SV EQUUS

Giving Thanks

2011-11-17T12:39:00.001-09:00

Happy November to you all, I write this while visiting Steve's daughter Laura and her family (Jeff, Sam and Ben) in Connecticut. Steve will stay on till after Thanksgiving to celebrate Laura's birthday and I will fly back to Palm City to spend the holiday with Olivia, my daughter. I have to confess I bought a Christmas cd today, so I am well on my way to being in the holiday groove.

Sam and Ben love hockey and are 100% all boys, it is a joy to spend time with them and share in their energy. They are going to see Spiderman on Broadway in NYC (an early Christmas gift from their grandfather and I) this Sunday after a Harvard/Yale Hockey game Saturday night. Fun Fun Fun...

Steve heading back to our dock after a day out fishing with Abe and Ruby.
Grandpa in his element!

Wow where to start the Lochner/Thompson saga? Steve and I are now proud owners of a 28 ft. Bertram, I know it's a powerboat... And are we completely nuts, almost hee hee - being we now have 2 boats and a house BUT this fit our budget and we felt it will serve us well during our months in Florida. Yes that is a hint to come and play/fish with us when you can.

We are becoming better adjusted to being landlubbers again and leading this dual life increases our appreciation for having a summer floating home "Equus" as well.

"Be it land or sea we strive to just be, simplicity is the key to appreciate all of life's glee." I know my poet skills are weak but I couldn't resist. hee hee

I feel compelled to share a wonderful experience Steve and I had in Miami a few weeks ago "An Adventure in Intimacy." I could write a book and go on and on however I will leave you to listen and experience Hedy as she speaks at a TED conference. The youtube link is on their website, scroll down on the left side just double click on TED. The link is; http://www.hedyyumi.com/ We learned this communication skill Hedy speaks of and it has added a deep richness to our lives. I would love to share more, Enjoy!

Steve has been busy in his man cave/wood/work shop, in the spring he built an Adirondack chair for brother Tom's birthday and he has build a fantastic garden w/2 large beds protected by a rabbit/armadillo proof fence around its perimeter. I am a happy organic garden girl again; I love playing in the dirt. I will post a pic soon.

Stephen, his eldest son, and Christie are expecting their third child, this surprise bundle will be lovingly welcomed in May 2012. Abe and Ruby are getting excited now that they know their mom is feeling better after her bouts of morning sickness subsided.

Erich and Rosalie are settling into married life while enjoying the beauty of living in sunny LA. We hope to bring in New Years with them somewhere on the East Coast!

My Eldest son Jacob is doing well working toward a closure to a previous life as he builds a promising future with his 4 wonderful children. I know I am a bit biased however they are some of the best grandchildren a grandma could ask for.

Trey, 15 yrs old and looking fwd to getting his driving permit in Dec. "Oh my, how fast they grow up", Tanner, 13 yrs old has finished his first year of playing football for his new school, Perkins Middle School. All the children have settled in nicely to the new school and homes. The three older ones have their own personal computers to do all their school/home work. Thing have certainly changed - they are also learning Chinese as a second language - not sure I like that much.

Trinity, 11 yrs old, is turning into a beautiful young girl, she loves to create and her favorite subject is math. YOU GO GIRL! Taylor, 9 yrs old, my youngest grand-daughter has had the most difficult transition, but she is such a joy to be around and when she laughs - it is impossible to not laugh along with her.

My mom has been re-hospitalized yesterday after suffering from a lengthy staph infection she got sometime this summer. Given her 84 years, she is having a time healing. She was packed and on her way to Columbus to celebrate Thanksgiving with my sister Abbi and her family then on to Florida. She still hopes to visit us, my eldest brother Robert and Olivia my daughter but to her great sadness her plans have been delayed. So please keep her in your prayers so she will heal and continue on her journey south. Thank you

Olivia is out of work and because of the scarcity of jobs has taken to her entrepreneurial skills to marketing herself as a personal assistant, so far she has made enough to keeping her bills paid and allowing her to focus on her real passion of starting non-profit girls home with 3 of her colleagues.

This is a picture of my Mom- Jean, son-Jake, myself and daughter Olivia
I posted this so you could put a face with the next request from Olivia.
She posted this on her facebook and I am doing all I can to get the message out,.
Thank you for your time and any advise on non-profits etc... or support you could offer her.

