Happy Birthday to Charles!!

It is a beautiful day with perfect wind! I told Charles it was his birthday present from me. We are moving at 7 knots and it feels damn good after bobbing in the ocean for 2 days. I am making Charles a birthday cake later today. It will have two layers of white cake with white icing. It’s an experiment, as baking at sea is never a perfect science, especially when you don’t bake.

I saw a Taco! It looks like a jelly fish with a clear bubble Mohawk that floats above the surface. I imagine when they want to sink it deflates. I will google it when we get to Bermuda and let you know. I am soooo glad Charles wasn’t hallucinating! :-)

(It's a Portuguese Man-of-War. I thought they looked different...hmm)

We talked to our families today. Charles called his parents. They were very excited to hear from him. I also called my parents as well as my brother Mike. They have all been tracking us via our SPOT personal locator beacons so they know exactly where we have been and where we are presently. The first thing Mike asked is why we veared so far south. He was making guesses as to what happened. Did Charles fall asleep at the wheel (Charles of course asked, “Why do I have to be the one they think falls asleep at the wheel!?)? We went south because that is where the wind was. Sailing is odd. You go 20 miles and are only 12 miles closer to your destination. Otherwise you aren't moving at all!

Mike was interested in knowing how the surface of the ocean was changing as we went over notable topographical areas. I told him it's been pretty flat. Totally not what I expected. They say May is the best time to cross. I figured fewer storms, no hurricanes; but not FLAT ocean. Its surreal. When we were in the heart of the Sargasso we did see a lot of Sargasso seaweed. I guess it can get even bigger and wreak havoc on your rudder.

Tacos

The days are starting to run together. It is so much quieter than I expected. I guess I was thinking shark week on Discovery Channel. It’s more like Mr. Rogers, minus the sweater coming on and off. Too hot for sweaters!

My source of night shift survival has been my Nintendo DS. My tummy is way too sensitive to depend on coffee and mountain dew for 6 hours. Video games are just the mindless distraction I need to keep me alert and watching the horizon. I gotta tell ya. The devil that pops up when you die in Super Mario Brothers is especially freaky when you are in the middle of the ocean and it is pitch black out.

I have never seen dark like this. Even backingpacking in Colorado.

We knew this when we left, but the wind is pretty weak. We have to run our engine daily to charge our batteries, but we just planned to keep it at idle. We find ourselves needing it for forward propulsion. If not the headsail and the main sail constantly bicker. I imagine it's similar to your kids waking you up at 4:30 am on a Saturday to mediate a fight. Just when you think you have it under control and you start to drift into sleepy wonder you a hear a loud “Mahhhhhm”. Ugh Need sleep.

We saw a container ship in the distance as well as another sailboat today. Later in the afternoon Charles saw a Coast Guard cutter in the distance. It’s reassuring to know they are out this far. I am sure they were just as surprised to see us as we were to see them.

Charles keeps seeing Tacos. I have yet to see them as they usually appear in the morning and I go to sleep at 4am, an hour before the sun comes up. He thinks they are jelly fish shaped like an upside down taco floating on top of the water. I told him he needs to take a picture! He may be hallucinating!

We still like each other!!

Waiting for Wind

Time is free, diesel is not! So here we bob in the Atlantic Ocean. Hoping the wind will change. I have been so excited the past few days that sleep was just futile. I would sleep the minimum amount, but as soon as my eyes opened I was up on deck. Having the 10p-4a shift requires one to get used to sleeping in sunlight. It has been difficult. But today I crashed and crashed hard! Charles and I have a pact that if we get tired during our shift we can pass out and set the alarm to wake us up in 15 minutes. So at 1:15am I could barely keep my eyes open. I set the alarm and passed out. I woke up 15 minutes later to Charles shaking me. He had heard the alarm from downstairs. He woke me up and told me to go to bed. I could barely speak. I went downstairs and passed out.

I woke up at 11am. I made lunch and passed out again. I was so tired. When I woke up Charles asked me if I was sick. I think I feel fine. Maybe I am anemic. I have huge bruises from running into things on the boat. Its impossible to walk a straight line!

So Charles decided to change up the shifts. We are going to share the nighttime hours and then when it’s light we are in less danger and can sleep if we need to. So he took the 10-2am shift and I took the 2am to 5:30 shift. After that I napped. And Charles napped too. Give or take an hour for eating, we slept all day. I set my internal alarm to wake me up every 30 minutes to check on the seas, but again…there was nothing. Quiet.

Quiet Sunset

Waking in a Satin Sheet

Its 7:30am of our first morning at sea. Its my turn to sleep but I'm a little too exited. The sea looks like a giant satin sheet. Its beautiful and flat. Very bizarre looking. When I popped my head up the hatch I couldn’t see any land. Charles said he could still see towers when the sun came up though.
Charles has been seeing ocean life all morning. Some dulphins came by earlier and entertained him for a bit. The water is so clear he could see their bodies swimming under the water. The wind died after my watch so Charles put the motor on. Its best for now. We needed to charge up our batteries anyway. Apparently we were only going 1.5 kt. Slow. We were going about 4 when I went to sleep at 4am. Once we get enough to push us east Charles will put the sails back up.
It is going to take a while to adjust to the shifts. I was really tired last night while on duty and now I am wide awake. I made some red tea and will hopefully take a snooze here shortly. We are about 50 miles out and still listening to Chuck FM in Charleston. It's been a great sound track for the trip thus far. I am charging up the ipods because I am sure that reception will not last. We should be close to the gulf stream. Charles will motor through it and then sail the rest of the day and evening.

