Category: 2009 July Blog

Dear F&F,
July 31, 2009

It just occurred to me as I began writing that these \”Ships Logs\” are like an email reality show. Nearly live, from around the world. What is the \”Beach House\” crew up to now?

I invited David & Mary to dinner last night since I know that they are heading off soon & it seemed like my chance to host them. I made brown rice cooked with coconut milk & ginger, Bruce\’s (sailboat \”Migration\”) Szechuan eggplant (minus the sesame oil, but still good), and garlic shrimp. I splurged & opened 2 of my last 4 bottles of white wine. One was my last bottle of Whitehaven. We toasted \”Red Herring II\”of New Zealand (Whitehaven is a sauvignon blanc from the Marlborough region of NZ) who set sail for Tahiti that day. David played \”Auld Lang Syne\” on his concertina. We introduced them to a few selected tracts of Jimmy Buffet. It was funny to us that David quickly dismissed Ottmar Liebert as awful (which we often play as background party music), but appreciated his frankness. His main complaint was that Ottmar could have never been to Spain & come away with this music. We look forward to hearing some Portuguese Fado that David & Mary love. We also got a hoot out of how much he seemed to love Jimmy Buffet!

In respect for their low glycemic index diet, I did not have a dessert planned. But when David mentioned what he had onboard \”E.T.G.\” I was thrilled to bring out the desired ingredients: small squares of 70% chocolate topped with fresh lime. He carefully peeled the lime to remove all pith then sectioned it & removed all membrane. He placed a small bit of pure lime fruit on the square of chocolate. You pop it in your mouth for a taste sensation. I couldn\’t help but think of the part in the movie \”Ratatouille\” (which we gave them & they adored) when the rat is trying to get his brother to expand his taste horizons. Very nice; and low GI!

This morning we were up at 6:00 a.m., zoomed by dinghy the 20 minutes to the dive area, saw the shop boat already out & jumped in probably 30 minutes after them. There was a clear incoming tide and sunshine, best conditions we\’ve had yet. Scott timed it just right. We were gazing at \”Shark Avenue\” within 5 minutes. It was fantastic to see a parade of grey reef sharks swimming up & down the sandy lane at about 90-100 feet deep. We held on to bits of rock at 90 feet, gradually working our way to 60 feet as our decompression-meter of our dive computers dictated. The current was steady but comfortable. Scott held onto the dinghy, so he did not have a camera. Darn! When we had maximized our deep time, we went gradually to 30 feet drifting along the acres of lively coral & fish below us. Better than any Disneyland ride!

After we did our safety stop & both surfaced we went to the cafe built over the water & hung out with dive master Marc, crew from \”E.T.G.\” Josh & Claire & met the new tourists Jill & Dan. Within minutes we figured out we have a SMALL WORLD STORY with Jill. She is my friend Peggy\’s sister!!! Peggy is my former patient, turned friend. That happened to me a lot – lucky me to gain so many friends during my career. Peggy\’s husband Mark was also my patient & is our primary M.D. Peggy\’s Dad Doug was a frequent patient & shares my birthday. When I turn 50, he turns 80. So I have a strong connection to this family. I had heard the story from Peggy how miraculous & wonderful it was that not long after Jill had lost her husband to an unexpected tragic heart attack, she meets this great guy Dan & is having the time of her life. Here they are on vacation at just this time when we are here! We could not have planned this if we\’d tried. They are avid divers & travel as much as possible. A few months ago they were diving in Palau. This is their 3rd trip to Fakarava. What an amazing coincidence to run into the sister of my good friend! I can\’t wait to email Peggy that we are a part of her sister\’s vacation! THIS IS FAKARAVA, look it up on a world map, it doesn\’t get any \”smaller world\” than this!

We will begin diving with them & Marc tomorrow. Then Scott will be able to take pictures & video & not drag our dinghy. You will see the results in the galleries after we get to Tahiti.

Later on, I took David up on his offer to teach me how to sail. This may sound very strange, but I really am not a confident sailor. Our boat is so big & not quickly responsive. Changes in sail trim & other adjustments are not felt like a small boat and not always easy for me to see & understand. David & Mary have a wooden sailing dinghy that looks like a row boat with a mast. It\’s name appropriately is \”Mouse\”. The \”E.T.G.\” kids have been enjoying it. When I saw them all motor off for snorkeling at the other anchorage, I got my courage to ask David to teach me. He had warned me I\’d be wet, so I dressed in my lycra shorts & shirt I wear under my wetsuit. The little boat\’s sails are hot pink so my aloha shirt matched perfectly.

He demonstrated how to control the rudder, genoa & main lines then got into his motorized dinghy to follow me. I had taken small boat sailing lessons before I met Scott, but not this small! It was great because it is hard to capsize yet imminently responsive, so I felt what to do intuitively very soon. Pull in or ease out the main with one line. Keep the tiny genoa from fluttering with another line that is then cleated. Push the rudder away from the direction I want to go (opposite of our wheel which is like driving a car). I sat in the bottom of the hull & had to duck when I tacked to avoid hitting the boom with my head. Everything was so small & toy like, that I wasn\’t afraid. All parts were light & manageable. It took a bit of muscle as there was 10-15 knots of breeze when I was out, so I got a good thrill going close to the wind & using my body weight to keep the dinghy from heeling too hard over. When the wind lightened, I\’d sit inboard a bit, to not tip her the wrong direction. David swung by \”Giselle\” to pick up Scott (where he was enjoying coffee with Mary) so he could take some photos of me, making him promise not to give me any coaching whatsoever.

A line wasn\’t tied properly & the upper half of the gaff mast fell down during my first 5 minutes. Later another line broke & the foot of the main bunched up. Then near the end, I hit a shallow bit of coral with the dagger board. Despite these casualties, it was a very happy & confidence-building experience. I laughed out loud that it was perfect that I got to experience some of any sailor\’s biggest fears: the mast falling off, ripping a key mainsail line & running aground, all without any serious consequence. Another round of love & appreciation for our friends on \”Giselle\”.