If you click on her name you will be redirected to her facebook page to join in on that conversation. The conversation is a pop-up on the lower right hand side. We have so many blessings and I think it is admirable that Olivia would like to extend some of her blessings to young girls whose lives she will touch!

about an hour ago

Olivia Thompson

As we all know, it's hard to ask for help. "OMG it may imply weakness." Or "What if people say NO?" I have always said, "I am surrounded by the most supportive, positive and caring people." I want to put my faith out there in a way that I never have before.

I am asking for your help. I have a Vision and I can't create it alone. I need your help.

I have partnered up with 3 other colleagues in Florida and we are working to open a non-profit organization. We want to begin our Vision with a therapeutic group home for teenage girls in the area and hoping in the future to expand to meet the continued growing needs of the youth today and those into our future.

This is where you all come in, "I need your assistance to make my vision a reality."

I am asking for support in ANY way you feel willing to show that support. Financially, physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually be as creative as you feel necessary. If you believe in me and my vision please send me your support.

It takes a Village to raise a child, please be part of our Village!

With Love and Humility,
Olivia Thompson
Hearts Infinity, Inc
thomp_liv@yahoo.com
PO Box 881891
Port St Lucie, FL
34988

2011-09-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

September 12, 2011
A Landlubber return; Pat-Steve-Roberta-Tom
Our girl "Equus" is safely tucked away in LaConner WA, thanks to Erich and Steve. Steve and I brought her as far as Sullivan Bay BC Canada where Tom, Steve's brother flew in on a sea plane.

Roberta Hawthorn, a long time friend of Tom's. Steve and I met him at Roberta and Jim's dock (front door) in front of their floating home. Roberta and Jim own a floating home on this beautiful bay along with about a dozen other residents. However Jim was not able to join our festivities.
Tom traveled with us to Campbell River, then he and Steve drove me to Sydney on Vancouver Island to catch a plane back to Ohio. Steve then sailed Equus down to Nanaimo and that is where Erich, Steve's youngest son joined him to take Equus into LaConner WA for her winter berth.

Our plan is to have her trucked to the Great Lakes next spring for a summer near Sandusky Ohio. The thought of leaving the magnificent PNW is sad, however we have a strong pull to get our girl Equus closer to the majority of our families. Erich and Rosalie are still west-coasters. We are in high hopes being closer to friends and family will allow us to spend more time with those we love.

I spent a wonderful two weeks with friends and family in Ohio and Steve flew in and we drove south to our home in Palm City, Fl. We arrived on Sunday the 11th of September.
Picture to the left; apple picking with son and grandchildren
mmmm they made the best apple dumplings.

After a huge box of mail was gone through and opening up our home (somewhat) from her cocoon state, we decided to leave a few hurricane shutters on for another month, just to make sure we are in the clear.

The weather is sure a change from the PNW it has been hot-humid and rainy but the vegetation is a beautiful lush green, ah in the tropics once again.
My Mother and brother are hopefully wintering about 2 hours from us we have dear cruising friends arriving the second week in October. We are also going to be able to enjoy Steve's daughter for a visit soon. So life is good as we settle back into this landlubber life for the winter season.
We hope you all have a wonderful fall and we look fwd to hearing from you in the coming months.

Tlingit Native’s, glaciers, whales, seals – oh my… and the illusive halibut!

2011-08-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

We saw several glaciers the most impressive was Hubbard. After fueling and a visit with rangers at Yakutat we were convinced that Hubbard Glacier was worth the all day trip north out of our way.

It is the largest tidewater glacier in North America and part of the distant snow capped mountain peaks stands Mt Elias like a perfect pyramid soaring 18,008 ft into the heavens, the second tallest peak in the United States. The Tlingit name is “Mountain in Icy Bay”.

Hubbard Glacier was magnificent however we had a slight mishap leaving Hubbard and returning to Yakutat. We tried to use the path created by the 10 story very large cruise ship to get out of the ice fence and just at the end of the passage the icy bits came crashing in against our hull and put our propeller out of synch resulting in a constant vibration anything over 1200 rpm’s. Which is pretty slow going for our Perkin’s diesel. That night as we backed on the anchor the Max-prop seemed to correct itself and the vibration went away.

few-w-w-w-w-w.

Our passage to Cross sound was not as pleasant as we had hoped. The seas built to 7+ feet and the winds clocked to be right on our bow, so any aspirations to head to Sitka were gone after 30+ hours of beating into waves and wind.

However choosing to take the inside northern passage turned out to be the best move. We stopped at Hoonah and spent 4 super nights there, did a little Christmas shopping at the old fish cannery that was converted into a very nice tourist destination for many cruise ships.

