A week in Review as We Sail across the Bay of the Whales (Bahia De Ballena)

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Mon 11 Jan 2010 02:15
Well it's Sunday a week since we left Newport and week into this new chapter
in our lives, and new life style. We going for Bahia San Juanico (26:15.074N
112:28.309W) a 66 mile run along the coast about 5 miles out avoiding
lobster traps and shrimp boats. You cannot believe how many lobster traps we
passing each day and all the way out to 200 feet + , we ran over one this
morning about 1/2 out and I had to dive the prop again while undersail (as
we dragging the lobster trap along, I was able to keep up and dive to cut it
off, made for my early morning swim (prior to 8 am). So all before breakfast
we had dived the prop. were already under sail in 15 knots at 80 degrees so
nice broad reach and had caught two Fish (Bonito). Steve then at 8 degrees
heal produced a breakfast burrito and good old English tea, while we sailed
at a good 6.5 to 7 knots. Last night we got 12 hours sleep, so we are all
fresh and ready for today's run, we did not get ashore as the surf break was
very sizable and we really did not want take it on, so dinner on the boat
and an early night.
WE are a week into this new life style, as I lean back and type this, I look
over my right shoulder forward looking under the bottom edge of the Gennie,
the water is shimmering, with the silver road to horizon, reflecting from
the morning sun as it gets set for it's daily path across the sky. We are
healed at 5 degrees doing 7 knots, and water is washing past, with the
gentle up and down motion pushing a bow wave off of white that adds a
different texture to light off the water. This gentle motion and scene has
become apart of this life, and is a soothing part. Having had a fair amount
of tension over the last 2 months in work and then also making the decision
to go, then completing the list to enable us to go, a week on I am relaxed
and tension removed from my back. The important tasks of the day have moved
from "what meetings I have to attend", "clear email", "move forward on 10
parallel projects" and "what strategies can we execute on and tune to grow
revenue and new market penetration", to "download the morning weather which
comes down on sat phone in the form of a small (4kb) grib file", "review the
weather", "left Anchor and set sail" "What is the status of our fresh water
and power, do we have to generate either" and "then what meals we will eat
today". People talk about simplifying your life and certainly this last week
we have done this, yet we have explored new places, done some great sailing
we have covered over 600 miles, and caught many fish (plenty to feed us for
the next month), meals have come routine simple and yet fresh and a luxury
we could only dream of when a shore. I have completed 1 1/2 novels, (Steve
the same) and started learning Spanish as well as learn the navigation
programs I have on board. We have entered warmer waters, and each day we
have the ability to read, and have many good discussions on the things
around us, each day brings new adventures and items. Am I bored NO, plenty
to do, and learn but without a doubt I am still weeks away from being
totally un wound, but each day I wake to opportunity of the day, also how we
can continue to improve this new life style with small changes on the boat
or we doing processes, (the same as you do with work, just on a different
angle and scale). Yes it has been a rewarding 1 st week and lived up to
"dream". I am glad the family chose to sit this leg out as it is long day or
overnight runs which would be a bit much day on day with the boys, so them
skiing and relaxing is good, with Ed and Steve it has been easy, and we
sorted out minor things on the boat technique.
Lunch today was delayed as we had a run on the fishing, with 2 yellow tail,
and 3 good sized albacore being landed and we missed our first mahi mahi, at
that point we pulled the lines in as we had plenty of fish to clean and pack
away into meal packets, Tracy's freezer is rapidly filling up. It looks like
we will have another whole yellow tail tonight barbequed in foil and then
the meat just falls off the bone. We have set up a good fish processing,
with us quickly killing and cleaning the fish on the after, using the
starboard chair over hanging the after as a chopping board, keeping all the
fish waste off the boat, we experiment with cuts, depending on fish and
size, Steve then takes the meat below and we cut into manageable units and
pack in meal sized packs vacuum sealing before freezing.
The afternoon we were about 2 miles off the coast as we travel the last 2
hours of today's run (we topped up the tanks on the water making) and the
coast line reminded me much of southern Australia around the great bight
where a plateau of desert just comes up to the edge and falls into the
ocean. Many great surfing spots, which would be impossible to get to, but we
continue to pass shrimp boats. We just dropped anchor in 17 feet in what
looks like a great bay well protected, this is one of Garry Jackson's
favorites and we can see why.
So ends a wonderful day, now for barbequed yellow tail, and white wine !!!
Some one must do it!!