Today I saw five birds, all circling my boat at the same time. This in itself was unusual – I often see a solitary bird, sometimes two, but this was positively a crowd.
And the other unusual thing was that they were tweeting to each other. Then, later on, I saw another bird, on its own, and it was tweeting too.
This may not sound like a big deal, but all the birds I have seen on my crossing have circled my boat in silence. Not a tweet, a chirrup, nor a trill. And now I remember it was the same on the Atlantic – the birds in mid-ocean were mute, and it was only when I was nearing Antigua that they became more chatty.
I have no idea why this should be, but that’s how it is. And it’s exciting to get this first sign that I am nearing land. Today I crossed 153 degrees West. My chart of the Hawaiian islands starts at 155 degrees West, so soon I will be able to start plotting my position as I row past the Big Island and Maui, and approach the Molokai Channel that will lead me to Waikiki on the southern coast of Oahu.
The end isn’t yet in sight, and many oarstrokes still lie between me and Hawaii, but I am starting to sense the nearness of my goal. It’s been a long time coming.
Other stuff:
Position at 2100 23rd August HST, 0700 24th August UTC, 22 09.406’N, 153 19.723’W.
Thanks for the messages. Special mentions to: Sarah Outen- have a great time in Iceland. Sounds like the boat is coming on apace. Can’t wait to see it – and you! Nancy Wilhelms – thank you so much for the donation. A thousand blessings on you and yours! Karen Morss – I listened out, and yes, I think I heard you cheering me on! Thanks for spreading the word among the Lemon Ladies about voting in the Amex awards. You’re a star – and a great inspiration! Bob Proctor – I’d be really interested to see my list of daily mileages. Do you have them in a spreadsheet? If so, I wonder if you could send it to rozcomments@gmail.com. Annie – thanks for the Emerson quote. It was too long for the comments box, so it got cut short. Can you tell me which book it was from and I will order it up as an audiobook for my next row! Sharon et al – much love to you all! Sandi – so I’m nearly in Scotland?! Thanks for the little history lesson on Lindisfarne too! Katharine – 6 months before I set out again from Hawaii. Time to wait out the winter storms, refurbish the boat, catch up with friends, learn about Hawaiian culture, and fatten up! Helene – sticktoitiveness now joins justdoitiveness as new words created by my voyage! Also Mike D, Karyn, CabSav Lane, Duane, Dana, Erin, John H, Roger, Margo, Sindy, and Allen. For those people who don’t already have all the reusable grocery bags they need, we are producing bags with the Savage logo on them, and the slogan “If we pull together, we can make a world of difference”. They are made from recycled plastic, and are themselves recyclable. There has been a long lead time on them, but they should be available within the next few weeks, if you can hold out that long to save the world!
Click here to view Day 91 of the Atlantic Crossing 1 March 2006 Antigua Here we Come – getting nearer.
If you have not yet voted for Roz, please do – go to the Members Project box on the right and sign up as a guest – won’t cost you anything, and could make a BIG difference to Roz and the film project. (But please don’t vote more than once – it will be cancelled out.)