This creates an economic boost for this small village of 800 year round residents. After a great Dungeness crab dinner at the office bar, talking to a native about her healing salve (jjpate.com) and a gathering of Tlingit dancers on Sunday we headed for a Wachusett cove. Two more protected, very beautiful anchorages we anchored in and worth mentioning are Ell cove and Red Bluff Bay.

Then a hot bath next to a raging river in Warm Springs, I loved this experience almost as much as our banyan with Michael and Natura last year. Sooo squeaky clean we then head off to Petersburg.

With a high hanging over our heads we know that winds will be down and seas flat, so here’s to smooth motoring for us and warm peaceful summer evenings to you.

July Fun!!

2011-07-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

A day of 2 special birthdays’….

Happy Birthday Olivia and Christen and a belated Birthday greeting to Jeff, Laura’s husband on the 22 of June, Trey - my oldest grandson, June 12th, Trinity – my oldest granddaughter, June 4^th.

We had a week filled with whale-otter-puffin-eagle watching, fishing, hiking, sailin

g and motoring however we only saw one bear – the best part was sharing our life onboard Equus with our family.

This was the first time they could come onboard because we had always been so far away, not that Alaska is that close mind you.

After they left our days were filled with preparations

of getting Equus ready to head to the inside passage and making our way toward Seattle.

Where we plan to put Equus on a truck and ship her to Duluth Minnesota for a Great Lakes adventure next year.

During our final days in Kodiak, I was so grateful to have a dinner with a special friend, Nancy before we left. She is the mother of Elaine who is the Harbor Master of Adak our first port of entry into America August 24^th, 3am 2009, that seems like so long ago.

We met Nancy as she greeted us at the dock in Kodiak. We brought her gifts of fresh salmon and roe from Elaine via Equus.

We are now in the harbor in Kodiak Ak, waiting for Shanna to get off work and then she, Isabelle, 2yrs old, Keaton 11 yrs old and Ian the Kelly’s 12 yr old son will head off to Long Island for a weekend rendezvous and our final days together.

Tom, Laura, Tucker Kelly brought with them a guest son Seamore her name is Anna Young. She is an author, artist, with a nautical passion. In fact, she had interviewed all of us women because she is writing a book on Alaskan sea women past and present.

She said I will be in her book so I will post when it comes out, what an honor it was to share a little about our blessed life with her.

The weekend and send-off party was one of our best and we have been privileged to attend many. We all gathered at the beach for hikes, beach combing and cookout.

The most difficult part of this cruising life for me is having many good-bye’s in our wake. So on to glacier’s and whales as we make our way to the PNW.

We hope your summer is going well and we send our warmest regards.

Going to the chapel and we’re gonna get m-a-r-r-ied!

2011-06-11T13:23:00.000-08:00

Well actually the horse pasture and no, not us – Erich and Rosalie will be taking their vows on July 3^rd at half past six o’clock in the evening on the front lawn i.e. horse pasture of his mothers (Hannah and Tom’s) home in Huron Ohio, a beautiful location.

Erich is the youngest of Steve and Hannah’s children and working on becoming an Independent Movie Producer in LA and his intelligent, beautiful wife to be is working on her thesis for her PHD from DePaul and now is part of the faculty of Loyola Marymount University in LA.

They both bring many diverse and positive attributes as they go forward to build a new life together.

Weddings create an opportunity to think about our commitments to life, to our selected partners, ourselves and to what we currently hold dear and near to our hearts.

With time on my hands as we are driving North from Florida to celebrate in this event and to also spend time with family and friends, I humor such thoughts.

Jacob and his children are spending many hours/days at my Mother’s new home we redid the first of this year. It is a nice little home that will serve us well for years to come; already the walls are bound with love and laughter.

As life ebbs and flows many things change, my son will be dissolving a 15 year marriage and Steve’s son’s a wedding? Life gives and takes away, bad things happen to good people yadda yadda yadda. So we celebrate the start of a new journey and the end of another. The good news is with the love and support of each other life's challenges are eased and hopefully all will adjust well and look fwd to many new beginnings.

We then leave on the 4^th of July for our journey to Kodiak, AK, and the best news about this long 14 + hour plane ride is we are in company of Stephen Jr., Christie, Abe and Ruby, they are all coming to enjoy an Alaskan adventure on board our good ship Equus.

“Life is good!” --We send our love and summer greetings to you all….

Spring has Sprung!

2011-03-24T08:43:00.002-08:00

This is a quick update to let you know what is happening in our world.

