The Kat Log - Part III, the final chapter

Day 15 – Friday April 30th
It’s the last day of the month. Rainy day start and just wanted to curl up and watch movies. Days are blending together now. The big event of the day is dinner. No cooking for me tonight-yeah. I just laid around reading, sunning, napping, and riding on the bow sprit watching the water.
I don’t know what I expected but not this – weather has been cool & overcast mostly. Everyone said I’d be so bloody hot that I would welcome any rain or wind. Hmmmmmmm. I’m cold.
Tonight’s Dinner: Breaded fresh Ahi and potatoes by Ben & Brian

Day 16 – Saturday May 1st
Well I thought we’d be in Tahiti by this time when we left for s/v Imagine in La Paz on March 5th! Well at least we are doing better than our Med average – we are only 1 month behind in leaving. Oh, and we are not on Imagine. No surprise there as you have to be flexible when boat hitch hiking.
It’s May – WTF!!!
Other WTF moments running through my head:
I’m going to be 40 in a month- yikes!
We are over half way to the Marquises
It’s pouring down rain. (It started last night and has not let up. Thank goodness for icing glass and an enclosed cockpit.)
How much chess can 2 people play? (In reference to Ali and Don’s marathon sessions lasting 4 -5 hours a day, sometimes twice a day.)
Tonight’s Dinner: Beet and parsley fettuccini pasta by Kat

Sidebar: Our daily routine
Night watch
Sleep
Eat
Chess / Read (for everyone else)
Listen to the SSB radio
Watch
Cook Dinner
Dishes
Sleep / Nap
Cards
This routine varies when we:
Run the generator
Run the watermaker
Do laundry
Tack sails
Catch a fish
Watch a movie
Listen to music

Day 17 – Sunday May 2nd
We are getting close to the equator and talks of a Neptune party run wild. Rumors of wearing a tie, lipstick, and a ceremony ensue. “What you brought a tie”, asked Don. “No, a sail tie”, said Ali. You get the picture.
It’s another rainy and grey day today but Brian has stepped up to make bread for us. This is our first attempt.
We watched 3 movies today: Waterworld, Sex in the City, and Beverly Hills Cop (the original). It was super fun and I almost felt normal.
Tonight’s Dinner: Spilt pea soup with homemade wheat bread by Kat & Brian

Day18 – Monday May 3rd
Motoring, wind on the nose but out of the doldrums & rain, I think. We are almost to the equator now – 1*54’.495N 129*04’.12W, 902 nm to go to the Marquises and Paul Gauguin’s playground. I should have been an art history major.
Tonight’s Dinner: Steak & Potatoes with veggies: cabbage, carrots, peas by Don
Day 19 – Tuesday May 4th

EQUATOR DAY!
During my watch 2 – 4pm, eta to the celebration was 3:30pm. We were on track to the Marquesas at a heading of 227 degrees.
I’m going to wear my high heals, white dress and pirate booty swim trunks with gold jewelry. I think that would be an appropriate attire for such an event!
Their will be speeches made and presentations given. I am looking forward to it – s/b fun.

Afterwards: It was super fun but that’s all I can tell you, wogs.

Day 20 – Wednesday May 5th
Stars out. I saw the Southern Cross – looks like a kite.
Tonight’s Dinner: Spaghetti Bolognese by Kat

Day 21 – Thursday May 6th
We are 3 weeks out to sea, and are making great time now with the trade winds finally in our favor.
I am so burnt out on reading. We are going so fast and heeling so much it is hard to really do anything. Fishing is out since we are flying, like 7.7 kts. It is hard to sleep and I am ready for Land Ho!
Four more days maybe?
Tonight’s Dinner: Chicken, rice and bean salad by Brian & Ben

Day 22 – Friday May 7th
Really bored. Burnt out.
Tonight’s Dinner: Breakfast for dinner – Pancakes, eggs & bacon by Ben & Brian

Day 23 – Saturday May 8th
I got a shower today and so needed it. Then I immediately got showered by salt water when a huge wave came through the port side portal and douched me – ugh! So much for trying to be clean. What’s the point?
Tonight’s Dinner: Veggie Couscous and chicken by Kat