Our tanks are pumped & we are looking forward to our morning dive with dive master Marc. We may get in two if the incoming tide lasts long enough for us to have an adequate surface interval.
We signed up for a package of 6 dives & will likely do more. Stay tuned, more adventures from South Fakarava to come.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 30, 2009

We love to get emails from our friends and family. What you read on as these \”Ships Logs\” begins as a more raw email update to my closest supporters. They are not well edited & can be whiney at times. After reading such an email, I received this heartfelt reply from friend Clark, formerly from Oklahoma, then Los Angeles, now living in Paris. I appreciate all my cheer leaders and wanted to share his letter with you.

Dear Cindy,

You know, for those of us sitting in our air-conditioned offices reading your emails on an iMac while eating take-out sushi, it is sometimes really hard to appreciate what a daring – and sometimes precarious – adventure you two have undertaken. We talk about you all the time, our friends who sold their house and their business and took off to sail around the world on a custom-made catamaran. Diving, taking pictures, swimming with manta rays. We only seem to think about the good stuff, the fun parts, the easy parts. The part where it is more of a vacation than a way of living, or even a way of surviving.

But after reading your last entry I am abruptly reminded of just how much of a sacrifice you guys are making. Nothing can be taken for granted. You can\’t just hop in the car and drive to Trader Joe\’s to stock up. Call a doctor in the middle of the night because someone has a fever. Or even ask a
neighbor to come help you raise up the anchor. Add to that, all the unknowns and the elements – wind, rain, etc. – and I realize that you guys really deserve a medal for bravery. If it\’s any consolation, I can tell you that everyone is envious and in awe of you. Sitting here in our sterilized little cubicles where the biggest decision of the day is \”do I go pick up a sandwich or get some take-out sushi for lunch\”. When I leave here I know I can either take a bus or a train or a metro or even a free bike to get home. I realize just how easy and simple our life is. I don\’t have to worry about freezing pain au chocolat (which, by the way, I am no longer supposed to eat…) or having someone I love diving down to un-snag the anchor in a 20-knot wind. I don\’t have to worry about whether or not I will get seasick in the Metro on the way home. I don\’t even really have to worry about what\’s for dinner because even if there is nothing in the refrigerator, I can run to the store or order in. But is this really living life, or just going through the motions?

If ever you doubt what you are doing, if ever you doubt the decisions you\’ve made that have brought you to this place, just remember: you and Scott have been planning this and looking forward to this adventure for years. You\’ve practiced, rehearsed and prepared. You are ready for this. You will learn
along the way. You will grow and experience and be a better and richer person for it. You will be admired. You will meet lovely, wonderful, giving people. You will share. You will see things you may not have otherwise ever seen. You will swim with Mantas (and be filmed). You will touch and eat and experience wonderful new sensations, smells, tastes, feelings and emotions. There will be good days. There will be bad days. There will even be so-so days. (Well, actually, I guess that applies whether
you are on land or on a boat!) There will be days where you say, \”this is all worth it\” and other where you say \”what in the hell am I doing here?\” Hell, I say that in Paris, too!

But know this: you are where you need to be right now, doing what you need to be doing, learning the life lessons you need to be learning. I once attended Zen Buddhist Guru lecture in Santa Monica years ago. A friend dragged me along. I don\’t remember who it was and I didn\’t really know what
I was doing there or getting into. It didn\’t change my life drastically (I\’m not wearing orange sarongs and have not yet shaved my head), but I did take something away from that experience that I still use today. It\’s the idea of \”living in the moment\” or \”living in the present\”. I\’m not talking about the
Dead Poet\’s Society idea of \”Carp Diem\” or \”Live for the Day\”, but more along the lines of cherishing every single moment when you are in it. Focusing on it and being present in it, present to your fullest extent. This is quite difficult for me, as I am often doing or saying one thing and thinking about another. But when I manage to really focus on the moment and be present in it, wonderful things usually happen.

The Buddhists say, \”don\’t dwell on the past, don\’t worry about the future, but concentrate on the present moment\”. I don\’t claim to fully understand, and I\’ve never really done any Buddhist studying, I don\’t know if you have either, but it seems to work for me and even be comforting to me at times.
It reassures me.

Yes, I suppose it is hard to think about living in the moment when you are standing on the stern in a 20-knot wind trying to understand what Scott is shouting back to you and keeping the boat from drifting. But I\’d also guess that at that very moment you instinctively can\’t do anything other THAN live in the moment. So I\’m not really sure how you will interpret this. But whatever you do with it, stay strong and continue to believe in what you are doing. You are L-I-V-I-N-G life! So many people are proud and envious of you both. You have both lost people very dear and close to you recently, do
it for them, in their memory and in their honor. LIVE!

It wasn\’t until several years after coming to France that I finally understood why so many people kept telling me, \”Oh you are sooo brave, doing what you are doing.\” I never saw it that way. It was just obvious to me that it was what I had to do and wanted to do. Now, in hindsight, I realize that
it was brave. That I was taking a chance. But I wouldn\’t change a thing and I would do it all over again in an instant. The good parts and the bad parts. The fun days, the not-so-fun days and even the so-so days. I am happy with who I am today because of this experience. I know I doubted myself at some points. I know I was scared and worried and stressed and confused and fed up and pissed off and wondered what the hell I was doing. But that still happens every day, just for other reasons. People only tell us we are \”soooo brave\” because they wouldn\’t dare do the same thing, take the same risks, dig deep within and ask themselves the tough personal questions needed to undertake such a challenge.

So, just the simple fact that you are there and you are doing what you are doing is in and of itself enough to be able to say, \”This is it. This is where I should be right now, doing what I am doing and being the person that I am.\”

I hope I haven\’t rambled on too long and wasted too much of your download time and I hope you\’ll find my thoughts comforting. I may be a big bore and not be making any sense, but on the outside hope that you\’ll get something out of all this gobbledygook, I just wanted to share my thoughts
and encouragement.

