We took the fish fillets up onto the deck and laid them out on a clean towel. I quickly sliced the fillets into meal size portions and placed the rest into a container filled with seawater. I saved out enough fish for lunch and then carried the container down into the cabin.
After spending many months out a sea on the original Pacifica, we decided to create a cooler into this second version of the sailing vessel. We had created a compartment between the two propeller shafts that extended some thirty inches out into the ocean. The compartment had an airtight door and remained at the same temperature as the water surrounding the Pacifica-Two. Becky named this compartment, the cool box. Even though the compartment was six feet below the surface of the ocean, it was by no means cold enough to keep food cold for long-term storage, but it would keep the fish fresh for a day or possibly two.
By the time I returned to the deck, Becky had the camp stove lit and was slicing some potatoes and zucchini squash into a cast iron frying pan. As the potatoes cooked, we put the fish into another pan and placed them on the camp stove to cook. Becky said, “Watch the food for a minute if you will, I need to return to the cabin.” As she dashed off, I wondered what was up with her. Then I saw her carrying up another camp stove. I quickly grabbed the stove and placed it on the deck beside the first one. When she climbed up the ladder a second time, she was carrying the percolating coffee pot in her hands. I quickly lit the second camp stove and sat the coffee pot over the fire. Then I leaned over and kissed my wife hard on the lips. She tasted of something sweet. I thought a second and said, “What is it that you have been eating, you taste great?” She giggled and passed me a tiny Hershey’s candy bar. As I unwrapped the tasty treat, she whispered softly, “The chocolate makes me feel better when Mother Nature comes calling each month.” I kissed her again and said, “I will leave your supply of chocolate alone until after you are feeling better.”
While Becky managed the cooking, I headed down into the cabin and brought up the two small campstools and a small fold up table. When I made the next trip to the cabin, I packed some plates, silverware and two napkins into a small basket that Becky had sitting on one of the totes. When I arrived up on the deck, Becky said the food was ready. I helped her serve equal portion of the food onto the plates and sat them on the table. As we started eating, the coffee finished perking so I poured us each a cup in the large flat bottom cups we had found at a camping store. The cups were intended for children to help prevent spills, but they worked equally well for adults on a rolling sailing vessel.
On the evening of the sixth day, just after Becky headed down into the cabin to get a few hours sleep, I saw a flash in the sky off in the west. I planned to stand watch while Becky slept and then we would switch during the night. I had no problem staying awake until around three in the morning, from that point on, I had a horrible time staying awake and alert. Becky on the other hand, would fall asleep within an hour if I left her on the deck during the early evening hours.
As I continued to watch what I thought was lightning, I saw a huge bolt light up the western sky. For just a moment, I could see what appeared to be a large storm front moving in our direction. I had no more than stood up to watch the storm, when the wind began to pick up. The spinnaker began luffing in the wind as it swirled all around the Pacifica-Two. I realized that the spinnaker would rip itself apart if I did not secure it immediately. The huge sail was flopping around wildly and I realized I needed help taking it down.
I stepped up to the bow hatch and yelled, “Captain, I need you know. The spinnaker will surely be destroyed if we do not get it down quickly.” As I started lowering the sail, I realized that Becky was right beside me, helping me furl the sail. Once we had the sail in our arms, we stuffed it down the stern hatch to get it out of the wind, and then began to secure the tackle that supported the sail. As we worked, I explained that a huge storm was rapidly approaching us from the west. Just then, another large lightning bolt lit the western sky. Becky screamed and said, “Let’s get ourselves off this deck while we can.”
After we had gotten the chairs and spinnaker tackle down into the cabin, we began securing everything that might become a projectile if the vessel began to slosh around in the now rapidly rising seas. The rain had started coming down, so I opened the rainwater collection hatch and began filling the water jugs. Becky realized that we needed to get the sails down quickly, but explained that once we took down the sails, we would be at the mercy of the sea until we submerged.
Within a few minutes, the sails were in the cabin and we had lowered the masts into their stowage position and secured with retaining pins. The lightning was now striking the surface of the water with such force that the Pacifica-Two would shudder from the rolling sound waves as they traveled around the sea. We both knew that we could set the sails once the storm passed and continue on our way, but we feared the intense lightning.
Within five minutes, we had submerged below the rolling seas. We still rolled from the heavy seas above us, but we were safe from the storm where we sat. Since we had no depth gauge, we did not want to dive any deeper unless it was necessary. We tried three times to rise higher in the sea, but the vessel would again begin to roll and twist in the heavy seas, causing us to submerge again.
Three hours passed before the Pacifica –Two began to settle down. We again rose towards the surface to check on the weather. Becky was sitting in the bow hatch watching out the three windows. When we broke the surface, she yelled and said, “Hold us here for a few minutes while I watch for lightning.” Then she said, “I think the worst of the storm has passed. The waves seem to have calmed and the lightning has moved east of us.” I removed a little more ballast water until the vessel seemed stable and Becky opened the bow hatch cover. I felt the wind blow through the cabin as she stood up. I climbed up the ladder beside her and looked out over the ocean. The waves were manageable and the storm seemed to have passed. Becky said, “If we put on our life jackets and use the long lanyards, we can get the sails back up.”