Day 24 – Sunday May 9th
Today is our expected day of arrival and we are certainly close. We hope to make landfall by this evening. We have 70.3 nm to go, and our SOG is 6.0 kts so 12 hours to go – keep your fingers crossed.
It’s Don’s Birthday today. I’m making him some cookies to celebrate.
Land Ho @ 5:15pm!
We are now staling for daybreak with 30nm to go. We want to anchor in the daylight.
Ben picks up the VHF radio – “Hello, is anybody out there?” So funny, well at least it was to us. We’ve been away too long.
Tonight’s Dinner: Steak, garlic smashed potatoes, carrots & peas by Brian

Day 25 – Monday May 10th
Arrived at 8:15am into the harbor ~ Hiva Oa, Marquises

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

SEE ALL THE PPJ PHOTOS @: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katnbrian/sets/72157624269685171/

Love you

The Kat Log - Part II

Day 8, 9 & 10 – April 23rd – 25th
Sailing speed picked up. Felt sea sick.
The 8th Dinner: Grilled fresh caught fish, rice and a bean, corn, salsa salad by Ben & Kat
The 9th Dinner: Fish taco’s and rice by Brian
The 10th Dinner: Garlic and Herb pasta by Kat

Day 11 – Monday April 26th
The view has not changed for days. I look out to an ocean of blue – nothing but water all around and it is not going to change anytime soon!
We caught 2 more fish today, bringing our total count to 6. Fishy for dinner, mmmmmmmm good. Or Mahi Mahi, that is “fish, fish” in the Persian language.
Well we are at the half way point in time but not in distance. I was hoping we’d be near the equator but the 3 days of no wind in the beginning of the trip mucked that up.
Hold onto your hat, it’s going to be a long ride. So far no one has lost it, really. They don’t seem insane but how do you tell when present company are all crazy?
Lot’s of time for reflection and to contemplate what & where I want to go in life. I guess I should start to take advantage of this.
Tonight’s Dinner: Polenta bread fresh fish and homestyle chips by Ben & Brian

Day 12 – Tuesday April 27th
3pm - Caught another fish today. Yellow fin and it was huge! Fish on. Carrot crop took a sh*t. Now I am making carrot cabbage coleslaw, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, for dinner tomorrow we’ll be having carrot ginger soup and carrot cilantro Asian noodle salad. For snacks we’ll be eating carrot sticks….. :)
7:15pm – Yeah, I made cake, well attempted too. It was a disaster – start to finish with me spilling 3 eggs and 1 cup of oil all over the place for starters, and ending with cutting off ¼” of the burnt bottom. It was delicious no matter how it appeared. Definitely worth all the kitty expletives & the melt down that occurred. Poor kitty….
We just got 3 hits on all 3 fishing lines at once! - Very exciting indeed. What do you know, we hooked a shark! However, in all the chaos I ended up losing my Tuna. Kitty sad :(
What a thrilling day – we also had a helicopter fly by. What? Where did they come from? Nobody knows! They did a lap around the boat, thoroughly checking us out, then waved and disappeared into the abyss.
Tonight’s Dinner: Cedar plank teriyaki fresh fish, leftover garlic smashed potatoes, and carrot coleslaw by Brian & Kat

Day 13 - Wednesday April 28th
Hump day – both time and distance. I tried painting my toes today. What was I thinking! I am definitely losing it. I baked a cake yesterday with disastrous effects and today I did this. I guess I am just trying to be normal but I have to realize that I am not. And this is not a normal life. What an epiphany!
Painting toes in a pitching boat put that down in the record books. However, I did have some success and they do look pretty dam good. Nothing a little polish remover couldn’t fix.
It only took 2 hours of lying down to re-cover from feeling sick. I’ve acclimated but it is never going to be 100% for me. I just have to realize that. Not sure if this life is really for me. Jury is still out on this case …………
Tonight’s Dinner: Grilled fresh cedar plank Ahi with an Asian noodle salad by Brian & Kat

Day 14 - Thursday April 29th
9pm – Fishing boat traffic. Got close and everyone freaked out – like we have never dealt with night traffic before! It was crazy but they were showing the wrong mast colors denoting that the vessel was not under command. Then they cut us off and didn’t respond to our radio hails. We eventually had to start up our engines to maneuver but all was over in about 45min.
It was funny that we all panicked but that was only the 2nd boat we have come across so far in the pacific.
Tonight’s Dinner: Curry fish and rice by Kat & Ben

Better late than never - the Kat Log

Okay, so this is long overdue and I have been promising forever, but here are the stories from the beginning.
Pacific Puddle Jump Log
Day 1 – Friday April 16th
Good wind, a good start. We sailed 124 nm. I hope it lasts!
Tonight’s Dinner: Tomato, garlic & basil pasta by Kat