Comforting Glow

I am sailing the first night shift of our journey. It's only 9:40pm, but it feels so much later. My body has not yet adjusted to life at sea. Its pitch black out, except for the comforting glow coming from the west. I can see the radio and cell towers on Charleston's barrier islands. I see a ship in the distance as well. I can check the radar to see exactly how far the ship is as it is very difficult to see at night. Our heading is a little more north than it should be as we are searching for wind. Yacht Weather reccomended waiting for another week in order to get better wind. Our priority is safety. As long as we have plenty of food and water, 3.5kts is fine with us. Its so piecful right now. However I am listening to Funky Town on Chuck FM. The radio is comforting too. I know I am not so far from civilization when I can hear the obnoxiously creative intros to the songs on the radio.

Charles and I decided I would do better with the first shift and he would pick up the 4am watch. I would rather stay awake, than wake up at 4am. Ugh! But, we may trade a few times as we traverse the wind, waves, and currents. Our first is the Gulf Stream. We should hit that in about 30 miles. At this rate it will probably be when I am sleeping. We will see. The stream is notorious for thunder storms and a strong northerly current.

So for entertainment I am listening to the radio as long as I can. I can also play video games, read, exercise, meditate, and practice my celestial navigation. Every 15 minutes I do a 360 degree look out from the cockpit. All is quiet this memorial day.

When ever I embark on a new journey my father always reminds me to look to my ancestors for guidance. If I need help they have the experience and motivation to help me out. This time he also mentioned that most of them just happended to be sailors. The Closes came over to the USA in the 1600’s. I am sure their journey was much different, but the ocean’s seducing calm has not changed. Just when you think the sea is your friend she has been knowned to turn on those she cradled only minutes before. I will pray to my ancestors for the guidance to navigate those angry waters. As well as pray to god for calm waters on our journey ahead.

Two shrimp boats in the Morgan River saying goodbye to us as we embark on our adventures!

Vios Con Dios

Today is the day. We are shutting off the cable internet and heading out around 3pm. Next time you hear from us we will be in Bermuda!!!
Talk to you soon!
Megan and Charles

Waiting For Weather

We are ready to go! We have enough food and water to last through a nuclear war. Our cars are at Phil and Dixie's house in NC. The boat is packed up and secure. We have our new main sail. I had my last dentist appointment (broken crown...oops). We have said our goodbyes, or should I say shaloms.

Now if the wind and weather would just get on board, we'd be on our way. When we were visiting Charleston a couple weeks ago we met a captain that was planning to do the same trip we are. He and his crew had been sitting and waiting in Cooper River Marina for 3 weeks. Waiting for the right weather to carry them over the pond. Yikes. If we wait that long we will have to go back to the grocery store, well at least the liquor store!

Our friend Paula visited us Friday night and was nice enough to bring us wine and cheese to help supplement our inventory. However we ate and drank it all. To our defense we have been working our butts off the past 2 weeks (more like the past 6 months) and it was nice to take some time to celebrate our up and coming adventure with Paula. The hangover the next morning was worth it! Thanks Paula!!!!

When you are planning to be at sea for several weeks, weather.com doesn't help much. We have software that gives us a detailed forecast, but we both feel like we missed something in science class when trying to desipher what it means to us. So we enlisted the help of Adam and Darryl at Fleet Weather (http://www.yachtweather.com/). They charge us a reasonable fee and give us the go ahead when the weather will be most beneficial to our sail. The weather is very mild off shore and the wind is against us. Tomorrow looks better. We will check in with them and see what they suggest. I don't mind waiting. We both want to do this the right way.

Water and fishing supplies, covered by the Megan and Charles blanket!
Food, food, and more food. Our saloon is now a bedroom and lounge!

Entertainment at sea:

Goodbyes

I am 32 years old. I have said good bye before. It never gets easier. In a recent thank you letter to a good friend I wrote that the english language does not have the appropriate word to use in situations like this. Good Bye is what you would say to an x-lover; one you have no intention of ever breathing the same air again. Shalom is a better word, or vios con dios. Charles and I are embarking on an adventure. One we will return from. But it still feels terrible leaving, it feels terrible to say the words Good Bye.

We have a great network of friends and family, why would we risk losing it all for adventure? Safety is an incredible feeling. Some people can never let it go, while others avoid it all together. I think Charles and I will live our lives adoring safety and then ocasionaly dumping her like an x lover. It hurts to leave because we respect the safety and comfort of our friends and family and yet we crave new experiences; new perspective.

We will return knowing new people, new cultures, new food, and hopefully return with new perspective. Personally, I think this is what scares me the most. Perspective has the ability to separate one from those they knew. It would be nice to bring the safety of our loved ones with us, but I think we all know it is more difficult to gain a new outlook on life if you never leave the one you have today.

So we will leave soon. We will not take the ones we love with us. But, when we return we will bring our embelished slide show of experiences with us and hopefully share the new perspective we have on the world with those we briefly left behind.

Open Boat Party May 10, 2008: Cooper River Marina, Charleston

Top: Scott and Elissa's son Ethan

Bottom: Brian, Caroline, Megan, Elissa, Scott

Top: Megan and Christine

Bottom: Jessica, Caroline, Megan and Jessica's son, baby Dale

Top: Pete, Cam, Charles

Bottom: Grandma and Megan

Top: Kevin and Tim

Bottom: Lydia and Grandma