All my love to you and Scott
Clark

Thank You Clark!
Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 30, 2009

We had a nice time last night at the beach happy hour. The \”E.T.G.\” kids enjoyed stoking the bon fire. I managed to stay out of the path of the smoke. Gloria, the 6 year old showed me shells she had collected. I had to focus hard on staying present with her & not letting my thoughts drift back to Skye at that age & getting pangs of missing our little girl (now 24!). We talked with Graham about their time cruising up the Red Sea & land touring in Israel. It was nice for us to hear a non-Jewish New Zealander speak very pro-Israel. We also learned more about his work with Outward Bound. And what led up to his open heart surgery. His father & brother each died of heart attacks in their 50s. Graham never smoked & was really into running, hiking, mountain climbing & bicycling. He had arm/chest pains when doing a big uphill bike ride, got tested & 2 coronary arteries were completely blocked & a 3rd 80% closed. The surgeon said they caught him just in time. Ya just never know…

A 3rd crew member has flown in to help with the kids on \”E.T.G.\” & give Captain Josh & chef/nanny Claire some help. The 7 of them have been together non-stop for 5 months with only 2 days off. They are staying off-boat in a bungalow tonight to have their first privacy from the family since the Galapagos. They are in their mid 20s, British & plan to work as captain/crew on boats for about 3 years. I am so glad we are posh enough not to have to work while doing this life. And independently functioning enough to not require crew. I cannot fathom being around someone else on a boat as either employee or employer for any length of time.

This morning Josh & Claire went diving with the Marc the dive master. We followed their group towing our own dinghy above us. Scott thinks he could handle both the dinghy plus the video camera (but not the huge still camera set up). The current can be too strong for me to hold onto the dinghy & not be swept out of control. So we plan to begin diving with Marc tomorrow so Scott can do photo & video. Marc is very funny & thrilled to discuss gear & techniques with a fellow underwater photographer. He seems much more like an American than a Frenchman and he did live in Florida for a number of years.

The wind has shifted so we will likely move to the anchorage closer to the dive area once \”Giselle\” leaves for Tahiti. Right now it is about a 20 minute dinghy ride & quite rough pounding into the swell. We were up before 6:00 a.m. because the incoming tide today was at 7:00 a.m. so that\’s when we must go. It was overcast plus early, so not as pretty below without any light. It was still nice, lots of fish & healthy coral, but we have not hit it at the ideal time for the sharks yet. Every day now the tide will be half an hour or so later, hence the sun will be higher in the sky. It is funny here; it can be blue sky & sunshine, then 10 minutes later completely dark gray clouds & pouring rain. The rain usually does not last a long time, but this morning after the dive it did stay quite a while.

We went to the little dock & had a coffee with Mark, Josh & Claire after the dive. Repeat clients of Marc\’s are arriving by airplane today & bringing him the newest version of the underwater video housing that Scott uses. He asked Scott a lot of questions. It will be nice to have the friendship of Marc to console us when Mary & David sail away. I think it will be nice for Marc to have some serious divers that are here for awhile, not just a 1 week vacation. The couple flying in today are from San Diego so we should have a fun week of diving & camaraderie with them.

We may dive under the boat this afternoon to clean her. I will switch to my new thicker wetsuit as I have been getting chilly after nearly an hour in the 81 degree water. Diving really helps you stay cool all day. It is 87 outside but feels absolutely comfortable to me with a nice breeze. I am happy that I seem to be preventing an ear infection with rinsing drops & the little ear dryer. Mary asked me if I had to plug up my opposite ear so the air wouldn\’t blow out the other side – that rascal!

There are about 10 other islands we could visit in the Tuamotu group, but we are inclined to just stay put as long as we are enjoying ourselves. We\’ve heard so much about this being one of the premiere dive sites, that we want to give it a chance to be here when the conditions are peak. Taking it one day at a time & enjoying this moment.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 30, 2009

We had a nice time last night at the beach happy hour. The \”E.T.G.\” kids enjoyed stoking the bon fire. I managed to stay out of the path of the smoke. Gloria, the 6 year old showed me shells she had collected. I had to focus hard on staying present with her & not letting my thoughts drift back to Skye at that age & getting pangs of missing our little girl (now 24!). We talked with Graham about their time cruising up the Red Sea & land touring in Israel. It was nice for us to hear a non-Jewish New Zealander speak very pro-Israel. We also learned more about his work with Outward Bound. And what led up to his open heart surgery. His father & brother each died of heart attacks in their 50s. Graham never smoked & was really into running, hiking, mountain climbing & bicycling. He had arm/chest pains when doing a big uphill bike ride, got tested & 2 coronary arteries were completely blocked & a 3rd 80% closed. The surgeon said they caught him just in time. Ya just never know…

A 3rd crew member has flown in to help with the kids on \”E.T.G.\” & give Captain Josh & chef/nanny Claire some help. The 7 of them have been together non-stop for 5 months with only 2 days off. They are staying off-boat in a bungalow tonight to have their first privacy from the family since the Galapagos. They are in their mid 20s, British & plan to work as captain/crew on boats for about 3 years. I am so glad we are posh enough not to have to work while doing this life. And independently functioning enough to not require crew. I cannot fathom being around someone else on a boat as either employee or employer for any length of time.

This morning Josh & Claire went diving with the Marc the dive master. We followed their group towing our own dinghy above us. Scott thinks he could handle both the dinghy plus the video camera (but not the huge still camera set up). The current can be too strong for me to hold onto the dinghy & not be swept out of control. So we plan to begin diving with Marc tomorrow so Scott can do photo & video. Marc is very funny & thrilled to discuss gear & techniques with a fellow underwater photographer. He seems much more like an American than a Frenchman and he did live in Florida for a number of years.

The wind has shifted so we will likely move to the anchorage closer to the dive area once \”Giselle\” leaves for Tahiti. Right now it is about a 20 minute dinghy ride & quite rough pounding into the swell. We were up before 6:00 a.m. because the incoming tide today was at 7:00 a.m. so that\’s when we must go. It was overcast plus early, so not as pretty below without any light. It was still nice, lots of fish & healthy coral, but we have not hit it at the ideal time for the sharks yet. Every day now the tide will be half an hour or so later, hence the sun will be higher in the sky. It is funny here; it can be blue sky & sunshine, then 10 minutes later completely dark gray clouds & pouring rain. The rain usually does not last a long time, but this morning after the dive it did stay quite a while.