Day 2 – Saturday April 17th
Wind died today, of course. We also had a tomato crop disaster and lost over half of our fresh tomatoes we provisioned with. Whatz up with that! They only lasted a week and were green when we bought them.
Tonight’s Dinner: Pasta Primavera in Alfred sauce with chicken by Brian

Day 3 – Sunday April 18th
I decided that I’d write a book either based on “the litterbox” or the “Kat log” (and no I am not talking about poo here people), to fund my brainchild idea – the Church of Kat. To be expanded, maybe, to the House of the dog. Anyhow, I have some thumbnail designs for it, and it’s gonna be the cats meow :)
Oh, as for sailing, it was a quiet day, literally, like in no wind. So, the guys decided to go for a swim and Ali injured himself when he drove in. Bummer, down another crew member, well ½ a crew as he is still able to stand watch.
No wind = no sailing = no fish :(
I attempted to do La Paz Annie’s Yoga today. I only made it through the floor exercises before I was totally and completely sea sick. It gives new dimension to downward facing dog in a pitching sailboat! I can’t imagine attempting any standing balancing poses like Warrior, but hey, I’m game.
More tomato dishes today. Sad really, that we have to eat all our fresh tomato’s in one shot.
Tonight’s Dinner: Chili con carne / Veggie chili by Ben & Kat

Day 4 – Monday April 19th
4am – It’s early but I actually like this time to myself, alone, on watch. It’s ultra quiet except for the rustling of the rig. My time to contemplate life, love, and what matters. What will be my legacy? So far, I feel I have been like an unmanned sailboat, just adrift, lucky enough to escape major storms or hitting the rocks so far, but aimless none the less.
In these wee hours, I have devised a plan – something great, well to me at least, and that is one of life’s great lessons – follow your heart. Your head tends to over think such ambitions, even to dismiss them as foolish. Not this time.
Art & architecture – creation really are the lasting legacies to mankind. Museums, churches, monuments, works of beauty and awe, these are the things people visit, worship, and covet. They are everlasting, and if they are not, we dig them up and restore them.
Step one, write a book, maybe a children’s book? Step two, advertise & collect donations via the blog, and save book royalties. Also, produce a line of kitty cat products to sell on my website. Then finish the artistic renderings of my designs, and post to a website. Build it and they will come!
2pm the same day – Something to note the days have all been mostly overcast and I am really looking forward to the sun. Go figure - I sent a bunch of pants back to the states (one can only carry so much stuff).
Our little ambassador’s of the sea made an appearance today (dolphins), and they were not so little, huge actually. It never gets old watching them play in the bow wake and watching them watching you. Them so curious of us and us of them, just fantastic!
9pm – Another ultra slow day. I’d be surprised if we did 40 nm – ugh! Still no fish - meow. I’m watching a movie….
I’m going to lose my mind fast at this rate, and only 21 more days to go! I started to write my children’s book. Oh, I got a shower today, ahhhhhhh…….
Tonight’s Dinner: Falafel, Hummus wraps with cucumber, salsa relish by Kat

Side note: Hand Washing
Why do (a lot of, but not all) men feel it is not necessary to wash their hands after taking a leak (especial when peeing overboard)? Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before – “well I don’t pee on my hands!” Note to guys – us women, we don’t pee on our hands either! Oh, let’s use that same logic with going super potty, shall we. Do you poop on you hands? You still wash them though don’t you?
You touch all the same stuff – the door, handle, seat, flusher. Even if you pee outside, you still have to whip it out & touch your privates directly. And then, let’s talk about the “shake” off. That action can accidentally hit an unintended target – like your clothing, hands, etc. So why do most men not wash their hands? Really. You know who you are, stop kidding yourselves.
Women don’t handle themselves with direct contact, drip, shake – they use a tissue. Plus all the women I know wash their hands after using the potty, even taking a leak. Just think about it.

