enjoy the pictures...... read more

It's been the better part of three weeks now since I left and had internet access... where do I begin??? Currently, I am in Samoa, home of the Samoan, land of an island. I am enjoying a steady boat, running water, showers, and environmental stimulation. No, wait a minute. Let me backup... Journal entry : July 26th - DEPARTURE! we set sail july 24th @ 830am from the hawaiian yacht club. after the sails were hoisted, after the shore lines stowed, i sent a final text to some family and friends. immediately after, i received my phone's last incoming call... seppi! how fitting, the friend who had taught me how to sail. yet as excited as i was to be leaving land and chatting with seppi, my enthusiasm was quickly diluted with an ever growing seasickness ... read more

(somewhere deep pacific) as i was sitting off to the side of the boat, sunset to my back, fiddling with my camera, i looked down across the calm water and not but ten meters (yards?) off the boat, right in front of me, there it was... a huge dorsal fin breaking the surface followed by a swaying tail fin. i hollered to ian and krysia and the three of us watched as the shark, in textbook, movie stereotypical form, swam along the surface... no ripple. no splash. just the graceful, steady motion of it's fins slowly scurrying about... an abrupt reminder of the lurking aquatic jungle just beneath us. ... read more

if you get the chance... google earth, "fanning island" or try "tabuaeran" if that doesn't work. it was our first stop after seven days out at see. a needed break after not seeing much more than one fishing vessel, a few wayward birds, and schools of flying fish. oh, and a pod of dolphin which greeted us by jumping the wake of our bow as we neared the small island. fanning island... no lights, no phones, no motorcars... sound familiar??? literally! the nearest doctor is a two day boat ride away. an island population of 2000 that farm coconuts, seaweed, and sea slugs (evidently, the chinese luv em'). where money has no place and very very little worth. they'd happily trade 12 gallons of diesel for a pack of cigarettes rather than take a 50 dollar ... read more

sunburn has healed and the boat has arrived! flipping fantastic!!! i got the call three days ago that the ship was passing diamond head crater... just southeast from waikiki... i looked out my window of the hotel room and there it was... my home to be... running parallel with the shore. i greeted my boat-mates proper... fresh leihs and bottles of wine in tow. surprisingly, they seemed rather refreshed and relaxed for spending the last 17 days at sea. after the initial greeting, rounds of beer were bought, and a seafood dinner served. i will be traveling with ian the skipper and his daughter, krysia. a delighful pair who have graciously taken me in. i moved on board two days ago and have greatly enjoyed their company. life on board will be easier than a originally ... read more

well i made it to hawaii without complication... just waiting for my ship to come in. i recently spoke to ian, the skipper, which was a refreshing conversation as i have not heard from him in awhile and paranoia was slowly seeping into consciousness. but all is well and i still have a ride to australia, but ian stated the pacific winds have been slow and unsteady, delaying his arrival from california... this is a bummer for me as i have to extend my stay here in waikiki... nothing to do here but relax, surf (mostly paddle actually), hike, and booze it up here in the rainbow state. i'll just have to make the best of it... (sigh) the loss of convenience has settled indifferently today as i laundered my clothes in the bath tub of ... read more

let me know if you received this... if so, there's no need to sign up... you will get the blogs automail style. ray... read more

will i figure out this travel blog site in time... hmmm? i'm currently clueless as to how to fixate a stinkin photo on to any of it's pages... and i'm nothing without spell check! damn it! why do you mock me lord?!? no but seriously, here i am. waiting...... read more