Kelcey Chandler-Yates and Jim Yates present...

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May 26, 2002
Finally, we are at the two-day mark-246 miles to go.  Yesterday we caught a long bill spearfish, which we brought up to the boat and photographed.  He was about 75 lbs and beautiful but looked like something was definitely missing!  A stubby little short nose but the rest of him looked like a regular sailfish.  We cut the line so he had a chance to live.  The hook was set too well to try to get it out with out damaging him or he damaging us!

After that, we landed another large Wahoo.  Now our freezer is VERY full.  It will be great to have many fish in the freezer for French Polynesia, as food is terribly expensive there.  We had steak for dinner tonight and there was absolutely NO leftovers.  I think that for a few days we are going to abstain from fish!  Last eve on my watch there was a full moon that definitely made the difference for me.  It was wonderful to be sailing along with full sail and the moon glistening on the huge rollers that flowed under the boat.  Dolphin jumped in the moonlight and flying fish dotted the waves. It was such a wonderful experience I was sad when the watch was over!  Very different from the watches we have been having for the past three days where sail changes were so frequent you never had a chance to relax.  It would have been so easy to just turn on the engines but once again we decided to continue sailing until today when we have no wind to sail with.

May 27, 2002
170.4nm to go!  With luck, we should reach port tomorrow afternoon.  This am I awoke for my watch and never went back to sleep.  At 5am, I awoke Jim as I felt it was time to raise the mainsail.  We did and then he went back to sleep.  It was then Isabel's watch and she came up while I finished making chocolate filled bread for breakfast.  Next thing I know the boat went SWISH and we corkscrewed around.  I went up to see what happened and there was 30 knots of wind-too much for full sails up.  I called for Jim and we proceeded to decide what to do as the rolling waves were such that we felt it was dangerous to turn into them in order to drop the mainsail.  Well push came to shove and the wind speed rose to 35 knots so we just dropped the main going dead down wind.  The problem was that it was caught on the topping lift coming down!  Well we ended up going into the wind after all and now I know why Jim didn't want to do it!! It was scary as heck surfing down those waves at a 45-degree angle!!-I guess it wasn't that much but it looked and felt like it!  All in the dark too!  Well now, all is well.  The sun is shining and my bread was a big hit for breakfast and the boys are studying, Jim is sailing, Isabel is sleeping and I think I'll go make some more earrings! Another exciting day at sea!!

May 28, 2002
Early am and the moon is rising in full state.  The glow on the waves is a spectacular show as the waves are 15 to 20 foot tall, long rollers.  We are traveling approximately 6 knots, which allows us to surf down these monsters in a gentile glide.  It is my last night watch of this journey as we are only 98 miles out and should be in port by early afternoon with any luck.

Nineteen days seems short now that we are to the end but when we think back to all the excitement of the spinnaker ripping and the main clew ripping out and how Jim expertly solved these problems.  Then the multitudes of fish caught and consumed as well as the long talks with the boys during and between our watches.  Something can be said about confinement so you can work things out.  Can't wait to get to port however as the constant stress of watching the sails and thinking about engines and other systems tends to get you sizzled after awhile.  We have been fortunate as Jim was able to solve all of our obstacles this time out.  Others have not been so lucky. They have been forced to turn back and await parts in Galapagos with huge fed-ex prices!!

May 29, 2002
Land Ho I yelled earlier!! Finally, we see it - A huge volcanic mountain named Fatu Iva.  Lush, green and a very welcome sight indeed!