Day 9 at sea

Yesterday was sultry. I felt like I was in New Orleans in the middle of summer (or Pittsburgh). Wind was good and we raced along toward our destination. We are now about 16 hours from the equator. Brad and Lal have been making noises about some kind of ritual that is foisted on first time crossers--keel hauling, tatoos, swimming with the sharks, etc. I guess I will just have to wait. It will be happening just about at the end of my 11pm-2am watch.

Lots of phosphorescence in the wake of our boat last night. Looks like little sparkles. I also notice 2-3 round phosphorescent circle (about 5 inches) pass by in the water last night. Fantasized about giant squid eyes...

I have not been reading to much on the trip yet. I am reading a very interesting book that Kaitlin recommended called "The Spirit Catches You When you Fall Down." It is a book about a Hmong girl with a horrible seizure disorder, Hmong culture, US healthcare, and assimilation of refugees. I have found it a wonderful glimpse into a very different culture.

I will try to make Artisan Bread tonight. That is our new favorite easy, easy bread recipe from the NY Times that bakes a bread with a crusty crust. Will be interested to see if I can get it to work in our little propane oven.

I am getting bruised alot on my hips as I am constantly being thrown into counter, tables, walls, and rails. It will be weird when I get back on dry land and don't have to think about every step I take.

I give up on the English words and phrases that come from sailing. There is a whole darned book written about it that we have on board called "When a Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There's the Devil to Pay." Anyone interested in learning more fun facts about that can check out the book.

We have had a bird following us that we are trying to identify (Ken where are you when we need you!) Lal is certain it is an albatross. I told her this morning that most people try to get rid of there albatrosses; however, she seems obsessed to get one! We are joking that the bird keeps coming back saying to us "hey people, how many times to I have to show you my bill, my under feathers, my wing configuration, and head coloring for you to figure out what type of bird I am?" I learned a new fun word. Not sure if it is British English only. It is JIZZ. Jizz means something like the ability to identify a bird at a distance by gestalt, the "je ne sais quoi" of the bird.

Well, next time I write we will be back in the Northern Hemisphere.