steves birthday!!! making him is favorite dinner.
We have watched the pirates of C - all three over the last 4 days! We be pirates now!!! Steve and Graeme had to go on deck and Steve had to fix our main sail. one of the sail cars at the mast came apart . so there was steve sitting on the boom in the sail cover fixing her up. He is so good at that. the boys also transfered all but 60 litres of the fuel that was in jerry cans on deck to the tanks. do it while its calm!! all in all this has been a pretty good passage once we got out of that 42 knot gale! have been baking up a storm , and eating prettty good , I think. not much else going on here, lots of sleeping ,reading, yacking with Malachi on VHF. we love that.
We are at 40* 30s 162* 52 W
getting there ..............
hugs,
Dionne
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