We went to the little dock & had a coffee with Mark, Josh & Claire after the dive. Repeat clients of Marc\’s are arriving by airplane today & bringing him the newest version of the underwater video housing that Scott uses. He asked Scott a lot of questions. It will be nice to have the friendship of Marc to console us when Mary & David sail away. I think it will be nice for Marc to have some serious divers that are here for awhile, not just a 1 week vacation. The couple flying in today are from San Diego so we should have a fun week of diving & camaraderie with them.

We may dive under the boat this afternoon to clean her. I will switch to my new thicker wetsuit as I have been getting chilly after nearly an hour in the 81 degree water. Diving really helps you stay cool all day. It is 87 outside but feels absolutely comfortable to me with a nice breeze. I am happy that I seem to be preventing an ear infection with rinsing drops & the little ear dryer. Mary asked me if I had to plug up my opposite ear so the air wouldn\’t blow out the other side – that rascal!

There are about 10 other islands we could visit in the Tuamotu group, but we are inclined to just stay put as long as we are enjoying ourselves. We\’ve heard so much about this being one of the premiere dive sites, that we want to give it a chance to be here when the conditions are peak. Taking it one day at a time & enjoying this moment.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 28-29, 2009

We met the dive master from the little dive center here, at Tetamanu. There are beach shacks for land tourists, the French call it a \”Pension\” (pronounce pen-see-own). Marc is very effusive, fluent in English & offered us lots of information. Bruce drove Alene, Scott & I over to the pass when we thought the incoming tide was, the right time for diving. But it was still going out. We spoke to Marc & he explained that sometimes the tide is not \”on schedule\” due to the wind & waves coming into the lagoon. Sometimes it needs to flow out longer or not flow in at all. While we stood in our wetsuits & talked to him nearly 1 hour, the tide did finally turn & start to come in. The sky was overcast & it was nearly 4:00 p.m., so not much light below, but it wonderful to see the enormous coral reef areas. We did not see the big gathering of sharks that are famous here when the incoming tide is strong. But we plan to stay around a while, so eventually we\’ll hit it right for the sharks. We stayed down so long & it was getting dark. Poor Bruce topside in the dinghy, wore prescription sunglasses & did not have a watch, so he was worried that he lost us. When we surfaced, we hailed him with our \”dive alerts\”, (very loud surface whistles operated by the air in our scuba tanks) & he came zooming over quickly, very relieved.

I cooked steak for dinner as I was tired of the bland diet I\’ve been feeding Scott\’s delicate tummy. Of course he could not resist the smell but had really bad stomach pain after, so that was a bad idea. Poor guy. Thankfully the pain & roiling is not constant. I put the hot pack on his tummy & it helped. I try not to think what we would do out here if either of us were seriously sick or injured. We do have a well equipped pharmacy onboard.

Bruce & Alene offered to bring us dessert for the 2nd night in a row. We declined last night due to Scott\’s tummy. But this was their last night so we said yes. What am I some kind of fool that would turn down dessert twice?! Bruce loves to cook & had made ginger creme brulee. Two with coconut, he & I each took those. Alene & Scott had the non-coconut. Oh My God…I thought I was at the Eclectic Caf (favorite place in North Hollywood)! He burned the sugar with his little butane torch right in my galley. It was amazing. What a treat! We then showed them our underwater videos & photos .They really oohed & aahhed since they are divers too. It was a nice wrap up with them. We may run into them down the road, since even though they plan to spend this winter in New Zealand, they will return to Tonga & the Cooks the following season, which is where we should be then too. A big world, but a small community.

July 29
We took photos as our friends on trimaran \”Migration\” set sail. Then Mary announced on the radio that there would be palm weaving on the beach at 9:00 a.m. Mary was a teacher and has three grown kids, so is a natural to come up with ideas to help keep the three children onboard \”Elvis the Gecko\” entertained.

Poor Scott was lying down with another tummy ache. He is really holding up well in spite of some kind of flu or Dengue Fever. Plus having a wrenched back. I am forever impressed by how happy he is almost all the time. It is my privilege to live with my wonderful guy. I simply cannot stay grumpy for long with his constant exclamations of love & joy. I did not think we would join in. But when she specifically hailed us asking if we would be joining the shore event, I looked at Scott who said \”Sure!\” He then leaped up getting ready to go. I love this guy to pieces.

The standard Windows XP screen background could be a photo of this place. Pinkish white sandy beach with palm trees surrounded by turquoise blue water. It was a quick dinghy ride. A wet landing, but no surf. Very calm, shallow water. Graham had used his knife to supply the palm fronds. Mary & Karen had already woven a couple of items. The kids had not arrived yet. I was amazed that they had remembered the pattern from watching the locals last week, but Mary sews & is crafty. Scott & I decided to take a walk. It was so good to stretch the legs. It felt surreal. Here I am on a tropical island that is beautiful; with people I like & love. I breathed in & out, soaking up the wonderful moment. Not wishing I were somewhere else. Be where your atoll is (hee hee!!!). Simply being in the moment.

It is glaring to me sometimes that happiness is completely internal. Here I have all the outer trappings of a dream life: nice yacht, all the toys, finances to make it happen, freedom to sail where we want, luxury to stay as long as we like and yet sometimes I struggle with moods. Just like anyone else. But I get glimpses of paradise. There are those magic moments when I can recognize that we are in the zone, flow or whatever. Scott is a great at being in the moment. Yes, he is a planner. But if we have a misunderstanding & raised voices, it is over for him immediately. I\’ve noticed that often I do not get over it that fast. Why on earth would I want to hang on to a bad feeling? Let it pass. If I look at him, genuinely look at him, in the next moment he is smiling at me, telling me how much he loves me & sincerely wants me to do whatever I need to, to be happy. Lucky girl and I know it.

