A Sunburn, A Guitar and a Good Book

Day two at sea proved to be a calm day. While the winds were not nearly as strong as the boomerang launch that we experienced yesterday, we were able to maintain speeds of 5 to 8 knots throughout the day with 8 to 11 knot winds. A knot is apparently just over a mile an hour in case you were unaware. So we are not talking mega speeds here but it is all relative. Going 9 knots is still double the speed of 4.5. Over the course of the next few weeks that can translate into one to five less days at sea.

This morning we were all recovering from feeling a bit seasick. That combined with being extra sleepy from having to get up and spend 2.5 hours on night watch pretty well had everyone exhausted throughout the morning.

I don’t think it was until around 10 am that Kirsten gathered the full crew together for a delicious pancake and strawberry breakfast. This was a good sign as it meant that she was feeling well enough to help cook a meal in the galley. Over the next few days we will still have the opportunity to enjoy the fresh fruit and vegetables that we packed for the journey. After a short while however we will have to revert back to the freeze-dried strawberries, yogurt, eggs and broccoli that are stacked up in can on the shelf between the kitchen and dining room.

After clearing the breakfast dishes we all headed out to the back cockpit for our daily late morning devotional. This is a time where we all get together to share an inspiring message. The topic for the day was on on “The Secret to a Happy Life” as it related to a quote from Abraham Lincoln when he stated, “Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” This was followed by a few stories and quotes from author Chad P. Conrad. Alyssa brought up a great point from her University studies which related to an equation one of her professors would write down. E + R = O or Event + Response = Outcome. The main idea is that when a given event occurs to any of a number of people we each can respond to that one event in various ways. If we don’t like the outcome of that response then the only thing that we can try to do differently the next time is change our response to that one event. By changing our response the outcome will be different. It was a great way to start the date even if it was a bit late in the morning. We then ended our family time by reading a few verses of scripture together before separating to do our own things.

I took an hour to read a new book, Jaeden spent a bit of time practicing his guitar on the front deck, Alyssa caught a few rays out front (and a sunburn), Dailin bundled up under a blanket to read, Orin took a nap, Eli listened to a story that Kirsten read to him, Teyauna played with her brother Zakary. It was fun to wander around and see that everyone could find something to do with their time on-board. Lets just hope that on day twenty something they manage well in the confined space (along with me). That’s not to say there are not the occasional tense moments but for the most part we are doing well and getting enough vitamin C… thanks to the fresh oranges and lemons that the Loefke’s picked off of their tree and brought to us. We also enjoyed a few glasses each of their friend’s freshly squeezed orange juice… I felt like I was in heaven on the water. Too bad we couldn’t keep it until day 15 or 20 to celebrate crossing the equator!

Near the end of the day I fired up the generator for 20 minutes so that I could run the water-maker. It had been about a month since we last did this and unless we pickle it, we have to keep it operating monthly or else it will not work when we need it. So far the water tastes good and fresh as it separates the salt from the water as we sail along.

Dinner was a treat as Jaeden helped Kirsten to make a delicious shepherd’s pie. Potatoes only last so long and so we’ll enjoy them as long as we can before pulling out the powdered potatoes from the can.

This evening Alyssa, Orin and Eli are enjoying a light wind and speed of 4.6 knots. They are sitting at the helm in 15 degree Celsius weather, bundled under blankets on watch… double tasking by watching “The Hobbit” with a low light screen. Jaeden and Kirsten on the other hand are much warmer inside watching “The Scarlet Pimpernel”. There is definitely something for everyone on board.