My Mother is relocating, so that has been top priority in our world. She currently resides in Sandusky Ohio and we are trying to find her suitable housing there because that is where she has lived for over 70 years and would like to stay there.

Olivia is doing well, working at a Girls Adolescence Correctional Facility here in Stuart Fl. Jacob is reassessing his world back in Castalia Ohio - many changes are in his path for the year ahead. I will be flying into Ohio and my grandchildren and I will be heading back to our home in Florida for spring break.

Robert my Brother is holding his own and working on getting stronger everyday. Other siblings and their perspective families are doing well.

I had a life long friend Laurie come and spend a week in my world, we had a good visit and the bonus was a Doobbie Brother's concert in Ft Pierce, Fl. Just like the good old days.

Steve will be spending most of spring break with Laura and her family in Connecticut and we will do a stop over at Stephen Jr.'s and family in NC. Then he is off to Equus in May after a stop off in LA to see Erich and Rosalie, his youngest son and fiancee.

Brother Hal and Ginger are the proud grandparents of another grandson, Harry. Born earlier this year to Holly and Owen. Heather is serving her young patients well in Baltimore. Tom is completing his front porch to his log home in Columbus Ohio and he is as busy as can be with his businesses.

I will close up the house and head north to Alaska in June. We look fwd to hearing from you and wish you a happy spring.

2011-01-17T01:27:00.010-09:00

Happy New Year!

2011 - This year has arrived on the wings of inspiration of what opportunities lie ahead. So much to look forward to and be grateful for. Including our challenges or better yet, life's opportunities.

I just read a recent blog posting from a friend that suggested approaching life’s challenges as an experiment. Hence giving our minds a another approach to see our challenges as an opportunity to learn or do things differently instead of our usual way of stress and worry.

Sooooo “No worries mate” ........

We had a grand New Years celebration with Steve’s son Erich, my daughter Olivia, our neighbor’s Jennie and John and our dear friends from Italy, Julia and Vincenzo. We all stayed up well into the wee hours, ending our evening sitting by the pool around a fire pit, that was so cool! Steve even shot off his antique cannon – several times! I am sure the neighbors appreciated those celebratory bangs!

January 6th my sister Abbi and her friend Deb flew in from Ohio and just left a few days ago. We celebrated our birthdays Abbi the 8th, Deb the 15th and mine the 24th. We also went to the Dry Tortugas and enjoyed blue skies, good snorkeling and ocean breezes, a beautiful spot about 70 miles off of Key West Fl.

We send love to all from our little piece of paradise in (mostly?) warm and sunny Florida.

Cheers to 2011!!!

Another picture from Tom of Equus in Kodiak Ak – burr she looks cold!

Another year has come and gone

2010-12-12T16:34:00.006-09:00

Picture at left is Olivia, Trey, Taylor, Tanner in front and Trinity and I in the rear. This was taken in Huron Ohio at the beach after the girls softball game.

In October Olivia “my daughter” and I headed south via car and Steve flew down ahead of us, all having had a good Ohio visit.

Our drive south was rather fun and uneventful, which was a good thing. And the following weeks seemed to fly by and here it is the middle of December and we are getting ready to bring in the new year. We sent out some Christmas cards made some travel arrangements, had a good Thanksgiving gathering with family and friends, Olivia has settled into her new home and we now are waiting for good old St. Nickolas to stop by and complete the Christmas cheer.

So with a grateful heart we extend our Christmas and Happy New Year Greetings, Love Patricia and Steve

This is a picture sent by Tom Kelly of Equus resting peacefully in Kodiak Alaska Dec. 2010

A New England Fall

2010-10-04T00:20:00.008-08:00

Blog date; October 4th, 2010

Growing up on a Midwest dairy farm, fall has always been a time of gathering the harvest, fall foliage and the gathering of family and friends. Even though my life has not always reflected a Norman Rockwell version, I celebrate nonetheless and this fall was no exception to that rule.

Sept. 16th, we arrived in West Palm Beach airport, greeted by Steve our new neighbor from Palm City. We were tired and so thankful for his presence and generosity to be there and after a 35 min ride north back home (that has such a nice ring to it h-o-m-e) we found that our other neighbors had not only provisioned for us, but they too had also looked after for our home with much loving care while we were away. The next few days we gathered together with them and celebrated more:

Jennie and John, Rebecca and Steve - thank you so much for your care and generosity!

