Adventures in the South Pacific - Issue 19

Will We Ever Get There?

The ride for me had been rocky for sure. But when we arrived at the desired location, the wind was really blowing and Brian was unable to find a good place to anchor. There were no other boats there - not a good sign.

So we pressed on for awhile, anchored for a few hours at another spot further North, then another day and night at sea to arrive in Port Vila on Efate. Many other boats were already anchored there.

We slept.

It was the first time I'd slept in a real bed since we left Fiji 4 days earlier.

The master stateroom bed is a pillowtop just like mine at home. Boy did it feel good.

While at sea, we take turns sleeping in the pilot house bunk or on the coach in the salon. Brian typically sleeps in the pilot house bunk so that if a boat or other unusual thing showed up on the monitors during Jess or my watch we could easily wake him to deal with it.

I had to curl up on the end of the L shaped coach so I was sleeping crosswise - not lengthwise bow (front) to stern (back) which caused more nausea.

The staterooms are below and its way too rocky to sleep there. Just going down to one of the heads (bathrooms) gave me problems. Of course almost everything caused problems when I was sitting or standing.  

Traveling all night at sea is truly a weird phenomena.

Sitting in the pilot house, watching the dimly lit radar and chart monitors for ATS signals from other boats, straining to see anything out the windows in the vast and unending darkness. Sometimes the way was lit by the moon. The horizon always changing as the boat moved up and down with the waves, rocking side to side. Sometimes when Venus first appeared, it looked like a light on the water - another boat perhaps?

This is faith. This is trusting that the electronics are working properly and that at some unexpected place in the ocean things don't just drop off into nothingness. The boat is rocking gently or forcefully, waves are softly breaking or thrashing angrily spraying water all over everything.

You are alone . . . miles and miles from anything.

Everyone else on board is sleeping and its up to you to notice the ship in the distance, whether the blip on the screen is a rain cloud or a mass of some kind.

It was both invigorating and slightly unnerving. Every now and then the realization hits you that if something unfortunate happens, the sea could be your death. Yet here you are and it is good.   

Debbie Takara Shelor