We took mask & snorkels to the beach. I also brought my short fins, sunscreen & bug spray. Fortunately there were not too many bugs, just a few flies. After our walk I put on my gear & went in. Just in my bathing suit. Scott usually insists (understandably) that I wear the shark shield when swimming. It will zap me if I have bare skin. I have often let the shark shield factor discourage me from swimming since I have to put on full coverage of neoprene and/or lycra. But here Scott said it is so shallow & clear by the beach that he would allow me to swim in my Speedo alone. Yippee!!! I cannot remember the last time I got to swim like I was in a pool. It took me a while to get deep enough to do a full arm stroke. As I got to deeper water where I could truly swim, I felt a surge of life force throughout my whole body. How invigorating! ALIVE! I smiled & floated over the coral heads, watching the little fish. I saw a few beautiful clams with blue markings. I love swimming, it makes me sooooo happy! I love diving too, but the physicality of swimming fills a need that only swimming can. I went all the way to where the big boats are anchored. David, who did not go ashore, waved me over for a visit. I don\’t know what I am going to do when David & Mary sail off in a few days. I will miss them terribly. Yet how fantastic to have friends living in Scotland! They plan to circumnavigate over a couple more years and then return to their home in Scotland.

I had left Scott standing on the shore talking to Martin, owner of \”E.T.G.\” (Elvis the Gecko). I didn\’t know if Scott would realize I swam back to the boats or not, but I left David after a chat & glass of water. Went to our boat to unfog my mask with drops & started swimming back. Halfway back Scott met me in the dinghy. Of course he\’d been watching me all along. He was happy to see his girl with a giant smile on her face. I have been a homesick & gloomy recently, so the dip was very therapeutic for my body & soul.

He had forgotten my bag of towels, etc. on the shore, so we went back again. Mary & the kids made a wonderful assortment of palm frond woven items. The youngest girl, Gloria only 6, was so proud of her productions.

We came back to the boat, had lunch & Scott is napping. We aren\’t diving today due to the time of the incoming tide. I think we\’ll dive early tomorrow & maybe the crew of E.T.G. Josh & Claire will join us. So you see how surrounded I am by interesting, friendly people in our own little floating community. It is transient & will drift apart very soon. But for now it is here & I am enjoying it fully. The call is for 4:00 p.m. drinks with a bonfire ashore. I have some endive I think I will fill the leaves with cut up beets & cheese as an appetizer. I learned it from another boater; very colorful. I am hoarding my food a bit since we could stay out in these islands up to another 2 months, with no shopping opportunities. The other three boats will all be in Tahiti in one week.

It is amazing that I find so much to write about from a two days on a small atoll. This is my journal. I hope you find it interesting.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 25-26, 2009

Saturday morning went to shore for croissants. I took my cafe au lait in a to-go cup for the dinghy ride. It was a pretty long walk to the tiny bakery stall from where we tied the dinghy to the cement wall. We got soaked to the skin as it rained. We held hands & laughed. A real tropical outing. We stood under the overhang of the bakery (no interior) & munched down the delicious pain au chocolat. We bought four extra for the freezer. We double plastic bagged them & stopped under palm trees during the torrential deluges of rain that came, then passed. We saw a double rainbow briefly. When we got back onboard I cooked us some eggs & Scott checked in with the Coconut Radio Net while I tidied up. He likes to hear about the places \”down the road\” from us that we plan to visit.

As a continuation of Bastille Month, there are some local festivities today. I thought someone was coming to talk to us when a 25 foot power boat pulled up close to our cockpit. I sent Scott out to see what they wanted. It turns out that the starting line for their outrigger canoe race was right at our boat! We had front row seats to the start of all the races. The guys looked to be enjoying themselves as well as trying their best to go fast & win. It was fun to watch. They had singles, doubles & 6 man canoes in separate races throughout the day. We went to shore about 11:00 a.m. & watched ladies sitting on the ground weaving palm fronds in a competition. Speed mattered, but after their item was completed they were also judged on quality of work. How they could sit there on the ground with their legs stretched out for over an hour was what impressed me! There were about 20 cruisers from all the different boats gathered to watch. We had a snack as we didn\’t know what the food would be like. Some ceviche & skewers of meat were sold. I was told the meat was goat – no thanks! And I am not that big on ceviche either. Karen & Graham from \”Red Herring II\” had given me a hunk of fish they caught, so I have plenty of fish.

When things seemed to be winding down for a lunch break & it was unclear what else was going on in the afternoon, we dinghied over to another, bigger, catamaran (Catana 58) that has a husband & wife crew for the owners of \”Hilo Hatties\”, Hawaiian clothing manufacturing. Mrs. Romig & 4 guests just flew out. We were invited for dinner. First drinks, then to a restaurant for a native dancing show. Apparently the restaurant was sold out for dinner, so back to their boat for dinner.

\”Mariah\” is only 8 feet longer than our boat but seemed enormous by comparison. Their captain, also named Scott, had been over to our boat earlier. He & co-captain Allyson are Americans that emigrated to New Zealand & now crew on various yachts. Didier, a French captain from another catamaran stopped over for a quick drink & zoomed off again. Jim Romig, the owner of \”Mariah\”, had known him from previous charters. When I asked Jim if his wife enjoyed the boat or just tolerated his whim, it was apparent that I hit a tender subject. \”She will not be returning – been there, done that.\” Hmmm. He said she is very involved in many organizations & activities in Hawaii which is their home. Apparently of the 2 years he has owned the boat, he has only spent a few weeks onboard.