Day 5 – Tuesday April 20th
Very uneventful day except we actual sailed, woowho! Avg 4 kts with 7-9 kts of breeze. Okay but it will be nice when we get some good, consistent wind over 10kts. I did a lot of reading today. Started another book and got through the first 100 pages.
Sea sickness is at bay, not talking anything but not feeling all that great either. It is very intermittent though. For the most part I think I am doing really, really well. It helps to be on such a big boat.
Tonight’s Dinner: Pork chops and chili leftovers by Ben & Brian

Day 6 – Wednesday April 21st
Read and slept a lot today. I finished my book “Goodnight Nobody” – great read.
We actually held a good pace sailing. Poled out.
Tonight’s Dinner: Curry chicken / Curry vegetables by Ali (supervisiory role only) & Brian

Day 7 – Thursday April 22nd
One full week of sailing, only did 450 nm total, so we are a little behind. Oh well, what are you going to do? Nothing. Wait for the wind, nothing but time. We are still poled out and now holding an average of 5.5 kts.
I am not feeling so good. I didn’t really sleep last night. It was a rough dinner, or shall I say a rough time cooking. I flipped over the pot of smashed potatoes onto the ground but they stuck to the sides and came out okay. Then I attempted to make biscuits for hamburger buns, wow that was difficult. Everything was flying all over the place, I needed 5 more hands!
Tonight’s Dinner: Hamburgers on homemade rosemary biscuits, smashed potatoes, and zucchini by Kat

Hiva Ou - First photos

Hiva Ou, Marquesas

A Paul Gaugin Print

Arriving at the Island



The anchorage


Hillside view

Mango field of dreams- gleaning fruit

At the Marathon

Land Ho!

We arrived on Monday, May 10th (Happy Birthday Dad), however internet is rather hard to get in Paradise! Hence the reason for the delay in posting.

The morning of our departure was the La Paz, Mexico, Bayfest Volleyball tournament in which the team Brian and I had been practicing with was to play. We had just practiced with the team to fill out the sides but we were asked to stay for the games. It went so far as the team captain asked our boat owner to stay over a few more hours so that we could be in the tournament. The owner relented and we played. The bruises and stiff muscles earned were well worth the delay. The team finished in a hard fought third place out of 3 teams. Our trophies consisted of the cold beers we paid for at the bar. Later, Brian told me he had been elbowed in the face and had a broken nose and loose front teeth. He still looked the same to me.
After a few quick errands and last minute showers we caught the out going tide and sailed past La Paz as the sun was setting. Many friends shouted out farewells over the ship to ship radio as we passed and one boat of friends set off a bunch of fire works! We had fair winds for a while and then motored.
As we motored into Cabo San Lucas, we watched many Humpback whales leaping out of the water. They were of in the distance but you could clearly see them throwing their whole bodies out of the water 3 or 4 at a time! We anchored 200 yards off the beach in front of 2 huge beach bars and in the middle of a huge swarm of jetskis and small sight seeing boats and 3 cruise ships parked right behind us.
We stopped into Cabo to officially check out of the country, fix a few leaky things and top off all our fluids, and most importantly find out why the hell our ATM cards don’t work!! Did you know that in Mexico you can not make an 800 call from any pay/public phone? Neither did we. Skype to the rescue. We learned that the credit card companies don’t read their clients files when a strange charge shows up and they had put a hold on them!
We got everything sorted and shoved off into the big blue sea. The trip started with good winds and a dolphin escort. A couple of days into it the wind quit, and we bobbed around like a cork making 100 miles in 3 days. The boys went swimming and Ali (a crew member) dislocated his shoulder diving off the boat. Not good. We set it and put him to bed with some pain killers. He was really bummed out but stayed in good sprits for the rest of the trip. We watched movies on the big screen TV and read books to pass the time. When the wind came back we cruised at a good pace and caught fish for dinner. Mahi Mahi. We caught fish 4 days straight. We made Teriyaki Ginger tuna on a bed of Asian noodle salad one night. The food was great for the whole trip.
When we crossed the equator, we swore our allegiance to the great Neptune and toasted to a safe crossing. Don, the boat owner presented us with some very cool boat shirts.
The next few days the wind picked up and we really sailed. We were averaging 7.5 knots for days on end. The night skies a just crammed full of stars and much time was spent trying find the zodiac signs. The book reading continued at a fever pace. Three loaves of bread got made and we broke a few things. We lost use of the radar and wind speed indicator. The wind generator doesn’t charge right. The toe rail broke free right were the jib sheet runs through a block and the hydraulic steering pumps came un bolted from their mounts and we noticed one of the lower shrouds has a broken wire. Just the normal sailing stuff.
Monday morning the sun came up revealing the big beautiful island of Hiva Oa and with the sounds of ukulele music we realized we had just completed the crossing of the Pacific Ocean in 25 days! Whew!
Pictures to follow whenever we can get them uploaded.