From Japan

I just made it back to Japan (by airplane). Somehow I kept thinking this blog was only for my sailing trip, so I did not really update it while I was in Hawaii. But there have been several requests for updates so here we go....

First let me start my back-in-Japan post to a very special company here in Japan: Patagonia. Patagonia, thank you very much. Patagonia was not an "official sponsor" but they did send us two big boxes of gear for our trip. Your thermals are unbeatable. Your rain gear kept us dry, your jackets kept us warm. Thank you so much for this kind of support. This kind of "giving" to people who adventure really is appreciated. Patagonia is the kind of company not only that has absolutely excellent products, but has the kind of environmental commitment and dedication to the users of its' products which elicit great thanks and appreciation. Thanks so much.

As for my plans. Well, I was enjoying Hawaii so much I thought it would be too short to just pick up and head off to California without thoroughly surfing several points, swimming with turtles, taking super-man flying-leaps off rope swings, hiking the beautiful coasts and enjoying the concerts and nightlife of Waikiki. So, I was forced to pay the $10 a day fee and be trapped right in front of one of the most sought after real-estate locations on the planet: waikiki. Wow, what a rough life (hey!! It's pretty cool being back in the US because I get to use sarcasm! Cool! Culturally Japan does not get/use/or understand sarcasm at all so this is pretty cool!)

So I was enjoying all that, but I had to come back to Japan for a couple of weeks. I just arrived a couple of days ago. Soon I will be off to Paris for 2 weeks, then back to Japan. Couple weeks after that I'm back to Hawaii to endure the grueling sun.

For now I'm enjoying hot-springs, sushi and good friends back in Japan.

After-thoughts from Dad...

Dear pac-blog trackers ~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~It is appropriate that I offer some end of voyage comments of gratitude and appreciation, as well as, apologies for all the worries and concerns many of you were dealing with during this passage of myself and two sons Darshaun and Luke~. Thank you for your prayers and for holding us in the positive healing currents of love and protection~. Our crossing the Pacific Ocean was a slippery sliding adventure across the fluid skin of Mother ocean ~ what an incredible journey for each of us in our own unique way and certainly this will be much more articulated once the skeletal notes in my journal are unpacked~. Darshaun was able to write his perceptions and report via the blog as we traveled - Luke and I journaled by pen~. The voyage stands as a passage, an initiation into a deeper work for each of us ---- Luke at 21 years, Darshaun at 34 and me quickly cruising through 62 ---- four and a half years out of cancer moving into over-time play in the passage through life's learning curriculum into the Mystery of awakening~. Each of us at a different phase of life and truly being absorbed into an initiatory process to help bring us to new understanding~. Certainly, for me aging, healing and consciously deepening my spiritual journey, as well as, strengthening my resolve for walking the path that has been lighted~.

~ For me the voyage was one of incredible joy, even in the midst of nausea and physical challenges. The joy of being with and observing the absolute beauty and innocence of two of my children, as well as, their gift of honoring and including 'ol Dad, or "Faja" as Luke often calls me~made every moment worthwhile. All three of us noted many many times the absence of Justin on this gnarly passage ~~ of course he is still very much in the throes of concluding his own personal rite of passage and initiation work - next time Justy... Also, the realization that we are all in the perfect place albeit perhaps all illusion. Certainly, attendant thoughts of my daughters Taj & Noelle --- seven grandchildren and one great child were woven in both the emotional and at times reflective tapestry of family, community and inner woven circle of friends -- all of us connected as one~.

~ Yep, I was sick as a sea dog for all 30 days of sailing from Shimoda, Japan to Kaua'i, Hawaii but the lessons learned during cancer (practicing dis-identifying with the physical body) prevailed and my spirits were continually high; my inner process seriously connected to the deeper spirit that holds us all~. For me the metaphor of the ocean being the unconscious substrate from which we are mostly driven and the tiny boat upon which we float as what we perceive as reality~was a constant backdrop for our adventure. I was emptied out - literally and fully (I pray) purging and puking (3-P's) daily as I reviewed my entire life under the light of forgiveness~. This voyage with my sons was a serious blessing in many ways and from the standpoint of a parent I'd like to offer a glimpse of the valuable insights I experienced: Being with them for approximately a two month period of time afforded me many observations and reflections about my own life - certainly, seeing myself at 21 (Luke) and 34 (Darshaun) offer several stark contrasts about life's progression of stages, interests, perspectives and perception~. I am still having realizations and insights as I continue to unpack this amazing journey~. One of my insights around perception that I will share is that I realized that as a protective parent I did not always allow or validate their perception about the experiences they were holding and I erred often by correction rather then allowing them to see their own lessons in the light of their perspective~. So, now some of that is coming back to haunt me while at the same time allowing me insight and improvement now~. This is where the practice of forgiveness comes into play as it truly is the key to releasing guilt and finding happiness and freedom in the present~.

