On the Baja Coast (Report #11 - 2012)
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Report #11/2012
latitude N 26 degrees 55 minutes / longitude W 114 degrees 24 minutes - paralleling the Baja coast near Bahia Ballenas [Whale Bay] in search of the wind and gray whales! With an average speed of less than 2 knots, we cannot troll and we cannot get in close enough to find those elusive whales. The weather, aside from no wind, is superb! Cool temperature, bright sun in a cloudless sky and slight seas buoy our spirits as we celebrate being here and the day which began with a prayer of thanksgiving and a request for a blessing for those back home as they brace for a possible cyclone strike.
The radio came on reminding us we were not alone and much to our lunch time jealousy, we discovered that two of our sister vakas had the good fortune of encountering local fishermen who bartered with them and they exchanged Tee shirts for fresh caught lobsters! Maybe next time we'll be as lucky. No complaints as Ben made us sunny side up eggs with ham and turkey slices for breakfast.
One of our important messages that we are not only "talking" about, but actually practicing, is reducing the reliance on fossil fuels thus cutting back on releasing those destructive carbons into our threatened environment. Aside from using propane to cook with, the Uto ni Yalo has no need for any fuel whatsoever. How do we manage to drive our ancillary props called pods and supply the Drua with electricity? Picture this......the stern of the Uto ni Yalo ends in twin raised hulls. Safely and securely fastened between them is a square platform consisting of four solar panels sitting parallel to the sea thus always facing skyward and the sun. The panels are attached to storage batteries that are used to power all our on board transmission devices, running lights, and the two pods [only used when absolutely needed like when entering or leaving a port].
Proving that technology doesn't always lead to further pollution, the pods can be used as generators when the Drua is sailing under wind power [motor to generator and back whenever needed!]. Each pod is attached to its own battery thus insuring us of a constant electrical supply. While this principle may appear complicated, it is basically straight forward and as solar panels become less expensive to manufacture we could all power our homes cleanly. Even now solar water heating is popular in parts of Fiji. Some villages have even adopted solar panels as opposed to fossil fuel generators that are noisy and expensive polluters. Using coconut oil as a biofuel is a step in the right direction, however employing solar and wind power makes us a leader in the war on pollution!
Tales from the Tropics - There many anecdotal stories that our crew would like to share with you periodically. Let's start with Kim....
            I'm up and ready for my 0600 shift with my fellow crew members: Moala, Mausio, Filo, and Jone. It is still dark out, but unlike the foggy weather yesterday, I can tell today is going to be a gorgeous, sunny day. I notice some stars are still out, none I'm familiar with yet. All the marker stars used in previous night shifts have already set to the west. The wind is up at 6 knots or so from the west, giving us an opportunity to make a little headway. We start surfing down the faces of small swells and manage to travel 12 nautical miles during our 3 hour shift. Almost three times that of the previous 0300 shift. Breakfast is served at the closing of our shift. On the menu are banana pancakes, cereal, and freshly brewed coffee. Our cook Ben is so creative and extremely good at cooking, it is really hard to be homesick when you get fed this well. The weather is starting to warm up as we move south, but the wind still blows a slight chill. Land is in sight and we continue to have a good day of wind and fabulous sunshine. I had almost forgotten the feeling of being warm. My toes are frozen and numb every night. I decide to take advantage of the nice weather, so I muster up the courage to take a sea bath. The water temperature is still down in the low 60's (Fahrenheit)......cold!! I make my way to the starboard stern of the vaka, "the bath area." I fetch seawater using our rope-rigged bucket. The first splash is shocking, but after a while it actually becomes refreshing. Or so I tell myself. I dry off and enjoy the warmth of the sun, then rub down with some virgin coconut oil. Ahh! I feel so refreshed.                                                              
Here's a story from Salome: I'm one of the three Watch Captains. My watch team consists of Iva, Tukana and Seru. I really enjoy the group as we work together steering with the uli. Each member gets about 45 minutes on while the others keep a look out, talk about sailing and appreciating being on board. Two nights ago we had the 0300-0600 watch. It was very cold, so cold that the wind reminded me of that piercing wind in Auckland! We were dressed for the cold with our wet weather gear, beanies and gloves. You would never know this is supposed to be the tropics! As we were shivering Tuks suggested that we boil water and make Chinese noodles to warm us up. He volunteered to serve us all hot noodles. As waiter he prepared the packets in a large pot and was supposed to boil water in a kettle located on the stove. However he insisted that the thermos we use for hot water was full and that all he had to do was pour the thermos water over noodles and wait for a warmer-upper. We all looked forward to having our insides relaxed from the hot liquid noodlesoup. Tuks graciously and with flair poured each of us a large bowl full. Even when asked a second time he assured us that the soup was hot! As it was dark we couldn't see the contents of the bowls too clearly. Tuks was using his red headlamp which didn't shine brightly. Iva was the first to try and she took a mouthful only to get a shock. She thought she was eating crunchy biscuits as the noodles were hard and dry as the water was indeed NOT HOT, BUT FREEZING COLD! Our anticipated hot treat turned out to be yet another cold addition to the night. Tuks, ever the comedian, said that he would be grateful if I took him the next morning for exercise to assist his digestive sytem get rid of the undissolved noodles. Maybe that would be like doing "crunches" to get rid of the crunches!! I have been so pleased that so many of the crew have asked me to help them get fit. They want 6 pack abs, smaller waist lines and muscle definition - all this before we get into our next port! I think they must want to impress all the new friends they hope to meet! I am also so very happy that we have begun a prayer and devotion routine each day with morning prayers of thanks and evening prayers of asking for blessings for our loved ones back home. With skipper's encouragement and guidance we also conduct church services every Sunday at lunchtime.
Vinaka vaka levu and ni sa moce for now.

Tabu Soro........our journey continues