Becky shut the hatch door and we began the process of putting on our wet weather gear and the life jackets. I grabbed a second lanyard and headed up to the deck first. I hooked the first lanyard to the ring at the top of the bow hatch and headed out to raise the mast to the first four-foot level. Once we had the head of the sail and the lower corner to the foot. Becky stepped up beside me and we fully extended the mast. As we got the sail properly set, the vessel swung around and began to run diagonal across the heavy seas. We made the decision to use only the one bow sail for now, at least until daylight.
Becky said, “Husband, I will stand this first watch. You try to get a couple hours sleep and I will call you when I need your assistance.” As I removed my wet weather gear and hung it up to dry, I decided to sleep in my clothes in case the storm returned and Becky quickly needed my assistance. I turned on some music on my MP3 player and settled down for a couple hours rest. I knew that Becky would need me to relieve her shortly; I knew she must be just as tired as I was. I finally managed to fall asleep sometime around eleven.
Something woke me and my eyes popped open. I struggled to figure out where I was, but quickly gained my bearings. I realized there was a cool breeze blowing in my face and the lights were on in the cabin. I rolled over and saw that the light was actually coming from the open bow hatch. I quickly rolled out of bed and headed up to the deck to check on Becky. When I got to the top of the ladder, I heard her say, “Hello sleepy head. Do you feel better now?” I walked over to where she sat in the deck chair, sipping a cup of steaming coffee. I looked around and realized that the storm had passed and the ocean had calmed down considerably, although there were still whitecaps on the tops of the waves. I looked at my watch and realized I had slept through the night and late into the morning. It was now half past eight.
I went down into the cabin, brushed my teeth, poured myself a cup of coffee, grabbed a deck chair and headed back up onto the deck. When I sat down beside Becky, I said, “You
let me sleep all night. You must be exhausted by now.” She giggled and said, “I actually got a few hours sleep right here in my chair. Once the storm passed, it was incredibly beautiful as I sat and watched the storm front move towards the east.” I realized that Becky was wearing her safety harness and had clipped the lifeline into a deck ring. I asked if she needed her coffee warmed up or some breakfast and she said, “Not now. Just sit with me and enjoy the beauty of the sea for a few minutes. I cannot imagine living in a large city any longer. The sea makes me feel alive.”
As we sat and enjoyed the Ocean, Becky fell asleep in her chair again. The sun was peeking out behind the clouds that were racing towards the eastern coast of North America, and the air began to warm. I quietly returned to the cabin and made up Becky’s bed. When she woke from her nap in the deck chair, I was certain she would want to crawl into a warm bed for a few more hours. Since both hatch doors were open, I cooked a couple eggs and made some toast for my breakfast. I returned to the deck and leaned back against the bow hatch to eat my food. As I ate, I heard Becky talking in her sleep. She said something about dolphins, but I could not understand any other words. I wondered if the girl had sung with the creatures while I slept. I hoped I had not slept through such an adventure. The last time the dolphins visited us, I had listened to the most incredible thing I had ever witnessed. The dolphins sang to Becky and she sang back to them. I fell madly in love with the sea that night.
Becky slept for about two more hours. By then the sun was getting warm and the high humidity in the air made it very uncomfortable. The only thing that made life comfortable at all was the slight westerly breeze as it followed the front that passed us last night. When Becky woke, she was starving. I had shut both hatch doors to keep the high humidity from condensing inside the cool cabin. We had learned to keep the cabin closed up on days like this or everything inside the cabin would become damp. The cabin would also remain cool if we kept it closed up.
I brought the camp stove up on the deck and fixed my wife some breakfast while she climbed down onto the swim platform and did her business. When she returned, she said, “Thanks for the breakfast; I guess I really was tired after all. I cannot believe I slept that long in the chair.” I laughed and said, “I cannot believe you let me sleep all night long. I guess I was also tired.”
Once Becky had finished her breakfast and had another cup of coffee, we decided to set the stern sails. The sails were triangular, and the design allowed us to rig two sails on each mast. This provided a sail configuration that Becky described as opposing sails. Once the stern sails were set, we allowed the vessel to run with the wind for a few hours. We considered setting the spinnaker, but the waves still had whitecap tops so we decided not to push our luck. We did not need a damaged plane this far from home.
***
I had just pulled up my shorts and buckled my belt when I heard Becky scream, “Land Ahoy. All hands on deck.” I could not believe my ears. When I climbed up on deck, I realized we were within twenty miles of land and we would soon be able to put our feet on solid ground. Becky was already taking down the spinnaker, and I quickly began to lower the foresail. Becky wanted to turn the vessel towards the south and run parallel to the coast until we reached our boathouse and docks. We were not certain exactly where we were along the Pacific coastline, but we would check the GPS in a few minutes and figure out that minor detail. I asked Becky how we got so close to land without her noticing it. She laughed and said, “I thought that what I was seeing was a cloud bank or fog up ahead, until I saw a lighthouse strobe in the distance.” I laughed and said, “If it had been night, we would be sleeping on the beach in another hour or so.” Becky held up her index finger at me, indicating I had pushed her far enough over her lack of attention while standing watch.