~ Another great relief (freedom) I experienced was in the deeper realization that we are all students and teachers for each other~. So much of the attitudinal healing work coming to light. Darshaun's technical skill vastly surpass mine and Luke's strengths and personal qualities offer much for me to learn from~. In the letting go of my roll as a parent and presuming I ALWAYS know what is best, there is freedom to be found in the joining with them as life adventurers and as spirits sharing experiences and exploring i.e. giving and receiving are the same among equals~. So, this is but a piece of the insight I received as I crossed into new waters both on the surface reality and the below the surface, as what has been unconscious in the inner realm has now surfaced~. We neither saw nor heard any Sirens but certainly my ego was dashed upon the rocks along the way. With the constant lurching, banging and thrashing around, change was always present, even during dream consciousness the ever present Now was demanding more awareness from me --- the ghostly creaking voices we all heard seemed to be saying to me "give it up, surrender, let go..." and more~. With each wrenching purge I made my offering to the Mystery willingly. "Yes, take it all, all that no longer serves me or anyone else, clean me out ~ what else can I give...?" With the purging and sea sickness came many realizations - most I hold within my self for now and write in my journal ~ observations of shadow work - personal & family pass-me-downs. In many ways I managed to find the reset button in my life and with this, 98% of the post cancer side effects in my feet and legs are gone ~ Wow~! a major barnacle washing~!

~ And NOW - ahhhh, Kaua'i, Hawaii with Toni who I met at the airport the morning after we landed~. She arranged for the MOST incredible jungle hideout with a river in back yard that we kayak to the beach with each day~. Believe me, she is sharing fully in the recovery of this passage as well ~ we are all here - D & L upstairs in a separate apartment - how amazing and perfect it all is ---- the decision to go for the IV at the local hospital was a good one so that I could get on my feet a.s.a.p. and it did not take long ~~~ I'm back and so looking forward to touching Mendonesia soil and resuming our work at Spirit House Center for Attitudinal Healing. What an incredible gift I have received from my sons~. I feel we have all grown to the next level and I'm very curious where that will lead in learning the lessons of life that lead to healing and the presence of inner peace and Love~.

One last thought about children I'll share that came to me in the passage about a 1,000 miles away from Kauai is (in part) from Kahlil Gibran on Children: "You may give them your love but not your thoughts, for they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. (And) You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far."

w/Love & Healing, ~Barnacle Ron (aka Faja)

P.S. Note to all my children --- I'm working on a new word "YES"!

Q&A Session

amul muzz:
What do you guys do for exercise out there?

A: Not much. I'm sure I got the most exercise but that was just a matter moving around the deck a lot. Other than that, the most intense work out is cranking the winches. Cranking on those will give you a serious pump. (Winches are the big steel drums with handles on the top which you crank to pull in lines/ropes)

Have you given up on fishing then?

A: Although we were a small crew, we all had somewhat specific responsibilities (which also pretty much went out the door because they were so sick), but Luke was responsible for fishing. I've never been much of a fisherman and honestly taking care of all the other stuff was enough responsibility on my plate. So I basically left it to chef Louie. I'm guessing he became discouraged and stopped throwing the lines in so yes, we pretty much gave up on fishing.

Taj:
How does a squid get on deck?

A: I'm assuming it is from waves. When pounding through seas several feet of thick blue water can come over the decks at times so I would guess they come up when the wave comes over.

What's with the Yankees hat?!! Hello...Where are your Cal hats?

A. As you know, I don't even know if it's baseball season. Dave gave me that hat. It fits perfect and feels good. And it's from Dave! I don't have a Cal hat.

Cal Ryan said...
Is flying fish any good eating?

A: I don't know, but I know their eggs are delicious. Their eggs are the orange glow in the dark looking ones you see on Sushi rolls. The eggs are called "tobiko" which basically just means flying fish eggs.

