Sunday, January 08, 2006

Au revoir

Well, my sailing blog is finally up-to-date -- posts between "Arrived in Africa" and "Cape Verde" are now replete with photos and anecdotes. Nothing like a deadline to stir those creative juices.

I guess this means that I'm ready for another oceanic adventure. I head out tomorrow at 5:30 AM on a Delta flight to Atlanta, followed by a SAA flight direct to Sal. I'll meet up with LouLou and Jaki in the airport on Monday afternoon, and we'll take a chartered flight to Praia, where Robert is picking us up. We are planning to spend a few days in Cape Verde to adjust to the jetlag and to re-acquaint ourselves with the boat, and then we'll be casting off for the open Atlantic around Jan. 15.

We'll be sailing from Praia, Cape Verde to Recife, Brazil, which should take somewhere between sixteen and twenty days non-stop. With four of us aboard, we'll be taking 2-hr shifts and be able to sleep for six hours straight -- quite luxurious compared with previous sails!

I'm bringing some new books, new music, new lenses, and lots of snacks, optimistically hoping that the biggest challenge we're going to face on this trip is an occasional bout of boredom. But the adrenaline is starting to flow as I imagine battling with force 7 winds, forty-foot swells, fortune-hungry pirates, and most feared of all, that forking seasickness.

Looking back, the last six months, both abroad and in the U.S., have been truly incredible, and numerous events and friendships have reminded me to appreciate how precious life is and how fortunate I am. Sorry for gushing, but thank you to everyone who has been a part of these experiences or made them possible, for touching my life and for allowing me to share in yours.

If I don't post a blog entry in Praia, then you probably won't be hearing from me again until early February. I'll be flying back from Brazil to Plano on Feb. 7, and then driving up to Palo Alto to start a new job. In the meantime, so long, best wishes, and bon voyage to you all!