Watching = Job 1

Pacific Crossing, Day 4: At sea, sailors "stand" watches, to watch for danger. Actually, on a small boat in the seas we had last night, standing WAS the danger, so out here we "sit" watches. We watch the sea. The wildlife. We watch for other ships. Floating objects. Landfalls. The sky. And, sometimes we glance too often at our... watches. The time expander thing again, as we live by the sea's time (and get tired.)

Here's our watch schedule: 0800-noon, Karen; noon to 4 pm, Jim; 4 to 8, Karen; 8-midnight, Jim; midnight to 4, Karen, 4-8 am, Jim. We just learned that Livia on Estrellita gets coffee in bed, hmmm... But during my (K) morning watch I sip coffee and write word pictures in a notebook while Jim sleeps. I'll take it! We can't send photos via Ham radio, so you get text blobs. They might be brief or absent if on a particular day we're busy, tired, etc.

But today I couldn't not write, because this is all so amazing. To be out here, happy, a little tired and nervous (how many days will it take, really?) and sailing this little boat across a whole ocean--let's just say we are as amazed as some of you are. And in spite of the tiredness this morning from last night's lumpy seas, we're lovin' it. Today the sun came back and the sea gentled out.

Sent via Ham radio