I can understand how they got there but what about the squid? They crawl up on the side and are too lazy to go off the edge to save themselves? or did a bigger fish chase it out of the sea?

A: See answer above.

Blogger Andrew Le Lievre said...
Do you have fuel to get to the next whether system? Or will you chill out for a while?

A: I have a 170 liter tank (about 45 gallons) so really the answer is no. Others may motor for a while, but I error on the conservative side so at this point in the journey there was no way I was going to start our engine.

Paul
Food stores:
How did you plan it?

A: I used on of my best friends in the world: Excel. I made formulas with number of people, days, etc. Then put the weight of the food. That gave me a rough idea of what we would need. I also put certain food types in the abandon ship bag. So when my dad and Luke arrived in Japan we went through the responsibilities and split them up. It was planned that dad would be totally responsible for food and the kitchen on the trip. I gave him my excel list and reasoning and tried to explain it to him. But he is the "creative" type, so he is more like a bunch of this, a bunch of that, some more of those and we'll be good.

But really. Here is what it was. Canned soup, tons and tons of dried fruit (which was NOT a hit). Tons and tons of random bags of cookies and snack foods. Mac and cheese. Curry mix (popular in Japan- and was also a big hit on our trip). Noodles (terrible. They have some kind of flavor packets which I think have some kind of gelatin and also msg. Really was terrible on the tummy). Lots of bins of nuts from Costco.

But in the end basically all I would eat was a few cookies for breakfast. Then around late afternoon or around dinner chef Louie would make a big batch of mac and cheese or pasta or whatever and that was it for the day.

Where do you keep it? Refrigerator? Dehydrated?

A: My boat has pretty good storage so we just tucked everything in cupboards. The fridge was not on so we just used them for food storage.

How do you cook on a boat with all the motion?

A. It is not easy. But you surely get used to it. Solis has a gimbled stove which means the entire stove/oven swing on hinges. It works pretty well. There is also a strap, like a belt, you put around your waist and clip into the wall so you don't get tossed all over.

Water....are you filtering?

A. I have a water maker (turn sea water into drinking water), but it is low capacity and in the abandon ship bag. So the boat carries 100 gallons of water and is fed throughout through pumps, etc. So we use this water for washing, etc. For drinking we packed 60 or so 2 liter bottles.

Is there anything that you're craving? Or anything, like the beer, that is collecting dust?

A. The wine and champagne also collected dust. The chines noodles and the ramen were just bad for reasons I mentioned above. As for the craving, I think that became clear in later blogs.

Peach....how good would a nice juicy peach go down about now?

A. Fresh fruit and veggies would have been great.

Equipment:
What have the key pieces been? Sounds like the Monitor wind vane is a good one.

A. I really thought about that a lot on the trip. Before we left on the trip I spent almost 3 months solid preparing for the trip. I completely equip Solis for offshore passage making. Key items where obviously the Monitor self steering gear, the wind generator which cranked our our charging power, solar panels, and oh yeah, the radar. The radar saved us. We had originally planned on doing watch, but with the radar we were able to all sleep while setting the radar to "guard" so that an alarm would go off when it picked anything up.

How have they performed so far?

A. Great!

What has failed?

A. I would not say any particular thing, but just a lot of maintenance items. I was constantly checking, pulling, jerking on things to see if screws, bolts, etc. had come loose. It really is amazing how much maintenance does occur out there. My biggest disappointment was my internet connection. It was infuriating. The connectivity was absolutely terrible. It would not stay connected for longer than 30 seconds to 1 minute, so it was extremely difficult to send and receive mail and get weather.

What do you wish you had brought?

A. Paper plates and bowls. More canned/pickled veggies and beef jerkey or other dried meats.

What should you have left behind?

A. The beer. But I was not going to bring it anyway. Luke wanted it. And blankets. They were terrible. We had sleeping bags so I thought that was enough, but dad insisted that we bring blankets. In the first two days they got totally wet and soggy, then molded and smelled absolutely terrible for the entire trip. We never used them.

Senses:
What does it sound like in the middle of the Pacific at 2am?

A. It depends on the weather of course. But it did not seem that different far out as it does close to shore. But it is strange when you cannot see anything at all but you can hear waves coming. That can be a bit nerve racking in the beginning.

Do you get whiffs of anything on a breeze, or does it smell like the ocean all the time?

A. Smells like the ocean all the time.

Aside from the steering wheel, what do you find in your hands during the day/night? Tools, books, fishing pole?

