Fortaleza

Hey guys! Just a little note to let you all know that I have made it safely to Fortaleza. We had a lovely day off on Sunday, beers, a full meal and explored the night life of Fortaleza. Yesterday was a bit of a mission getting provisions for Jamie and I (detailed story to come in Trinidad-Tobago), not to mention for Greg trying to get fuel and water on to the boat. The docks here are super dodgy and you have to time getting on to the boat just right with the surges which can be a bit of a challenge. We are heading out in a couple hours to continue on to Trinidad-Tobago.

Life aboard the boat has been fantastic. Nothing like being stuck at sea to force you to stop and 'smell the roses'. The first couple days Greg was making fun of me asking, 'You don't know how to relax, do you?' Well, i finally figured it out ;) We haven't caught any fish yet and are hoping that the new lures we acquired here in Fortaleza will help with that.

I quickly got nick named 'chucky' because i've managed to chuck a few things overboard after doing the dishes. One being an important item to coffee drinkers. I scored some points after getting a coffee press in St. Helena, only to loose them after chucking the plunger into the ocean after one cup of coffee. Sometimes one misses an item or 2 before dumping the dish water overboard ;) The next day I managed to chuck the whistle top off the kettle as well...i guess i'm not meant to make coffee on a boat ;) I did redeem myself by pulling out my camping skills and introducing the Captain to 'cowboy coffee' which has finally settled the score.

We've had pretty calm conditions so we've been stopping mid evening for a swim, swam with a pod of dolphins, have been body surfing behind the boat, reading, cooking, cleaning and fashioning new lures out of whatever we can find on the boat...oh yeah, we even had a braai a few days ago ;)

Jamie and I are a bit nervous about our invitations from King Neptune arriving in a few days, should be about 3 days out of Fortaleza. We have heard so many crazy stories and have no idea what's in store for us. This is one ball i'm not sure I want to attend ;)

I will fill you in when we reach Trinidad-Tobago in about 10 days...until then keep smilin' ;)

Life on and off the RMS St. Helena

Greetings from St. Helena! Perhaps the most beautiful thing about this island is that you can only get here by boat or ship. I spent 5 days at sea aboard the RMS St. Helena after seeing Zac off in Cape Town. Travel has been slow for him so I have been keeping myself busy exploring the Island and meeting new people from all over the world.

In this blog you will see photos of Bryson and Hugh who are from Vancouver traveling around the world exploring different surf spots. They are also doing environmental research along the way, focusing on educating young adults on where their trash ends up by documenting the trash they find on various beaches. Check out their website/Blog at http://www.oceangybe.com. They met Zac in Cocos Kealing and were hoping to be able to see him when he arrived. Alas, he has not arrived yet. Hopefully he will be here this afternoon. I enjoyed exploring the island with them for a few days and playing a round of golf at the St. Helena golf Course, definitely the most isolated golf course I have ever played on ;)

I am also introducing you to Rob ‘Bee’ Clark who is on a unique adventure of his own. Where to Next? Is his motto and he is sailing Single-handed around the world, guided (or misguided) by the dice! Check out his site http://www.w2n.co.uk for more information on this very unique story.

The last group of people I am introducing you to will be my crew for the next month. What? Crew? Huh? Well, as has been the nature of this story since I began shooting Zac in May 2008, things are constantly changing and I have to just roll with it. I was planning on being gone from the states for three weeks and have been gone for the past two months.

The other day I was walking down the main street in St. Helena and saw someone I recognized from Cape Town…you should have seen my face, shocked would be the proper word. I ran into Greg who is delivering a power cat to Ft. Lauderdale from Cape Town. One of his crew members needs to get back home so he has asked me to join their crew to help with the delivery. It just so happens that they are heading the same way Zac is and hopping on board with them saves me a LOT of money! So, I will be meeting them in Ascension and will be at sea for the next month until it is time to meet up with Zac in Grenada. We are making a stop in Brazil and Trinidad/Tobago.

I think this next month at sea will bring me closer to the story then I could ever be on land. Immersing myself in the world of sailing these past few months and meeting some amazing people with the most incredible stories has certainly given me a new perspective into Zac’s incredible journey. Being at sea, virtually neighbors with him for the next month will most certainly give me the insight I have been searching for. I am looking forward to the unexpected and thrilled to see what is lurking around the next corner…