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26
April 2001
The wind's stable and I have around 900 miles left, under a third of the way,
and just as well. It's getting a it "trivial". It is however still an amazing(/a
fantastic) feeling just sailing away. You get up when you wake up and do all the
things you need to do in the course of the day - not much I must admit(/say),
besides keeping yourself alive, eating a little, etc. and then apart from that
just sailing, sailing, sailing, sailing and sailing.
There are incredible amounts of water on earth(/in the world) and the only way
of really knowing how much there are is by trying to be here yourself. I for one
now know. Damn it there's a lot of water out there.
I lost (yet) another hook/forerunner. It's a good thing that the forerunners are
homemade. Otherwise this would have begun to be costly(/a costly affair).
Gradually(/By now) I feel like fishing with a wire. I would like to see what
size (of) fish can snap(/break) a 50 kilogram line that easily.
I am - and I know I have mentioned it before - immensely happy about(/for) my
windpilot. It steers(/is doing the steering) day in and day out. Well, actually
week in and week out. I haven't touched the windpilot for 17 days and the only
thing I have done with the boat or the sails is that I have had them reefed (in)
about a week ago. I'm just a passenger on board Trojka and I feel (just) fine
about it.
30 April 2001
Now there's(/I have) 540 miles left. The wind disappeared yesterday and I have
been drifting a bit. My rolling foresail loosened itself at the top so I had to
make a trip to the mast. It's possible with(/if you've got) mast steps but it's
no pleasure that's for sure. It was rocking(/rolling) fiercely and I had a hard
time holding on up there and several times I thought that NOW I'm going to fall
in the water, but I succeeded.
Unbelievably (enough), I have still got oil left on the cooker. This morning I
made (myself) pancakes. I love peanut butter on my pancakes so I made plenty, so
I'm having it(/I'll have some) for supper also(/too).
One of the small swallows paid me a visit. Its bill was hanging(/It is down in
the mouth) but is delighted to eat the oatmeal I had left from this morning. It
doesn't look (to be) injured or sick but wants to lie in my forepit, so I'm
letting it.
1 May 2001
I had five big(/large) flying fish (lying) inside my cockpit this morning and
decided to eat a couple of them raw. You can forget about (just) that - They
taste(/It tastes) bloody awful (when they're) raw. Then I took the biggest one
of them and buried(/put) a giant hook (100 mm.) in it. Then I tied a 50 kilogram
line to it and threw it out there(/overboard). Five minutes later the line
snapped. Now I only have smaller three hooks left.
I gave one of the flying fish to "Pedro" (that's the swallow), but it doesn't
look as if(/like) it knows what to do about(/with) it. I had sliced the
fish(/cut the fish up) but I guess it just prefers a bit of (oat)meal so that's
what its getting. (Well, edit) As long as I don't have to cook(/make) porridge
it'll be all right.
It is 6:30 p.m. and my GPS tells(/informs) me that there are 422 miles left, and
with(/by) the current speed I am (due) to arrive at Hiva Oa in 99.35 hours.
I woke up at around 3 o'clock(/AM) from hearing an engine getting very
close(/closing in)!!! And right in front of Trojka, just 150 metres away, the
rear(/back) end of a container ship. Apparently they didn't see me, me not
having any lights on (and all, edit), but should appear on a radar, if it's on
that is. Food for thought, hhhmmm.
I celebrated by making myself a good old-fashioned cup of coffee in the middle
of the night. Usually I always drink powder coffee but thought that THIS was
worth celebrating. So I sat in(side) the cockpit for an hour or so, enjoying
life. When I went back to the(/my) berth I fell asleep straight
away(/immediately). |