A. I think it is mostly just hanging on.

How do you feel about the space? Small bit of cramped real estate set in a wide open area? Cabin fever?

A. Oh yeah. This is a major thing I never really went into before. Solis has three cabins. The bow for dad, the side for Luke and the captains cabin in the back. The second day out that all changed. Dad's room had a leak and he was deathly ill so I told him to take my room. Luke said his bed was too uncomfortable so he wanted to drop down the table in the living room area and turn it into a bed. That left me somewhat empty handed so I slept on the floor by the entrance for about the first 12 days of the trip. Then Luke and I switched off for about 10 days where I slept on the converted table and Luke slept on the floor. The sleeping arrangements were kind of a bummer for me, but like they say, you deal with the hand you are dealt. And also I am thankful because just switching up sleeping places is not that big a deal. I always think that things could have been much worse.

Routine:
What the hell do you guys do all day now that it's not so, "white knuckle" at every moment? Reading, fishing, or constant attention to the duties of piloting and navigating?

A. Dad was lying down all day in bed or sitting on deck (later in the trip). Luke spent nearly the entire trip lying down reading. I only read 1 book. Other than that my time was split up between navigation, repairs, sail trim, or just sitting on deck talking to dad or thinking.

We want to know the basic stuff too, like how do you shower?

A. Baby wipes. I had already thought about that one before we left. Lots of baby wipes.

Do you have an onboard head (capacity issues?) or are you squatting the plank in 10' swells each morning?

A. Two nice bathrooms.

tokyoace
What and when was the scariest part of the trip?

A. Getting out of Japan in the begining was surely the most difficult/scariest part. Continuous waves breaking over the boat at night was pretty intense.

Did you guys end up catching any fish at all?

A. Nope. I really wanted to and by the end I was hinting to Luke that maybe we should, but by that time we were so close to Hawaii we decided to just wait.

What type of life jackets are you wearing?

A. You can probably see them in the pictures. They are auto-inflate type so that if you fall in they blow up. They also have a thick/strong strap that goes around with two metal eyes on the front so you can clip a tether into them.

Is there a GPS unit or transponder attached in case you get thrown overboard at night?

A. Nope. Apparently that was one of my dads' and Lukes' biggest fears. They would hear me out there in the middle of the night on deck in the conditions. I laughed and thought they were not so worried about "me" going overboard, but worried that if I went overboard they would not be able to sail the boat. hahaha!!

Did you see any other boats or ships out there?

A. I thought we would see a lot of boats. I have heard from others that they see a lot of boats. Here is the tally of human life out there: I think it was only 7 boats for the entire trip. When we left Japan on day two or so we say an airplane. The morning we were approaching Hawaii we saw two more airplanes...I was amazed. At least I thought we would see jets in the sky, but nope....

michelle
Could the way from Hii to Ca be as rough as the way out of Japan?

A. I think so. I have always heard getting out of Japan is the hardest part.

How many days is that trip?

A. Out to California should be about another 20 days, so that would make the total close to 50 days.

Will you be ok w/ just Luke?

A. News flash!!! Luke is taking a plane home next week as well. I'm considering my options at this point...I had originally considered doing the Japan to Hawaii trip alone so that may be a possibility.

You said to ask questions.....now that you've had all this experience, and other than adding paper plates to the voyage, would you do anything different to the boat, like adding more equipment?

A. The boat performed flawlessly and brilliantly. The major problem was my sat. phone which had absolutely terrible connectivity. I should have installed an SSB radio (high frequency radio which works all across the radio for both reception and transmission and internet).

Did the boat hold well after the trip?

A. The boat was great. Only maintenance issues and some minor repairs. More like needing a tune up after a long trip.

Sails were not ripped?

A. My main sail ripped in multiple places. But I was using a very old mainsail which was in poor condition to begin with. 3 days out from Hawaii I actually changed my mainsail to a nice one I had below.

Tokyoace asked a pretty good one; did you catch any fish? did you prepare sushi?

A. See above.

If you think that was difficult...

Tonight, for the first time I was able to read the blog. I really wish we were able to read it while out at sea. So if you think sailing across the Pacific ocean is difficult now put yourself in my shoes for the next challenge ahead...the challenge being a new "blog post" which somehow begins to express my thanks, gratitude, appreciation and love to all of you who supported us. Sitting here begining to type, I somehow feel honestly really transmitting these feelings through the written word may be an even bigger challenge. So I hope that through simply sharing some last stories, posting some pictures and continuously simply writing "thank you" over and over I can at least begin to express my "thanks" to all of you.