Within days we had packed our car and drove to Oriental, N. Carolina to spend a couple nights with Christie, Stephen Jr. and family. My how Abe and Ruby have grown since

spring, the picture at the right is them waiting for the bus.

We left Oriental and headed to Laura's (Steve's eldest daughter

and her family) in Simsbury Ct. spent the night and Friday morning Steve headed to the coast with his children, Laura, Stephen and Erich who all gathered to celebrate his 68th birthday and I went off to Omega Inst. and Kripalu for some personal time.

Reconvening on that Thursday the 30th at Laura's, we went on to Boston Airport to pick up a dear friend Steve Otto and then on to attend Steve's 40th Harvard class reunion events.

Again we are so thankful for a wonderful weekend of celebrating and gathering of friends. We were hosted by the Perrielo's which added such sweetness to this special weekend. Boston is such a great city!

We have one more grand celebration in Boston: Erich and Rosalie's engagement party on the 9th and 10th then off to Ohio to see more family and friends. Given all this gathering of family and friends set in such a beautiful New England landscape has been a wonderful way to welcome in fall, still we both look forward to heading H-O-M-E and settling in for a good winter in sunny Palm City Florida.

We look forward to being in touch!

Fall is heading our way…

2010-09-13T10:15:00.004-08:00

September 9th, 2010

We are busy tucking Equus in for the winter in Kodiak, AK., a new head kit was installed and today we buy winterization fluids for our girl. Judy called from the harbor office this morning and her (Equus) new berth awaits her across the channel in Dog Harbor (St. Hermans Harbor) J17.

She finished her last Labor Day outing with friends, Liberty and Seamoore. A wonderful weekend and Steve had a successful fishing trip with Mark and his college mate on Wed. Fresh fish for Florida!!

The weekend will be spent with friends as we celebrate another glorious season coming to a close. We will be sharing mountain goat stew on Saturday night and caribou and halibut for Sunday’s celebration.

Ya gatta love these Alaskan's!

We then head back to Florida on the 15^th, pick up our car and drive to Newport for Steve’s 68^th birthday celebration with his children, Boston for his Harvard reunion; I will spend the weekend at Omega Institute for a Women in Power Conference and the rest of the week at Kripalu for a work shop and then another grand gathering to celebrate Rosilie and Erich’s engagement then driving on to Ohio to see family and friends before we head back to Fla. for the winter.

Till our next entry, we will be enjoying the New England fall, enjoy your fall days as well.

A safe return

2010-09-02T12:06:00.008-08:00

Seamoore after a safe delivery of, see picture of her at the right-I was on Equus' mast next to her taking the shot in Kodiak harbor. She arrived at midnight on the 23rd of August, we welcomed Laura, Steve and Mark and congratulated them on her safe journey. (Do you believe it? Check out that sunshine-it was a long time coming this season in Kodiak!)

Our friends arrived that same day at 4pm in Kodiak and a fast turnaround to get Equus ready to head out through Shelikof Straits to Geographic on the 25th. I was unable to get to the blog, I apologize for the update delay.

Bill and Steve worked together at Wagner Quarries and have stayed in close contact throughout the years. Pamela is Bill’s girlfriend also from the Sandusky, Ohio area. This being Pamela’s first sailboat experience we were not sure how she would like the trip? However she suffered no sea-sickness and loved the adventure, we all enjoyed great trip and the sharing fun adventures, good weather, wine and fresh salmon of course.

I will be putting photo’s on after this weekend when we return from a sailboat gathering, depending on the weather we would like to head North to a good fishing-hiking spot. So far our caravan includes, sv's Liberty, Seamoore, Equus. Have a great Labor Day weekend!

A C130 Fly-by

2010-08-21T12:57:00.004-08:00

August, 20, 2010

Kayak Island, Alaska by 5am - Means of communication; cell phone, satellite phone and vhf radio.

Steve reported today that they hope to make Kayak Island by 5am and drop the hook, to switch to #2 fuel tank, change fuel filter and get a few hours of sound sleep. I hope Mark is able to persaud them to do some beach combing. Because on the south end of the island is a remote beach with the Japanese current passing just off shore so I can only imagine the interesting treasures one would find there!

They are making great time, the only ruff part thus far was being greeted by heavy swells as they rounded Cape Spencer and entered the Gulf, by 1900 hrs, Thursday the 19th the seas had diminished considerably.

The saying goes “what doesn’t hurt you only makes you stronger.” These experiences instill confidence in a sailors being and also in “Seamore’s” ability. Recalling how re-ensuring it is, knowing your vessel is strong and her ability to ride the waves well, goes a long way in a sailors heart.