The highlight of the evening was going in their (bigger, faster) dinghy about 20 minutes down the reef, tying up to a pier & walking onshore to a restaurant. We timed it just right. The men played drums, guitars and ukuleles. The women shook their hips so fast it made your head spin. Very festive, and although entirely touristy, I was happy to see some native dancing. There wasn\’t any kind of dancing at the public festival. It pretty much ended after some coconut oil products were shown. We didn\’t pay to see this, just crowded in with the guests that were going to stay for dinner. Three French guys from the dive shop were there. They were very friendly to us.
We are really bad about staying out late. By 8:30 we like to be showered if not in bed, so we were kind of tired & cranky by the time we finished dinner aboard their boat & dinghied home. Scott complained of feeling nauseous & feverish. He got full-on chills and stomach cramps. I gave him Pepcid, Tylenol with codeine, 2 Aleve & put him to bed. He needed to be bundled up, but fell asleep pretty quickly when the medications took effect. When he awoke during the night, he felt hot. His temperature was 99, so I gave him aspirin & he slept till the morning.

Poor guy did not feel too swift this morning. He knows several cruisers that contracted Dengue Fever in this area. He still wanted to move down to where \”Migration\” is anchored, 30 miles south. I knew from the way our boat had spun at the anchor this week that he would have to dive to untangle the chain from the coral heads. He wanted to try to raise it without gearing up, which we did, without luck. So in he went. It was a good sign to me that he actually perked up once in the water. We had some tense moments with me maneuvering the boat, raising the anchor & running forward to knock down the \”chain castles\” that pile up in the locker. He is on the surface trying to direct me. Did I mention it is blowing 20-25 knots? It was very stressful for me, but I simply cannot throw a hissy fit in the middle but have to get the job done the best I can. Part of the problem is communication: A) being able to hear his commands & B) understanding what he means. Part of it is making the boat behave as I want it to given the strength of the wind & trying not to re-tangle the chain. Plus new challenge – do not get the chain caught in the propeller as it is now floating off the bottom with the lift bags he clipped on to get it off the coral! Go ahead…ask me if I am having fun?!

We briefly de-brief about the maneuvers & then Scott moves on to focusing on a safe passage down the 30 mile coast inside the atoll where there are numerous coral heads, hopefully marked correctly on our chart. It is blowing strong still & I do not find it comfortable to be outside in the strong wind. I put down part of our \”windshield\” to try to have some protection, but the wind is coming from the side, so this helps little. It is a long 5 hours. After Scott takes the first two hours & is convinced our chart is accurate, he collapses on a cushion in the cockpit floor. He is genuinely sick, some bug of some type. I take one hour watch & then he is up again.

I go in the galley and prepare a batch of yogurt to brew. I try not to think too much about my life. Is this really what I want to be doing? Is it worth it? It so often feels too hard, too uncomfortable, not relaxing, the elements too intense. Either wind or sea. Fortunately the inside of the atoll does not have big waves. So despite the strong wind, I did not get seasick. It did whip up the last 45 minutes as the channel to the south anchorage separated from the little strip of land & we rocked around a bit. Not comfortable, but not liking the conditions is very different from feeling seasick. I am not seasick – goody.

As we approach the anchorage we speak on radio to the big power boat here. Bruce and Alene on \”Migration\” are diving the pass. He gave us some tips on navigating down to the southwest anchorage. The wind has not stopped blowing 20 knots all day. We are in 12 feet of water, very clear & I hope we set our anchor & chain down in the sand between the coral heads. It is aquamarine beautiful. Bruce & Alene came by after their dive. They said it was kind of tough having the dinghy along (on the surface) due to the strong cross wind. We took their tanks & will fill them, since they don\’t have a compressor. I do not want to dive while the wind is so strong. Plus, I want to see that Scott is better & fully fit to dive for sport. If he was more sick we would not have moved today, but he really did not want to \”keep them waiting\” any longer. Friends Mary & David, Karen & Graham will likely be heading down here in a day or two. Scott slept several hours this afternoon & is just now stirring. I will go see what he feels like eating. Poor guy.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 21-22, 2009

David & Mary sailed into the lagoon on \”Giselle\” yesterday, there are now 8 boats. Two nights ago we were invited to dinner onboard trimaran \”Migration\”, met Bruce & Alene who are divers without a compressor. They are the ones that \”diverted\” to meet us & go diving. This is Migration\’s 2nd season in the Tuamotus & they have really enjoyed it. Bruce is the chef & made Szechuan eggplant & Kung Pao chicken that was as good as any restaurant. He is from Long Beach & has been cruising on & off since 1999. Has lived in Sebastopol, No. Cal & knows Florence Ave., where my sister lives – small world. Alene is from Ohio & joined Bruce 4 years ago. They intend to get to New Zealand by Nov 1st for the South Pacific Cyclone season, so we won\’t have too long together.

We went ashore with Bruce & Alene yesterday morning. We pulled their dinghy (wet landing) up onto the beach right in front of where we are anchored. There is a dive shop. The French owner, Jean-Christophe was friendly & we decided to go with them on the 3:00 pm dive. The north pass is far (5 miles) from where we are anchored, too far & too rough to go in our dinghy. So we are willing to pay to go on their high speed dive boat. It is still a 25 minute ride. We have a lot to learn about pass diving – timing the current, etc. so glad to go with some experienced pros.

On shore we bought baguettes & croissants, some eggplant & green bell peppers. No fresh produce is grown in the Tuamotus. It is all flown in. It was pretty slim pickings & the prices high. I am sorry I did not fill my second fridge with fruits & veggies in the Marquesas. We just never quite got to shore for the 6:30 a.m. produce market there. When we did get to shore later in the day there was not much left. Mary said she got a great selection at 6:30 a.m. Oh well. We won\’t starve.

While on shore, we met a young French couple on a small monohull that are avid divers (with a compressor – which is very rare & means they are serious divers). They dove 6 months in the Marquesas & have been here in the Tuamotus 4 months. He briefly described their technique for diving the passes & agreed to have us over tomorrow morning to explain more.