It must have been just two nights before we arrived, but I saw the moon in a way I've never seen it before. The funny thing is that it was the "new moon". Which I think normally means when the moon begins it's new cycle which means there is "no moon" in the sky. It was just after sunset and some stars began to appear. Toward the end of the trip dad started to "get" that being on deck helped more than anything, so for the last 5 to 10 days he would hang out on deck for sometime after sunset with me. It was pretty much my routine for the entire trip to hang out on deck for 1 to 2 hours after sunset, unless chef Louie had another round of coconut milk mac and cheese ready. Anyway, on that evening it was dad and I out on deck. I noticed what at first I thought was a star but after watching it I noticed that it was oblong, looking something like 3 or 4 stars bunched together in a line. I just could not figure it out. It was just above a cloud so I began to think that since we were so close to Hawaii that maybe there was an airplane with a powerful light projecting forward through the cloud and that possibly that is what I was seeing. But the illumination persisted in one single location.

After more consideration I think it came to me in a holler out loud to dad, "I think that's the moon!". I think he had been watching it as well and had also come to the same conclusion. It was the smallest spec of moon I had ever seen. That in itself is probably not the most interesting observation to be sharing, but what began to transpire in the 30 minutes that followed was amazing to us. The small sliver we realized, was the bottom side of the moon because it had the smallest arc of, as I mentioned, only about 3 or 4 stars wide. In my experience, whenever I have seen the moon in the past, it did not change shapes on me...if there is a small sliver, then that is what you have for the evening, if you have a big sliver, that's what you've got, a half moon, a full moon, whatever, that's what you've got for that day. But that evening after we saw the spec of light we noticed that it moved. And then it got a bit larger. And as it got darker I thought I could see the opposite side. Not full light, but a glow. About 1 hour after sunset what began as the tiniest sliver turned into the equivalent of seeing a full moon glow through fog. But there was no fog and there were no clouds to obstruct our view. The earth had a made an absolutely perfect shadow covering the moon just so right as to make it so the entire moon would glow, full size, into what really looked like an eclipse. And the sliver of moon we could see, would ever so slightly move to different locations as time persisted. The simplest things become so interesting out there.

For the last couple of days the anticipation of our tropical arrival was absolutely killing me. The joy, the excitement and all of the thoughts going through my head. For the sailing world the title of our voyage may read something like "some more guys cross the Pacific", as if it's a routine occurrence, but the headlines in my own mind read simply "You did it! You did it!". After finally being able to read the blog last night, I read Dave's description of me as being "thorough". Funny he wrote that because the last two days of the trip were going to be "smooth sailing". And as I wrote, there was a lot of excitement and anticipation in the air. As captain it was of utmost importance to me that we make the last couple of nice sailing weather "safe". There are just too many stories of things happening on the last leg. The people who go on the road trip around the country only to get in an accident within miles of their home on their return. Or some may remember the accident in northern California last year. There were 3 professional boat delivers with lots of experience had been hired to bring a sailboat from South Africa to Seattle. After coming all the way past San Francisco, they perished somewhere around Eureka California just short of their destination. Us humans tend to get a little over-excited at times with certain things. So I told my self internally and told the crew that for the last couple of days it would be pertinent that all procedures up to this point remain: life-jackets AND tether worn at all times while on deck. Also, just keep extra safety conscious for the last leg. That all proved to be a good practice as the worst injury of the trip was Luke's broken toe. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell everyone about that. As mean as it may sound, it makes me giggle to remember the details of this story so I better make a new paragraph for this one.

We're creatures of habit and we all have them. One of Luke's resembles that of rats coming out in the middle of night. Probably on almost every night of the trip there would be the crumpling and rummaging sound crackling from the kitchen. Sometimes it was quick, but other times, like a heat seeking missle, when chef Louies sweet-seeking 3AM snack attack could not locate the target (cookies, chocolate, etc.) the rumbling of cupboard doors opening and closing would persist until the target was hit. Well only about a week ago the rummaging sound was drowned at by a 3AM quick machine gun fire of "son of a b$#ch!" and other related terminology. I think I had just come down 30 minutes before from a round of sail tuning on deck, so unless his leg was cut off I was too tired to inquire as to what had happened. After all those miles of rough seas and challenges, chef Louie managed to break his toe in his own kitchen under mild ocean conditions!!! Below the sink are two foot pedals for pumping water and apparently after it was a mission accomplished for the cookie hunt he made a mad dash to the deck to devour his treasure and have a smoke that he stubbed his toe and broke it. The next day it was black and blue and apparently throbbed. We put it in a brace and taped it up for the rest of the trip.

