s/v Field Trip

Today, on a deserted island in the Haapai Islands of Tonga, we are pirates .   Dad snuck ashore and hid some 'booty' on the beach, and then he came back and drew a scary pirate map for us.   We’ll have to use a GPS to find the treasures, so Dad shows us how to use it.  On the GPS he labeled two spots – one called “Hunger” and the other called “Gold”.  An arrow on the screen will point us to where we need to go. On the map, we see clues for each treasure.  For “Hunger” the clues are:  ‘My mouth is the biggest part of my body’ and ‘Some people eat me when hungry.’  The clues for “Gold” are: ‘I’m on the leeward side of the island’ and ‘You can drink me anytime, but I’m better ice cold’.  Dad drew a sign on the map that said, “Death and murder to all who enter.”  Then he drew a skull and swords just to make it extra scary! We put the GPS and the map in a plastic bag, because it looks like it’s going to rain.  I pull u...

It’s about 6:30 a.m. in Tonga, and since we've crossed the date line, it is actually your tomorrow here.   Fruit bats are screeching in the trees on shore, the sun is rising, and a new day is beginning on Field Trip.   If I’m lucky, I’ll be able to get a cup of hot coffee made, so I can sit out in the quiet of this anchorage and breathe in our surroundings before the bustle of the day comes.   But coffee doesn’t come in an automated machine, like my Keurig back home.   Coffee is a process.   First, I go to the control panel and switch on the LP gas (propane).   This panel is the mission control of the boat.  Here, we can switch electricity on for lights, water pumps, outlets, electric heads, cabin fans, etc.  In the first year we had the boat, it would take me minutes of standing in front of this panel of switches to find the one for which I was hunting.  Finally, after 3 years, I know which switch operates which light... I think. ...