We went with the dive shop at 3:00 pm. We were happy to see the couple crewing for \”Elvis the Gecko\”, Josh & Claire going for the dive also. Their boat has the family of 5 from the U.K. For some reason one dive master went with a group of 5 & Scott & I got our own dive master. Maybe because Scott told them he was an instructor & because we had our own equipment, not sure. But we were disappointed that it was not the right time to dive the pass. The tide must be coming in, and it was going out. So instead they took us to the reef outside the lagoon to a site they call The Coral Garden. Good name for it. Incredibly clear water, quite shallow, only 15-25 feet, eventually dropping off to over a 1000 feet over a huge area. It was teeming with tropical fish. We followed our guide out further where the reef drops down into a wall for a chance to see some sharks. We did see a few grey reef sharks, about 4-6 feet long. And bonus, one manta ray in the distance. We were very happy to have this guided introduction to the diving here.

When we got back from diving, it was fun to see Martin (of Elvis) & David (of Giselle) in the dinghy, following the 9 & 13 year old kids sailing David\’s small sailing dinghy, \”Mouse\”. David & Mary went onboard Elvis for dinner & en route they dropped me off a filet of mackerel that they caught. It was firm & delicious. Scott is not a fan of fish, so I made chicken curry for him, with enough leftover for several more meals.

July 22
At 8:00 a.m, we dinghied to Florant & Alexandra\’s small boat to learn about their diving experiences here. He showed us his photos & videos. His camera equipment is not as sophisticated as Scott\’s but the footage was still incredible & got us more pumped up for diving here than ever. They have already visited 14 Tuamotu Islands & plan to continue here for a few more months. They told us in detail how they dive the passes towing their dinghy themselves. They said they tried it with another couple following in a dinghy above, but with the wind & waves on the surface, it is difficult to see your bubbles & it can be very uncomfortable for whoever is in the dinghy. Better to just tow the dinghy. We do not have a light enough chain & anchor to do this. Our dinghy anchor gear was designed to stay put, not to swim with. \”Migration\” may have a lighter set up that we could use. We will still probably do some coordinated diving with them. They are keen to get to the south pass which is about 27 miles from here (inside the lagoon still). We want to get down there too, but are not in a rush. Florant said the South Pass is one of their favorite dive sites in all the Tuamotus. You can anchor the big boats close to the dive pass, which will be better for us.

We are getting ready to go again with the dive shop at 1:30 pm today. This should be the right time for the incoming tide so we can do the pass. The boat drops you outside the reef & you drift along with the current all the way into the lagoon. There should be many many more sharks at 80 feet in the pass. Scott will take his video. It has been raining on & off all morning & still overcast. The visibility below is much better with sunshine so we are hoping it will clear up. We have learned that the weather can change very quickly out here. A small cargo ship came in early & is just leaving 4 hours later. No idea what they delivered – fuel drums maybe? There are cars and a population of several hundred people here. There is an air strip with flights from Papeete several times per week, one hotel & a few pensions (French word for B&B or guest house). A couple with 3 children ages 4,7,9 went out snorkeling while we dove off the shop\’s boat yesterday. They are French, live & work in the Marquesas (she is a teacher, he an artist & homemaker) & flew here on vacation. It is fascinating to meet so many different people from all over.

I better wrap it up to get our dive gear ready. This is really getting to be more like what I\’ve had in mind for our cruising life. We are glad we have plenty of time to enjoy these islands. We would love to team up with Florant & Alexandra but will have to see which direction we each head as the days pass.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 17-20, 2009

The first 24 hours was great. I think any of you would have enjoyed the ride. Then it got more \”boisterous\” as Scott calls it. Rough & bumpy. Too intense wind & sea for me to enjoy being outside. Nice & dry & comfy inside. We had several rain squalls last night which always does strange things to the wind – none, then way strong – hard to predict & know how to react. We are doing fine on our good old 4 hours on 4 hours off watch schedule. Our first night there was a ship that passed very close to us. They did not communicate respond to our hail by radio & did not have the Automated Identity System on, which is required for a ship that size. Oh well, good thing we use our eyeballs. We also saw another sailboat on a parallel path & they did talk to us by radio. We warned them of the ship.

July 20
We have arrived! After 3 days & nights at sea we entered the pass to the inside of this atoll. Our timing was lucky, because for that distance (550 miles) it is hard to predict daylight & a flood tide. Flood tide means water from the ocean is rushing into the interior of the lagoon. You get an extra push across the shallow part of the pass. We never saw less than 40 feet deep. Cargo & cruise ships come in here, which is one of the reasons we chose this as our first Tuamotu Island – easy entry. Easy means that it was obvious where the entry was, with buoys marking the safe water passage. But there were 3-5 feet standing waves from winds of 20-25 knots on the nose. So it was a bumpy ride for about 15 minutes. Then we got into the protection of the motus, which are skinny, low sand/coral islets. So here at anchor it is very calm with just a nice 10 knot breeze. It was overcast & rained on & off yesterday & today.

When Scott checked in with the Pacific Coconut Radio Net, another sailboat \”Migration\” asked to speak to him on another channel. We had heard from our friends on \”Red Herring II\” that this couple were divers. They had read about our manta adventures & were keen to meet up with us. They are avid divers too, but do not have a compressor on their 45 foot trimaran. So they actually diverted from going to a different atoll to meet us here in Fakarava. Their names are Alene & Bruce, potentially our new best friends. We have wanted to connect with other divers because we may need topside dinghy support to dive with the currents here. They should be at anchor near us soon & we\’ll have them over for Happy Hour. Hope it\’s a good match. Friends Mary & David from \”Giselle\” will arrive here tomorrow. There are only 2 other boats in this wide lagoon. There is a little village (Rotava), which we will explore probably tomorrow.

The water right where we are anchored is not quite as crystal clear as we\’d hoped, but part of the limited visibility could be due to the overcast sky. We\’ll need a couple of days to recover from the passage and then we\’ll see about diving. First dive will likely be on our anchor, hoping we did not drop on coral but sand. We have lift bags we can use to pick our chain up off coral if necessary. We did this in Coco Island.

I am very pleased with how I felt the whole trip. By avoiding the computer & chewing on fresh ginger in addition to my full scopalamine patch I really had no seasick symptoms. I also slept quite well during my off watch periods. The sun is coming out a bit. It is very peaceful & quiet. I can hear some children laughing & a rooster crow, lovely!