As Becky walked past me, she stopped, took hold of my wrist and pulled me close to her. She giggled and said, “I would like to anchor on one of the sandbars and spend the night. We can swim and enjoy ourselves until daylight and then sail home. Is that alright with you?” I leaned in close and kissed her hard on the lips. She giggled and said, “Yes, we will do that too. I seem unable to get enough of your love.” I went down into the cabin and returned with the handheld GPS. Within a couple of minutes, we realized we were about forty miles north of our boathouse. We set a course for the nearest sandbar, and within an hour, had dropped anchor.
I brought two fishing poles and baited the hooks with bacon rind. Tonight, it took us almost an hour before we caught supper, but the fish was a small Cod and would be very tasty. It was still light enough for me to look for an Abalone to go with our supper. I dove down into the water and swam just below the surface until I ran out of air. I surfaced and filled my lungs a second time. This time I spotted what I was seeking. Becky had taught me well how to locate the camouflaged snails on the sandy floor of the ocean. I swam down, pried a small Abalone up from the sand and quickly headed towards the surface. By the time my face felt the cool air on the surface, my lungs were about to explode. I struggled to get my breath back and chocked on seawater as a wave splashed over my head. Once I cleared my lungs, I realized that Becky had grabbed a swim ring and was just about to dive in to assist me. I had dove a little too deep and stayed down a little too long. The lesson I learned that afternoon would stick in my mind in the future. As I thought about what I had just done, I realized I could have lost consciousness and drowned if I had been a few feet deeper.
While I began cooking supper, Becky called home to tell her niece, Susanne, what time we would be arriving at the boathouse. While she talked, she helped me prepare the evening meal. The girl could talk and cook at the same time. I had trouble not burning water if I had to accomplish more than one thing at a time.
When supper was over, we took a few minutes and bathed in the warm salt water before we put anything into the water that might attract unwanted guests. As we stood on the deck drying ourselves with our large bath towels, the sun began to set and we began to see lights appearing along the coast. As I watched, our white running light turned on. The light would warn passing boats of our presence before they ran into us. We cleaned up the cooking pans and utensils and stowed everything back into the cabin. The wind was perfectly calm, and the night air felt wonderful. We brought our deck chairs up from the cabin, drank coffee, and talked until almost midnight. The conversation revolved around our plans to outfit the SS Pacifica-Two for our next adventure up the east coast of the United States. Becky was very excited and her excitement spilled over to me. By the time we decided to go to bed, we were both giggling like school kids. I had just sat down on the edge of the bed when Becky stepped up close to me and moved herself up onto my lap. Heavy breathing and kissing quickly replaced the childish giggling.
When we woke in the morning, I began pulling the anchor and setting the sails while Becky prepared breakfast for us. She was still tired this morning, so I tried to pick up some of her workload until she had time to eat and get herself up to speed. I set a southerly tack with the wind coming in from our starboard side. Once the Pacifica-Two was sailing properly, I went down and poured another cup of coffee. As I sat on the deck watching for other vessels, Becky brought me a bowl of oatmeal and toast. She sat down beside me and we ate our breakfast together on the deck for the first time in many days. She laughed and said, “I hate powered milk on my oatmeal.” I almost spit my mouthful of oatmeal onto the deck as I laughed over her words. I said, “We will purchase a cow so we can have fresh milk on our next adventure.” I knew what was coming. I felt her fist hit my shoulder, but the punch was gentle.
When we had finished eating, I washed the dishes and took them down into the cabin to stow them in the cupboards. As I worked, I had the feeling that the Pacifica-Two was running faster this morning than normal. I went back up on the deck and realized that Becky had changed the tack, and carefully trimmed the sails and rudder for maximum speed. I got my GPS out and checked our speed. At this rate, we would arrive at the boathouse around t
hree in the afternoon. Becky spoke to me and asked if I was anxious to get home. I walked over to her and put my arm around her. I said, “I love the sea, but I am very excited about arriving at the boathouse and getting this vessel inside where we can begin working on her. Yes, I guess I am homesick.” Becky giggled and leaned her head over on my shoulder. She giggled again and said, “We can build the barn for the cow on the stern where the sea waves will keep everything washed clean. I have no idea where to store the bales of hay so they stay dry.” Those words seemed to be all it took to get us giggling all over again.
As we neared our destination, we could see people gathered around the dock and the boathouse. The seawall leading into the boathouse was open and the canal was flooded. Becky’s cell phone rang and when she answered it, I heard her voice crack. The tears began to run down her cheeks and she was having trouble talking to the person who called her. Then I heard her giggle as she said, “Hello Charlie. I missed you.”
The people gathered around the docks where there to help us get the Pacifica-Two safely into the canal without damaging the planes. The planes extended out three feet on each side. Since we had no propulsion motors yet, our friends help holding ropes tied to the deck would allow us to move the vessel inside easily. Once inside, we could fasten the vessel to the tie down rings along the canal to keep her stable while we worked on her. We could even block the vessel up and drain the canal if we wanted.
SS Pacifica Page 30
