Oceano - Log Day 17 - Casserole and carrousel

Casserole and carrousel

Tomorrow, around noon s/v „Oceano” arrives to Saint Lucia after weeks of being out of time, out of place, in the blue beyond, letting ourselves go, getting hypnotized by rhythms of the sea, the pace of watches and meals, unhurried conversations and sail changes. We nourished ourselves with nature, we healed our eyes tired from staring at screens, we healed our bodies, usually caged in enclosed spaces, in clothes for appropriate occasions by siting outside, bathing in the sun, reading, staring at the water, being continuously immersed in the wind, under the ceiling of the day and night skies. How I will miss this - the never-ending abundance of the horizon, the clarity of landscape, the dance of light and water. We’re arriving using our diesel - it’s not how we wished it to be, but the weather has its own rules and we can only obey. We’ve had our grand moments under the sails. Now we’re focused on finishing the journey.

We’ve had the recent two days filled with little celebrations - the other day it was St. Nicolaus and we drank last three bottles of wine we discovered under one of the beds. Such a miracle! And the last can of cola! We passed it around like sacred potion. It was a very hot afternoon and soon we were all a bit dizzy and happy, talking too much and too laud and in general party mood. Our food provisions are vastly gone and yesterday we had to experiment with making a casserole of onion, cheese ( cheddar and gouda ), chicken curry and pasta plus a little bit of charred tomatoes on top. And it turned out to be great! Equally great as our potato pancakes today - with paprika gravy. I love this moment when you have to be creative with what you have left. The biggest challenge when it comes to this category was without a doubt a „cake” we had to invent for Danka’s birthday today. Back in Las Palmas we bought balloons and candles but we really hoped to celebrate her birthday on land, in the marina. But - we are still sailing, so we had to invent something out of scraps. We’ve already eaten all the sweets so I head to really outdo myself. I went for childhood sentiment and prepared a „cake” out of apples baked in the oven with honey, cinnamon and nuts and added ice-cream as a finishing touch. We sticked candles into all that and surprised Danka with this culinary invention, throwing balloons around and opening one of two champagnes we kept for arriving. It was worth it. We had a lovely afternoon. And now, as I’m writing this text, we’re preparing our last potatoes for dinner, putting our last veggies into the salad and preparing for an evening seance of photos from our recent journeys - feels like it is going to be a very nostalgic night.

I start my last watch at 4 am. I am happy to be finishing this rally with this one in particular. I adore dawns on sea. I will have my last sunrise in this Atlantic crossing with Artur, my watch companion. We’ve had so many profound, stupid, funny, boring, exhilarating, thrilling, bonding moments together. I feel like we’ve know each other for years. This boat sailed across time. I lost count of hours and days. It did not only sailed forward, across bluest of spaces, but also inward, it sailed our internal seas. We’ve all lost track, we’ve forgotten the schedules, the to do lists, our points of reference. We reveled ourselves to each other in the most genuine way that is possible when you’re in nature, when you don’t have to perform your usual role, when you embrace parts of you that are usually too delicate to put on display.

I am grateful for this great „Oceano” crew, for my friends - for captain (and my husband ) Matt, Pawel, Marcin and Chela, Danka, Tomek and Artur. People from different walks of life, but equally witty, passionate, kind and helpful, fun to talk to, to get crazy with, to count on in small things and important tasks. We have different skills in our daily lives but here, crossing the Atlantic, all of them worked just great together. We’ve got lucky. We never quarreled except for occasional heated exchange between couples about trivial matters. We were satisfied with everything, we never complained, for forgave ourselves for our mistakes, we gave advice, we knew when to just sit in silence. Like the sea, it was a gift of purity. Pure human kindness.

ps. As I was finishing this post, suddenly the boat started circling. Autopilot detached. A rudder problem turned „Oceano” into a carrousel. I preferred a casserole from before, enough said. This one was no fun. Fortunately our captain has a clear had in crisis and with the right set of tools we managed to set things straight in no time, under the watchful eye of s/v „Tranquility” who waited to see if we manage to handle the problem of if we needed help. This solidarity and genuine care - it is the true spirit of ARC. Like the sea, it is a gift of purity. Pure human kindness.


Karolina