Laundry List of Learning

The crossing from Fiji to Vanuatu held many surprises. We left Lautoka heading for the island of Tanna, which is in the southern part of the Vanuatu island chain. Will was keeping us up-to-date with his almost daily cruising guide readings, piquing our interest in the island more and more with stories of an active volcano we could hike up, island coffee production, and horseback riding. The crossing guide said this stretch was fast and easy. Five days and we'd be there, no sweat. We couldn't wait.

Two days in, we encountered a storm. What started as a light drizzle quickly turned into a howling mess, and it was a good thing that there were only small swells to contend with. I'm learning my way around the boat pretty well and feel competent in many things, but I wasn't ready for this. A big storm isn't the right time to double check, ask questions, or be hesitant about anything.

The boys all donned their foul weather gear, harnesses and tethers, and prepared to tackle it. I put on my gear just in case they needed me but stayed out of the way down below, ready to do anything they asked. The wind howled, the boat made strange loud noises I'd never heard before, and the boys yelled to each other over the noise. I waited, standing between the companionway stairs and the head. The hatch opened a few times with instructions from above:
"Take this sail and pile it up right there." "Ok I got it."
"Can you turn on the steaming light?" "Yep, done."
"Here, take this," as I was handed the GPS. "…What??"

It was frustrating and a bit scary to be down below, not being able to see what was happening on deck and knowing I would be little help in this situation. But this just gives me a very tangible goal- take everything I can do in good weather, throw a storm full of wind and waves at it, and be just as sure of myself. It will take more practice and repetition, but I'm up for it.

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This restaurant has some great entertainment.

Kittens! They were shy, only becoming brave when they suspected people might share a bit of food. It was very entertaining to watch the pair of them race around the yard, stalking each other from behind bushes, pouncing when one's back was turned, wrestling ferociously until one managed to flee, and then starting all over again.

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"You haven't lived until you've gotten a haircut in Vava'u."

These were the words that stuck in my head as we left the city of Neiafu, in the Vava'u Group of Tonga, headed to some not-so-distant anchorage to spend the next two nights. They were spoken by an English man outside of a small shop that advertised three things: jet kayaking, cart safaris, and Billysnip's Haircuts. It was the afterthought sort of way that 'haircuts' was added to that repertoire of goods that made me think long and hard about the drastic change I had in mind.

While we explored the beaches, villages, and caves around Vava'u, I was mentally going over the pros and cons of such a haircut. Pros: it would no longer blow around in my face. It would look better (hopefully) when I don't wash it for days. It would be cooler. It would dry faster after swimming in the ocean. I could style it using the easy method of 'bed head' and make that mohawk I'd always secretly dreamed of. Cons: it would be the shortest I'd ever had my hair and that's kind of scary. I couldn't do my usual ponytail. If I wanted it long again it would take a long time to grow it out, which may look silly. More pros clamored over the cons: short hair is better when it's so hot! Ponytails don't look good when you haven't showered in four days! So what, it's not permanent!

On our last day here in Neiafu, I went back to that small shop and spoke to Billy of Billysnip's Haircuts. I said, "I'm back for that haircut." "Well you've only been thinking about it for days now!" he replied. We paged quickly through a couple old magazines and I told him the general idea of what I wanted, but in the end he just picked up his scissors and started cutting. The end result is a haircut that will suit being on a boat much better than the long hair I had when I woke up this morning. And I'm really looking forward to bed head when I wake up tomorrow morning.

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Baron, Isis, and Dart

On a recent sat phone call, Mrs. Palmer's class asked a tough question- are you homesick? I don't think I was quite prepared for it, but the answer is yes. I have friends in Raleigh- people I met in college, from my job at a coffee shop, neighbors from my apartment, and fellow trail runners. I also miss my parents and brother in Charlotte, and being able to call them whenever I want, from wherever I happen to be. The good thing about traveling now is that you can email and call home from almost anywhere in the world, so I still talk with all these people as often as I can.

Another big part of my family are my pets- my dog Baron, and my cats Isis and D'Artagnon. It was very hard to leave them, because I can't just send an email to Baron or call up my cats on the phone. Luckily, my wonderful parents are taking care of both Isis and Dart. I get email updates about their escapades, like how Isis very stealthily rubs against my mom's legs, and how Dart enjoys surveying what's happening below him from a perch high on the cabinets and fridge in the kitchen.

Baron is also living the good life at my friend Kelly's house while I'm away. She has a dog of her own, Vernon, and he and Baron are pretty much best friends. Kelly has a huge yard for them to play in all day, and he even gets to go down to swim in the lake. He's an awesome dog, and the best part of my day back in Raleigh was the moment I opened the door coming home from work. I knew he'd be there to greet me, sometimes carrying a toy to show me, always wagging his tail, and stretching in preparation to play outside and go running. Although I miss him very much, I know Kelly and Vernon are taking great care of him!

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Kitten!

On the hike around Mt. Rotui, the inevitable happened. I found a kitten. My friends and family back home won’t be surprised by this, in fact they may only be surprised that it happened on my third day here.

While walking up a road listening to birds chirp, I remarked that one particular bird sounded a lot like a kitten. That comment quickly turned to, ‘Oh it IS a kitten!’ and I ran up ahead to see if I could find it. It wasn’t very hard, as the kitten ran out to meet me. As soon as I picked him up he started purring, rubbing up against my chin, and meowing very loudly.

We didn’t know what to do with it, so I decided to carry it along and see if anyone along the way wanted to keep it. It’s a mystery as to how the little guy got out there in the first place! We soon came upon the Ranch Opunohu Valley, where people can go horseback riding. There were many dogs, cats, and other animals here, and it seemed like it would be a good home for the loud kitten. We explained to the young girl there that we were on a boat and the kitten wasn’t ours, and asked if she wanted it. A simple ‘ok’ and she ran back to the house with the kitten, undoubtedly purring, in her arms.

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Brand New Crewmember

Hey guys! My name is Amanda, and I’m brand new here on the William T. Piquette. I flew into Papeete, Tahiti, on May 26th to meet up with the guys. After a long day of flying, it was nice to set my bags down and settle onto the boat that will be my home.

I was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and lived there until 5th grade. Then my family decided to move to a small town called Blair, where we lived on a farm. We grew some crops, but my favorite part of living on the farm was the barn. Mainly, what lived in the barn. Over the year and a half that we lived there, we had a mare and foal, chickens, three sheep, two goats, four cats, a big dog, a small dog, a rabbit, and gerbils. That’s a lot of animals!

When I was in 7th grade, we moved to North Carolina. It was here that I went through middle and high school. I attended college at North Carolina State University, where I studied Bioarchaeology and minored in Animal Science. People often ask what Bioarchaeology is, and I’m sure you are wondering the same thing. It’s the study of ancient and historic people, their habits, customs, history, and lifestyle. Pretty interesting stuff!

I’m looking forward to traveling on the WTP; there are so many places to see, people to meet, and animals I’ve only read about in books to look for. (I really want to see a Great White Shark!) I’m also excited to learn about sailing, because whereas the other guys already know what they’re doing, I’m also brand new to that. There’s so much to learn and experience… this is going to be awesome!

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