The final night on the boat....we had a visitor. I had spoke of the albatross that were with us for the entire trip. Once we turned south about 5 days or so out from Hawaii, they very quickly disappeared and were replaced by completely different birds which we could not identify. They were smaller, about the size of a seagull, but much different than albatross or seagulls. They were so sleek and beautiful. They were a very clean white and almost had a black trim around their tail feathers. The tops of their heads had a hint of tropical yellow and their thin long beaks were blue. I really liked these birds. Well on the last night one kept coming so very close to the boat. The albatross would be near the boat and I think they were looking in the water for anything being stirred up by Solis, but these white birds were different. This one in particular took a genuine interest in us....so I thought. It kept sweeping down close to deck. Then it was flying high, just around the top of the mast. I absolutely could not believe it, but it was trying to land on the top of the mast, as it swung and jerked and lurched as we pounced through the waves. It was sunset when all of this was going on and I wondered why it took such an interest in us at that time. After it gave up on the mast-landing, it took numerous swoops down toward deck. One time it was within 10 feet of me. And after some time it was trying to land on deck. Finally, he swooped down literally so close to me that I could have reached out and grabbed it, but it landed on top of the railing just feet from where I was sitting. At first it was checking me out with some reluctance, but after some minutes it quickly began cleaning itself thoroughly. I gave it some thought and realized it must just sleep/bob around in the ocean every night, then hunt during the day. Having a spot to land and clean itself must be somewhat of a great treat. After about 15 minutes of cleaning it managed to cling to the single wire railing, turned its' head backward and tuck its' beak under its feathers for a nights sleep. The level of trust of this bird was amazing. I'm sure I could have just walked over to it and grabbed it without its knowing if I wanted. I thought maybe it would be there in the morning, but after my usual rise at sunrise I did not see it. Must have taken off before sunrise for an early morning hunt. It felt kind of special having the little web footed visitor.

My anticipation for the final day was overwhelming. What it must be like to spot land...when I got up at sunrise to do the normal trimming of sails, I thoroughly scanned the horizon as a hunter must do for prey. I kept thinking I was seeing outlines but realized it was my mind making islands out of early morning clouds in the distance. So it was back to bed. By about 10AM I was out and about on deck, dad and Luke were too. I could see on the charts and GPS that we were so close and I know from experience sailing the islands in Japan about how far out you can see land on the horizon. We were beginning to be within reach but still no land. Of course I was confident it was out there, but some crazy hint of doubt was somewhere in the back of my mind saying "maybe you didn't navigate correctly and just maybe you have made a mistake...". Funny how the mind can play tricks on us sometimes. Anyway, I couldn't stand it anymore so I took my harness and clipped into a high place where I could climb up on the mast a bit and get a better viewpoint. It was about 11:30AM when I saw something. Unlike my sunrise experience where I quickly jumped to the confident place of "I an see it" only to find it was a cloud, this time I saw something, watched and waited before I became confident about it and especially before I made any announcement to the guys below who may be even more disappointed if I called "land" only to find it was a cloud. So I watched and waited...is it moving like a cloud? No. is it staying steady? Yes. My confidence meter climbed like mercury on a hot day....up to boiling point where I finally burst out and exclaimed "land!! It's land!!!!". Dad and Luke, already on deck sprang to their feet, clung onto something and locked their site on the horizon where they also confirmed my observation. It was such an exciting moment.

Some time later Luke went below to grab his normal US cell phone and attempted to make some calls. We were all amazed that he was getting reception. He began a flurry of calls to friends and family and had the biggest smile on his face. We had planned on coming into Nawiliwili harbor on the east side, but because of weather we hit Port Allen on the south side. We pulled in at 7:30 PM on the 7th. There were several boats coming in with tourists and we tied up close to them. And it was lucky we did. When we got off the boat dad could not walk. He took a few steps and could go no further. He had been very sick again just the day before so was still so very weak. The last 3 days he hardly consumed any food at all and we were extremely concerned. The guys that we met driving the tourist boats were extremely helpful. They gave us a ride to the emergency room where dad had 4 liters (over 1 whole gallon) of IV solution pumped into his arm. In addition, he was given some kind of nutritional jellies which he quickly consumed.

