Sailing across the Pacific... 2006 Retrospective memories Going North

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July 2006 Sailing from Hawaii to Oceanside CA... Loosing our self on the Pacific.

All packed and ready Our friend Pangaea dropped us off on the Portland Airport and we flew to Maui. Meeting up with our friend Romeo, captain Hippie John, and our cook Theresa. The Sailboat Horizon was tied up at the harbor and waiting for us to move in and get comfortable. First we created some shade and opened all the hatches and installed a wind fang to get the stuffy air out. After we stowed all of our gear it was time to cool of and dive into the ocean at the nearby beach. The next few days we were busy exploring the island. Captain John was renting a van and we drove along the coast, through the tropical forest, explored waterfalls and beaches. We got up early and reached the top of the highest peak before sunrise and watched the sun rise on the horizon. The color play was spectacular and although we were on a tropical island the temperature was quite frigid. We were glad to have brought our sailing gear and stayed warm. Some of the people were dressed in shorts and just had a beach owl for warmth and I am sure they were freezing their butts off. We explored the volcanic creators a bit and the change in the vegetation as we climbed down the mountain. Time just flew by and although we had planned to stay for a few more days we had to make a decision on whether to stay or head out earlier than planed. The weather forecast was talking about a hurricane approaching Hawaii. If we stayed we had to find a save harbor on the leeside of the Island when the storm hit. The other option was to head out as soon as possible and get as far north as we could and hopefully avoid the storm. We decided to set sail and get out on the ocean. Last preparations and provisioning had to done, diesel had to be filled and a dozen spare canisters and barrels tide on the deck.
Everything was stowed below deck and we were ready to hoist sail. We stopped for a quick swim at a beautiful bay and then set course for 15 degrees north. Slowly increasing wind speed were telling us the Storm was approaching and by midnight we had our sails reefed and made good way at about 12 knots. The wind got a bit gusty and the waves choppy but we were sure to miss the worst of the storm. All of a sudden there was this loud ripping noise and the main sail started to flap and trash wildly. It was ripped! Just about in the middle was a whole seam that was split wide open. Romeo and I jumped on the upper deck and quickly tried to get the silently trashing Sail down while John started the engine in order to have power and speed to maneuver the boat and stay on course. The only other main sails we had was a raising Sail which was out of the question to hoist in these condition. So we got out the sowing kit and started to mend the damage. For every stitch the heavy needle had to be pushed through with the leather palm protector and pulled out with a pair of pliers. Two crew members at the time sowed around the clock and it still took us a whole day to make a tipple stitch that would hold up to the wind. By the time we hoisted our mainsail we were in calmer waters and had niche sailing conditions. We followed our rout north-north east to reach the prevailing winds in the north that would bring us to the American west coast and eventually down to San Diego. Being out in the ocean several days away from any land you come to realize hoe insignificant we really are. But this realization also brings peace and I was able to enjoy the beauty of the ocean. One morning on my shift there was no wind and the ocean was like a mirror. We motored through a endless seeming body of water and just leaving small ripples behind. An almost cloudless sky and the ocean met on the horizon and it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began. We had a couple lines out and were hoping for some Ahi Ahi. But so far we had no luck. The captain pulled the in and asked me to pick out the color lure to try next and tossed them back over board. I was just saying that now we would hav e a bite as both lines went tight almost at the same time. Ahi Ahi tunas are often traveling and hunting in pairs and so we got two beautiful golden tunas on the line. I took over Romeos shift, and he made us the freshest sushi rolls you can have. Seared Ahi and Avocado rolls as much as we could eat. What a life!
We were 15 days and 8 hours on the ocean before we set foot on land and we had all kind of sailing conditions and it was an amazing experience. Would I do it again? In a heart beat! Although the quarters are camped and you are on a three hour on tree hours off shift it is an unforgettable beautiful adventure that only a small percent of the world population will ever have.
Back on land we flew to Oregon to pick up Büssli and continue our trip on land.
But first we were enjoying some fun times with Miles and Pangaea and good food and great company. Since they just had moved up to Oregon we helped them with some finishing touches on the house and time wet by way to fast. Winter was approaching fast in the north and we were heading there.

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