Shifting Zones

Distance: 116/654

We tried doing laundry yesterday. That was fun. Takes four people with the fifth on helm. I bet there is a more efficient way to do this... there must be since couples manage to get to Hiva Oa with clean laundry. However, on our boat there are five people and coincidentally it took all five of us to manage all the various mechanics of getting the clothes somewhat cleaner. I won't say clean. Until we get past mid-way and/or start getting hit by collectible rain, we're being super conservative with our water. The chance that the water maker would die is very slim, but we go all Murphy and make it none by assuming it would die tomorrow and making sure we have enough water to live until we make landfall. So our clothes are cleaner but due to a lack of multiple rinses with fresh clean water they are not completely and utterly clean.

We also cleaned out the refrigerator. Bonus points for finding two more peppers and an avocado alive and well. Minus points for discovering a chili pepper in a zip lock that had literally dissolved. Ugh. The limons are still in good shape, so we celebrated our efforts with bean and cheese quesidillas with avo and a squeeze of lime. Ambrosia.

We are just about far enough west to change time zones. We're switching the boat to UTC and moving all the watch schedules up an hour. I sucked it up and took the hit for the family during my night watch. They will all sleep in an extra hour. I'll make DrC or Jaime absorb the next one.

Music on watch tonight was a flashback to my high school boyfriend. OMD, Depeche Mode, and Yaz. I wonder now how I ever managed to ride my bike for 3 months without an iPod. I wonder more how anyone manages a crossing like this without 8GB of music and podcasts. I'm sure someone will pipe back with some romantic twaddle about being alone with your thoughts, listening to the sea and wind, yadda yadda. Omigod, I would go mad. I spend a good fraction of my watch dancing, the rest of it expanding my mind with broadcasts from NPR, Slate, TWiT, and the BBC. I also started reading Neil Stephenson's Diamond Age. I don't much care for the voice talent for this book which is a bit distracting, but it is hard not to like Stephenson in any format.

I'm starting a list of Things I Never Saw in a Puddle Jump Guide or Blog. I strongly recommend that future jumpers take this list very seriously. The following is my first item:

PPJ#1: BIRDS. What the fo? Boobies and gulls and albatross and every single damn one of them wants to rest for a few hours on the boat. They each poop roughly their body weight per hour. They are immune to the cat, screaming, and sparkly anti-bird measures. What appears to work is smacking them upside the head with a swim noodle or throwing a monkey fist straight at them. Be prepared. Pack a BB gun or a bow and arrow or maybe just a large gauge shot gun. To hell with pirates. Kill the birds!

~ Toast
14 06.40N 118 37.59W (April 23, 12:30 UTC)

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