A nurse who got off work gave us a ride back to the boat. We are on what they call the sleepy side of the island, meaning there is really not much going on and not much open at all. We made an immediate shot from the boat to the hospital so although dad had a nutritional 1 gallon IV snack, Luke and I were still deprived. We were so hungry and had barely eaten all day. So what was open? Nothing we were told. No grocery stores, nothing. But the secretary that worked at the hospital coincidentally used to work at McDonalds. I asked if it was open, but she said we would not make it as it closed at 12. Anyway, she still had friends that worked there so she called and we actually ordered big macs and double cheeseburgers. Luke and I inhaled them before you could even say the words "big-mac". It tasted great, but I have to admit that after 28 days of altered diet my body had a middle of the night reaction and I had the strangest most terrible taste in my mouth. Very strange. But the real treat was the next morning when we took dad up to the bus stop. We stopped in this local breakfast diner with one of the greatest meals I've ever had. It was an amazing treat.

The next day Luke and I on one of the greatest "accomplishment highs" ever, took Solis up around to Nawiliwili. Solis, like us, was dying for a good shower and cleaning so we spent from 10AM until about 6PM cleaning and scrubbing. There are a actually a lot of places on the charts which say "toxic dump site" pointing probably to the days when they threw materials in certain parts of the island. I think we should have had that sign over the entrance to the boat. If you try hard enough you can probably make yourself sick just by imagining what the inside of the boat was like after 28 days with three guys. And quite honestly cleaning things was not on my prioritiy list, not on dads "ability" list and not on Luke's list of things he felt like doing so basically no cleaning occurred for basically the entire trip. (HUGE note to self: all paper plates and bowls for the next trip!!!!!)

Just a couple more things before I close this entry out. I have spent the last day and a half basically just sleeping. I didn't realize how tired out I was. We are now in a place which I would like to describe as a small paradise. Note to self: if I were to ever get married, remember this place for a honeymoon. The layout of the house is amazing. Decks all around the house, great kitchen, great bedroom and the surroundings. From the back deck lies the most majestic view of the mountains. I'm so used to seeing peaks which are only rock. But somehow here in Kauai there is an almost florescent beautiful green vegetation which covers the mountains. And it's all for me to enjoy now. It's an A-frame house with tile floors and all around are banana trees, out back is a small river and very often flocks of beautiful white birds fly by in formation. It is simply magical. Luke has been out with friends since he got here and dad and Toni are down below so I have basically had this three bedroom paradise all to myself. But I have surely needed the quiet and the rest.

So what's next? I am contemplating the next steps. Crossing from Hawaii back to California was the original plan. Give me a week or so to think about that one...I would love to do a big Q&A. But only if there are questions. I noticed throughout the blog people were asking me questions. I will hopefully be able to go through tomorrow, format and answer all of those. If anyone has additional questions, please fire away. I think it would be fun to have a dialogue about anything people are wondering about the trip.

And closing thoughts. In the next couple of days dad, Luke and I will put down our closing thoughts for the completion of this part of the journey.

For now let me again just say thank you so much to everyone for all of your support.

Happy Sailors in Hawaii!!! - May 8

Solis log: 21 53'59N 159 35'23W

Yesterday we safely arrived in Port Allen on the south side of Kauai. It was a tremendous feeling getting off the boat and tying up to shore. There really is a lot to write about and many many details, pictures, video, etc. to follow. But it has already proven to be a busy day. Customs, immigration and because of a few complications with our location, we (Luke and I) will be moving the boat today from Port Allen to Nawiliwili on the east side of the island. Dad will be taking a bus...For now I just wanted to say that I was personally surprised about my personal state when I arrived. I called my sister Taj (who graciously volunteered to manage the English blog) when we arrived to say we arrived safely. I was feeling great. Strong, the invincible captain!!!....but then, I could hear some emotions on the other end of the line and I could feel a few tears falling on the other end. And the invincible captain began to melt and tears began to fall. It was more of an emotional experience than I originally anticipated. Anyway, so much to write, but so little time today. Please expect a major post from me in the next couple of days. A few more pretty good stories to come as well....and pictures and hopefully some video clips. So until my next post, thanks so much for everything!!!