When we leave Cairns in early September, I’m still jetlagged from the flight from London, and a bit worried about getting seasick - but I console myself that the crossing only lasted 4 days last year - easy! Unfortunately, the ocean crossing
takes a little longer than last time and we spend 10 days tacking across 500 miles of the Coral Sea, the result of light winds from the north east,
the direction in which we're trying to sail. But the leisurely pace
gives us plenty of time to admire the passing scenery - flying fish,
dolphins, and at one point we even see some (very) small whales in the (very far) distance.
We also reach new levels of intimacy during this time - during a rain squall I find myself ripping up soggy sheets of
toilet paper and handing them to Hans when he has to do an urgent poo over the side. Unfortunately, one of the aspects of ocean
crossings is that the toilet is out of bounds, so everything goes over the
side (‘bucket and chuck it, Sweetie’), often complete with breaking waves
and salty knickers. Men have it so easy sometimes.....I visited New Guinea for the first time last year when I joined Hans on 'Seagoon' as an enthusiastic but very naïve crew member whose only sailing experience came from a 3-day trip round the Whitsundays, when I spent most of my time either sunbathing, drinking beer or admiring the (male) crew - normal backpacker behaviour. Lucky for me, Hans wasn’t worried by this complete lack of sailing ability (or the slightly lustful behaviour), and I wasn’t put off by his primitive toilet arrangements, his temperamental kerosene stove, the cockpit showers, or being yelled at for backwinding the sails again, and, 18 months later, I’m still here, and still learning.... It's an amazing lifestyle - I've snorkeled with turtles, sailed with dolphins under the bow at sunrise, watched as 100's of shooting stars light up the sky at 3am on night crossings, dived with manta rays, fed sharks, and visited the beautiful islands, lagoons and people of New Guinea - it's constantly rewarding ....always challanging .....sometimes frustrating and demanding ....(or maybe that’s just the skipper....)
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