Getting our 6-month Indian visa for our sail to the Andaman Islands turned out to be way more of an adventure than I ever could have imagined!
Indian Ocean
Hello darling friends!
It’s been an intense time with new impressions adapting to a life at sea. First arriving on Delos; straight into work mode doing the Haul out, welcoming the rest of the crew and provisioning part one in Langkawi.
How did I score a part of this adventure with The Delos Crew you might ask? WELL.. it all started when I was backpacking in South America. I had noticed The Delos crew put a lucky draw to be a part of their crew for 10 days. How exciting!
…..We had some 1600 Nautical Miles ahead of us… We were in the Andaman Islands, India and our next destination was across the equator and into the southern hemisphere to Cocos Keeling Islands, Australia.
Delos is swaying really nicely. Not too rough, not too still.. perfectly comfortable. I sank into the cushions of the saloon, ginger tea in one hand and pillows squished behind my head as I lay back and put a movie on.. Avatar.
Officially now day 6 at sea, it was 4am when my alarm awoke me from a deep sleep. With eyes half shut, I walked outside to find a fresh 20 knots of breeze still from the NE.
I woke up this morning rolling back and forth in my bunk. I went up into the cockpit and noticed no wind. We were motoring along and swaying with the waves. The past few days were really cloudy, but today was quite sunny, so I decided to sit at the bow.
It was the most peaceful night. The wind was nice and easy under 10 knots from the ESE, and we were cruising along under the full moon being rocked up and down by the big, gentle southerly swell.
Tossing and turning throughout the night, it didn’t seem like I got much sleep at all. I remember waking up in the middle of the night really frustrated. All I wanted was to sleep. Or even a bed that was still.
Well, to be honest I didn’t know much at all before I arrived in Langkawi, Malaysia, to meet up with the Delos crew who at that point was Brian and Karin. Me and my girlfriend Frida were probably as blank as a page can be when it comes to boats and sailing.
In the morning you see him with a cup of water sitting up on deck staring out at the open sea. Sometimes up at the bow meditating, with his headphones in. In a good anchorage he takes the paddleboard out for a ride to explore our new home and he can be away for hours.
We left Cocos (keeling) at 2:35 June 22nd, we were all in high spirits and the air was alive with excitement and anticipation for our 1500 NM long passage across a big chunk of the Indian ocean, our destination Chagos.
How did I get to crew on Delos?
So….. I guess it all started one glum morning, where I was feeling a little down. Looking back it started like any other morning, except for one disappointing difference. It was one of those “woke up on the wrong side of the bed “mornings.
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014. The Next day I woke up, looked up, smiled big, breathed deep, tossed the covers, and sat up. I look up, look down; my feet are on the ground.
~ This blog is intended to explain some of the reasons behind my decision to transition from the ocean to the land. To transition from Delos to New Zealand to simultaneously harmonize land based editing for Delos and to continue on my own path with Ramatree ~
As it was just thanksgiving in ‘Murica I couldn’t help but think about the interesting holiday and what it really means…Well, right now I am sitting in a car driving through Botswana.
There have been many books along this amazing journey.
Some I read before sailing, and some while out here. I’ve gotten something from the list below and hope that by sharing it you will as well. I really hope you enjoy this list and please feel free to comment with your favs as well.
It’s time to make a turn. A turn for good hope.
Once again I am back as “The Sailing Mum” on Delos and have the fantastic opportunity to be a part of her great crew. This time we are going to sail around the Cape of Good Hope.