s/v Field Trip

Heat inside the boat with sun blaring in, 126.2ºF. It’s 7:30 a.m. and the thermostat reads 32ºC inside the boat (that’s 90 ºF). Given the 75% humidity, that makes the apparent temperature 106ºF! Hatches above us are open, but there’s not a wisp of breeze blowing in.  Sweat trickles down my back, soaking the elastic waistband of my pajama shorts.  The air inside is heavy.  It feels like I’m sitting in a steamy sauna at the local gym, only... I’m not.  I’m sitting at our salon table, stubbornly sipping my morning coffee, determined not to let this heat rob me of my morning indulgence. We haven’t had any rain since the lockdowns started - nearly two months ago now.  The sun rises blazing, and continues to turn up the temperature throughout the day.  Moods turn irritable on board.  The heat is oppressive, and we are all struggling to carry on with our regular routines. How Do We Beat the Heat When Living Aboard? Staying cool during school....

The New Normal Well, it's been eight weeks since the quarantine regulations were put in place.  Gradually, the resort has closed, leaving only a few staff left.  Our Covid-19 family has dwindled as people have found rare opportunities to travel back to their homes.  In some ways, it feels like just yesterday when all this started.  In other ways, it feels like it's been decades. The focus for me has been to maintain routine and a realistic perspective during such global upheaval.  It feels weird, though, to continue living life as usual when so much of the world around us is changing and is anything but usual.  I try to take it one day at a time.   What can I do today to boost morale and maintain momentum?  Here are some of the ways we fight the boredom/blues bug amid the monotony... Playing Monopoly Marathon! Our onboard game cabinet hasn’t seen this much action since our 20-day Pacific Ocean crossing.  Some old favorites...

Photo from hubpages.com Living in land-locked Colorado didn't lend itself to a lot of fresh seafood dinners.  Sure, we could feast on buffalo burgers, venison stew, or elk medallions, but pelagic fish cooked up at a Colorado restaurant could hardly be advertised as  fresh.   And sushi?  That was just asking for trouble.   On board, however, the sea has become our supermarket.  And fresh?  You can't get any fresher than hauling a tuna aboard and slicing off a piece of sashimi to nibble on while you fillet the rest.  Again, I will say, I'm not an adventurous eater, but I'm willing to try anything.  Well, sea turtle cooked in coconut milk?  No way.  (yes, this was offered to me on more than one occasion)  Okay,  almost anything.   Since visiting New Zealand, I have had my first tastes of raw oysters (not again... ever), steamed green-lipped mussels (yum!), and raw scallops (double yum!).  Our palate...

Mud and Candy By: Elizabeth You are probably wondering what's going on and what we are doing down here in Fiji, so I will tell you everything!  A few days ago Mom, Dad, Michael, and I got dressed in our skirt like Sulus and our short sleeved Chumbas for the Sevu-Sevu ceremony of welcome.  We had to do this on Halloween night because Dad wanted to get it over with.  As we dinghy closer to shore I see the women fishing with nets in knee deep water and the 16-20 foot Long Boats tied up to the cement dock.  Everything seems fine.  Except the fact that it is low tide and there are yards and yards of one foot deep black mud but it looks like it is a centimeter deep from the top!  The dinghy engine touches the bottom so Dad lifts it up out of the muddy water.  He then hops out and starts pulling us closer.  He says, " This mud is up to my shins!".  But we think that he is just joking until Michael gets in.  Mom and I crack up laughing...

(Looking back on our experiences in Fulaga, Fiji) Once a month.  That’s how often a rusty, heeling supply ship arrived in the Fulaga harbor delivering food, supplies, and loved ones from the large city of Suva. From our boat, we could see villagers gathering on shore, hustling about, anticipating its arrival. Women shucking clams by the basketful. After school, we went ashore to see what everyone was up to.  Groups of people were gathered around enormous pots set atop wood fires.  Curious, we asked one woman what she was cooking.   “Clams,” she answered, “to send to family in Suva on the ship.” Pu Mata boiling clams in seawater Beside the pot, empty clam shells were piled up by the hundreds.  As she lifted the lid, steam billowed out, blocking our view momentarily.  When the steam cleared, we could see hundreds of clams - bright orange, brown, and flesh colored - vibrating in the boiling sea water.  PuMata offered me one, but ...