Day 20: Pacific Crossing to Marquesas; Crew Commentary

View from the Portside Crew Quarters:

Wanted: Crew needed for Pacific crossing. Principal duty to stand watch in the middle of the night. Other duties as assigned. Room and board provided. Must play well with others.

As we near the Marquesas we’ve spent more time reflecting on the passage behind us and prepping to be island cruisers again. It’s also a sign that the role of the crewmember is nearly able to be stowed away like the storm jib in the port lazarette and the regular Hyer family life to resume until the next large crossing many months away. As for this crewmember, it’s nearly time to think ahead to the resumption of regular routine of family, home, work and a celebration of the Alaskan spring. In that vein it’s worthwhile to scribble down the parts of this voyage that I most looked forward to learning about – namely the how a rhythm of life aboard Terikah develops under way. 

It’s worth noting that when it was mentioned in casual conversation that there would be need for help during this passage, I immediately volunteered. It was an unexpected opportunity and well worth the several years of planning and I’m thankful for an understanding family and employer for their support. At the marina in Mexico I was introduced as “crew” and learned that it’s not atypical to bring help aboard for long crossings. It makes sense now that we’ve lived it for nearly three weeks – unlike a road trip punctuated by gas stations, rest areas and the ability to pause and stretch, the pace of this trip is casual but round-the-clock relentless and certainly has the potential to wear sailors down. Extra help allows rest and recovery, and on a family boat perhaps someone else to talk to. 

The rhythm of Terikah life is driven by winds, watch and snacks, as well as the proper functioning of the myriad of systems that we rely on. During the day, we casually rotate through the helm with an eye for weather shifts as we search for the best bearing and sail plan for each situation. Some days have seen many sail changes, other days we’ve held a singular bearing and sail the whole day and into the night. The snacks shift from oats (bar or bowl), to fruit (gradually becoming only green apples after many joyous days of oranges and a distant memory of mangos and papaya), to the crunchy/salty group du jour emerging bag by bag from hidey holes beneath seats and floor. Leftovers for lunch, something substantial for dinner and then the port cabin beds down just after sunset in anticipation of the 1 am watch. 

In between times we watch this beautiful ocean. Colored by sun and cloud we roll up and over swell and chop, closing ports and hatches when squalls threaten and opening them for air. We exclaim at sunsets, stare at the moon and stars – and point out everything. The swells have been most of all delightful with some easily predictable and understandable as we’ve sailed through the northern and southern trades, and some coming crossways and fast from far off storms – lifting us up and down as they lumber by. We are constantly in motion, side to side, up and down, bow to stern, and sometimes all at once with slaps of waves against the hull or quietly lifted up and set back down. Astonishingly, with a few exceptions for carelessly placed items tossed to the deck, Terikah rides well and though we might lurch a bit moving about we are unaffected by the motion.   

The days go by barefoot casually. Jen reads to us of Captain Cook’s Pacific travels and we keep up on other boats sailing in a long dotted line leading from Mexico or Panama – and if not for clock and calendar I think we’d lose track of day and time as our world has become so very focused and small with the smallness emphasized by the size (breadth and depth) of the Pacific and how few other boats we’ve seen. We clean and read, chatter a bit, inspect bilges and battery voltage, run the generator and desalinizer, tidy lines and dishes, laugh at our follies and mile by mile inch toward land. And though we’ll be delighted to first spy and then step upon the ground on Hiva Oa, the passage hasn’t been such trial of skill but a test of patience and mood; well worth the time and in excellent company.

From the portside crew quarters all is well!

Total miles over the last 24 hours:    110.8 nm

Average speed in last 24 hours:     4.6 nm

Total miles of trip so far:     2,465 nm