Doldrums
Nearly smooth enough to go waterskiing…
We finally have WiFi again, so I’m belatedly posting a few blogs I wrote during our passage…
Our days of zipping across the ocean have come to an abrupt end: we’ve reached the doldrums.
It’s hot and muggy without much wind, so we’ve turned on the engines and continue onward with or without sails, depending on the wind speed and direction. Midday ocean dips brighten our spirits even though the 85-degree water doesn’t cool us off as much as we’d like!
It’s getting quite hot during the “circuit training” workouts Dunbar and I try to do each morning. With the limited cockpit space, cardio consists of jumping jacks, jumping rope (without the rope), step-ups, burpees, and – new to me, courtesy of Dunbar – boxing an imaginary punching bag. We supplement the cardio with weightlifting (using dive weights) and core exercises -- made far more challenging by the rocking and rolling of the boat! It’s enough to get our heart rates up and to appreciate an outdoor shower afterwards!
We keep the music going nearly non-stop (we love your playlist, Don and Wendy Swanson!), although I’m having to boogie to it alone. Pete, Dave, and Dunbar are wonderful, but I sure miss having my girlfriends around! For a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, I copied Pete and Marci George’s delicious coffee frappe concoction from our Tahitian travels – the frosty treat is a welcome relief!
One of my favorite spots on Catalyst is the seat at the bow of the boat. It’s cooler up there with the wind flowing by and the ocean rushing below. You can sit there, look for sea creatures, and contemplate life. We haven’t seen a lot of animals out here in the middle of the ocean – just the occasional bird hitchhiking a ride on our boat and a lot of flying fish. One night, as Dave was sitting watch at the helm, he suddenly was smacked in the face by a fish -- that fish was flying at least 8 feet above the waterline!
As the realization comes crashing over me that in less than a week it will be just Pete and me on the boat, I’ve turned into an annoying 2-year-old, asking “why” and “how” about everything. My sailing proficiency has grown leaps and bounds, but I’ve still a long way to go. Add to that the need to understand all the systems – power, water maker, electronics, engines, refrigeration, plumbing, etc. – and it’s quite overwhelming! Luckily, Pete’s got a very strong grasp of everything, and Dunbar’s been a patient and enlightening teacher. We’ll sure miss Dave and Dunbar when they head home.
