May 18

Here we are on passage to New Caledonia. The first day out sucked - no wind and a huge ocean swell and crew who hasn't been at sea for 5 months! Jonah and I fed the fishes for the first day and a half. We are now alright and fully recovered. Jordan made a delicous chinese meal of which I ate too much.

I am on watch trying hard to stay awake! If I just sit, I tend to nod off. So I write a bit and then run upstairs and check for ships. We always run the radar. I do like to listen to cd's on my walkman and sing along particularly when the engine in on and no one can hear me wailing away. I bought the new Groove Armada cd just before we left and am loving it.

Jonah is doing great , he seems genuinely excited about New Cal and keeps talking about snorkeling on coral reefs. I am thrilled to have left Australia - it was nice but I got a little tired of marina life and tired of Mooloolaba. Of course now that I am on passage I am already looking back with increasing fondness on our time there.

I am sad to say goodbye to many good and new friends. The crew from "Danza" has been our neighbors for 5 months and they are a great family, interesting and fun. Jonah will miss Charlotte, the youngest on board. In addition, "Noason" has been lovely to be around - Robbie and Gene are such nice folks not to metion their cute as a button little girl, Allie. Rachel and Ed from "Horai" will be sorely missed. Rachel is funny and Ed is a sweetheart. These boats are all off on different routes and we will most likely not see them again. Other boats like "Rainsong" from Seattle shipped their boat home due to Tamara's pregnancy. "High Drama" and "Alderberon" are going up the Great Barrier Reef and then on to Darwin and then Thailand.

We might see the boat Juniper in New Cal and maybe even in Miconesia. They are a lot of fun and their kids are lovely. I know I am forgetting a million boats right now as I am thinking.

Ok we are half way there - we are motoring due to light winds - yuck but better then heading into strong winds which is the normal wind pattern. I am glad we waited for a good weather window.