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 17, 2009

I finished reading this book as we departed the Marquesas & set sail for the Tuamotu Islands. Some of you may be more familiar with the book, Kon Tiki Expedition\”, written by the same author. Thor and wife Liv left their home in Norway to live a primitive lifestyle on the island of Fatu-Hiva. This was their goal:

Page 13
\”We wanted to see if the two of us, man and woman, could resume the life abandoned by our first ancestors. If we could tear ourselves away from our artificial life. Completely and utterly. Be independent. Independent of the least aid of civilization. Independent of everything except nature.

\”The island of Fatu-Hiva became our choice. Mountainous and lonely. Rich in sunshine, fruit, and drinking water. Few natives and no white men. \”

I won\’t spoil the story by telling you any of their adventures. But near the end of the book, his reflection and conclusions struck me as valid today, although the year they lived on this Marquesas Island was 1936. The book was published in the 1970\’s.

Pages 260-261
\”We like to think of progress as modern man\’s struggle to secure better food for more people, warmer clothing and finer dwellings for the poor, more medicine and hospitals for the sick, increased security against war, less corruption and crime, a happier life for young and old. But, as it has turned out, progress involves much more. It is progress when weapons are improved to kill more people at a longer range. It is progress when a little man becomes a giant because he can push a button and blow up the world. It is progress when the man in the street can stop thinking and creating because all his problems are solved by others who show him what happens if he turns on a switch. It is progress when people become so specialized that they know almost everything about almost nothing. It is also progress when reality gets so damned dull that we all survive by sitting staring at entertainment radiating from a box, or when one pill is invented to cure the harm done by another, or when hospitals grow up like mushrooms because our heads are overworked and our bodies underdeveloped, because our hearts are empty and our intestines filled with anything cleverly advertised. It is progress when a farmer leaves his hoe and a fisherman his net to step onto an assembly line the day the cornfield is leased to industry, which needs the salmon river as its sewer. It is progress when cities grow bigger and fields and forests smaller, until ever more men spend ever more time in subways and bumper-to-bumper car queues, until neon lights are needed in daytime because buildings grope for the sky and dwarf men and women in canyons where they roll along with klaxons screaming and blow exhaust all over their babies. When children get a sidewalk in exchange for a meadow, when the fragrance of flowers and the view of hills and forests are replaced by air conditioning and a view across the street. It is progress when a centuries-old oak is cut down to give space for a road sign.\”

\”We felt an urge, an inconvenient need, to return to civilization. But we did not want to be a single step farther from nature than life in our part of the world made necessary. Primitive life in the wilderness had filled us with a well-being, given us more than the city life as we knew it had ever been able to give us.\”

Our 5 weeks diving with the manta rays at Islas Revillagigedos last winter were as close to his feeling of \”back to nature\” that we have experienced so far. Except for the time we will spend in Tahiti & neighboring Society Islands, we look forward to visiting less developed, isolated islands where we can immerse (and submerse) ourselves in nature and breathe in that sense of well-being that Thor spoke of.

Cindy & Scott

Dear F&F,
July 17, 2009

I finished reading this book as we departed the Marquesas & set sail for the Tuamotu Islands. Some of you may be more familiar with the book, Kon Tiki Expedition\”, written by the same author. Thor and wife Liv left their home in Norway to live a primitive lifestyle on the island of Fatu-Hiva. This was their goal:

Page 13
\”We wanted to see if the two of us, man and woman, could resume the life abandoned by our first ancestors. If we could tear ourselves away from our artificial life. Completely and utterly. Be independent. Independent of the least aid of civilization. Independent of everything except nature.

\”The island of Fatu-Hiva became our choice. Mountainous and lonely. Rich in sunshine, fruit, and drinking water. Few natives and no white men. \”

I won\’t spoil the story by telling you any of their adventures. But near the end of the book, his reflection and conclusions struck me as valid today, although the year they lived on this Marquesas Island was 1936. The book was published in the 1970\’s.

Pages 260-261
\”We like to think of progress as modern man\’s struggle to secure better food for more people, warmer clothing and finer dwellings for the poor, more medicine and hospitals for the sick, increased security against war, less corruption and crime, a happier life for young and old. But, as it has turned out, progress involves much more. It is progress when weapons are improved to kill more people at a longer range. It is progress when a little man becomes a giant because he can push a button and blow up the world. It is progress when the man in the street can stop thinking and creating because all his problems are solved by others who show him what happens if he turns on a switch. It is progress when people become so specialized that they know almost everything about almost nothing. It is also progress when reality gets so damned dull that we all survive by sitting staring at entertainment radiating from a box, or when one pill is invented to cure the harm done by another, or when hospitals grow up like mushrooms because our heads are overworked and our bodies underdeveloped, because our hearts are empty and our intestines filled with anything cleverly advertised. It is progress when a farmer leaves his hoe and a fisherman his net to step onto an assembly line the day the cornfield is leased to industry, which needs the salmon river as its sewer. It is progress when cities grow bigger and fields and forests smaller, until ever more men spend ever more time in subways and bumper-to-bumper car queues, until neon lights are needed in daytime because buildings grope for the sky and dwarf men and women in canyons where they roll along with klaxons screaming and blow exhaust all over their babies. When children get a sidewalk in exchange for a meadow, when the fragrance of flowers and the view of hills and forests are replaced by air conditioning and a view across the street. It is progress when a centuries-old oak is cut down to give space for a road sign.\”

\”We felt an urge, an inconvenient need, to return to civilization. But we did not want to be a single step farther from nature than life in our part of the world made necessary. Primitive life in the wilderness had filled us with a well-being, given us more than the city life as we knew it had ever been able to give us.\”

Our 5 weeks diving with the manta rays at Islas Revillagigedos last winter were as close to his feeling of \”back to nature\” that we have experienced so far. Except for the time we will spend in Tahiti & neighboring Society Islands, we look forward to visiting less developed, isolated islands where we can immerse (and submerse) ourselves in nature and breathe in that sense of well-being that Thor spoke of.

Cindy & Scott