Circe - What You Don’t Know About Me: the Final At-Sea Blog

What You Don’t Know About Me:the Final At-Sea BlogFor those of you who have been reading my daily blogs, you’ve likely gotten to know me a little bit. Within hours, we will be pulling into Rodney Bay Marina. What have you learned about me by reading my blogs?You’ve learned that I enjoy writing, and that at times, my writing is eloquent, wordy, corny, or humorous. I hope you’ve gotten a few laughs, as it’s always been a pleasure of mine to make people laugh. You’ve learned that I’ve traveled the world both living in and visiting countries with diverse cuisines.You’ve learned I love Tolkien and I eat second breakfasts. You’ve learned one of the reasons I decided to make this transatlantic passage was for the chance to see the majestic whale in its own habitat. And perhaps you’ve learned. read more...

Circe - Around the World in 21 Days

Around the World in 21 DaysCrewman Barry is so enjoying the meals on board that he has requested a blog be written to memorialize his gastronomic glee. I’m happy to comply as it is every cook’s desire to feed an appreciative crew and an honor to be asked to write about it. It’s no easy task to plan a menu, provision, store, and prepare meals for a transatlantic passage.But as this was my one and only duty on board, then by golly I was going to try to do a stellar job of it. I started months before our November departure by reading everything I could find online about how best to feed a crew with limited storage, a small refrigerator and freezer, and a galley moving under my feet.I instinctively knew that variety would be key and my international recipe file came to the rescue!While our. read more...

Circe - Earning the Red Pants

Earning the Red PantsThere’s a lot to be said of what is gained at the end of a transatlantic passage - that sense of accomplishment, a feeling of pride, a whale of a tale, and for some, a sense of relief. However, what I didn’t know was that I would be gaining the right to augment my fashion choices by the addition of one particular item of clothing.Quite the juxtaposition when you consider how narrow and repetitive my wardrobe choices are during this passage: do I wear the shirt I wore yesterday or the one that’s been worn three times already? Enter the sniff test. During an early morning discussion with the more seasoned of our crew, I learned of the tradition that entitles anyone who completes a transatlanticpassage the right to wear red pants! Great news for me as red is my favorite. read more...

Circe - The Consuming Vastness of the Sea

The Consuming Vastness of the SeaThy sea, O God, so great,My boat so small. So begins a poem by Winfred Ernest Garrison. I’d never heard of him. I’ve been sending my blogs to friends and family and two days ago I received a response from my sister-in-law, Maureen.Her email included this poem in its entirety. She said every time she reads my narratives, she is reminded of this poem and decided to share it with me. These opening lines struck me as a poetic description of how we feel on Garrison’s “consuming vastness of the sea”.Your sense of minuteness is difficult to describe, though many have tried, and even more difficult to comprehend in the absence of the experience.How inconsequential you feel upon an infinite carpet of blue and under the blanket of heaven, yet how indispensable you. read more...

Circe - Fellowship

FellowshipFor you Tolkien fans.One morning last week at 1030 ship’s time, I served what I told the crew was “not lunch but a second breakfast” because, you know, we had turned our clocks back and thanks to Hobbits, such a thing exists!It was then I began to see the symmetry between our journey and the journey of that infamous Hobbit and his pals. To begin with, our crew.Which of the characters in the novels do I see onboard with us? Bernie:our Frodo, not only the reasonfor our journey but as the boat owner, our carrier of the biggest burden.Steve: our Gandalf, with the greatest sailing wisdom of us all, currently working on the gray beard.Barry: our Meri, whose name matches his optimistic disposition and who comes from our same shire. Dave:our Gimli, with a mental acuity as sharp as an. read more...