They sound like they are having a good passage, the sightings of whales, fresh halibut dinners and today the coast guard did a fly by. picture of C-130 below

They spoke to Laura and Steve via vhf during an off shore training maneuver.

Below a fwd email sent to Tom Kelly (Captain-owner of Seamore) who couldn’t make the trip due to work :-( He has been their weather man for the crossing; doing a 7am/7pm check-in every day.

From: CAPT Bill Deal

> Commanding Officer

> Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak

Cc: Deal, William CAPT

> Subject: S/V Seamore

> OPs,

> The 1715 was able to contact the S/V Seamore this afternoon. They are doing well, making 6.5 KTS and are expecting to arrive at their destination tomorrow morning.

That had to be quite a sight to see a C-130 (a very large plane) fly overhead. Laura is an engineer for Kodiak Coast Guard and they knew she would be in the Gulf this week. Another fine example of Alaskan kinship.

Steve heads to Juneau Alaska by plane.

2010-08-18T14:16:00.006-08:00

August 14, 2010, Kodiak Harbor

It is early morning and a gale is looming as we sit in our comfy salon on-board Equus and wait for the winds to blow. This rainy day is framed in fog with limited visibility.

Steve’s phone rings advising him that another delay was received via internet, Alaskaair.com.

He is waiting for Tom Kelly to give him the okay and he, Laura and Dr. Mark Withrow will be on a flight to Juneau Alaska to bring back sv Seamore.

Seamore is a 40 ft. coastal sail/cruising boat just purchased by Tom and Laura Kelly in Port Townsend WA and Steve has signed on to help bring her home to Kodiak Alaska. With weather permitting she will arrive next Sunday the 22^nd.

August, 10, 2010 Weather update Kodiak Harbor; the sun is shining with strong gusts of wind, a beautiful day here. Steve just phoned in stating there day is overcast and rainy as they pass the entrance to Glacier Bay and before he lost cell coverage. They hope enter the Gulf of Alaska tomorrow. Fair winds to you all!

So what do you get when you put a sailor, an engineer and a doctor on a boat in the middle of the Gulf of Alaska? We will let you know the answer in about a week.

A trip away from Equus

2010-08-10T16:33:00.007-08:00

July 31^st to August 6, Orcas Island, WA

It is a rare gift that a group of college mates 40+ years later can gather and create such wonderful memories.

The four men, each with very different views, living separate unique lives, last gathered in Crested Butte, Colorado for a hike over the Rockies. Orcas Island provided a another magnificent setting for their reunion. While they have learned to avoid explicit political discussions, out of their mutual respect and desire to stay friends, there nonetheless were many animated and inspiring exchanges over a glass or two of wine. While the ladies made sure the men stayed away from political topics, they too shared a unique dance of kindred spirits.

So in closing the location was exceptional, the San Juan Islands, Washington, a lovely spot; the weather perfect and laughter abundant.

Life doesn’t get much better than that!

Andy Harris and his wife Pam, our gracious hosts on Orcas Island, thank you so much for a gathering to be remembered by us all.

Pictures posted on side bar.

August 10th 2010 Kodiak Harbor

We have welcomed two new sailboats to the harbor; both arriving from Japan, families with small children on board, more to follow on them and their adventures. Now I must get ready for a trip to Long Island tomorrow. 'Til next time, keep smiling

2010-07-30T19:09:00.006-08:00

July 30, 2010 Back at Kodiak Harbor;

Snug as a bug in a rug, “that is for you Taylor girl.” A saying I always tell my grand-daughter when I have the privilege of tucking her in to bed. Not only was our stay in Kitoi Bay one of life’s rare opportunities, our passage back to Kodiak City we had a welcomed surprise.

The days we spent in Kitoi Bay were overcast hence some of the reason for the poor quality of photos. Not to mention my photography challenges that were addressed and inspired by Nancy (from the sv Tamara, go to www.krillroye@blogspot.com to see some of her photos she has taken from her past 10 year excursion around Cape Horn) and Steve’s loving ability to focus on detail have helped me immensely. So hopefully you will see better quality photo’s in my future blog postings.

The wildlife in the bay was spectacular we were entertained by several bears; a family of eagles as loons circled our boat and salmon skipped across the water.

Then there were the whales WOW!; this was our best whale adventure yet. Getting to Kitoi Bay we had 3 whale sightings, two

of Humpbacks/Fins (I am not sure, so if any of you Alaskan native’s can clue me in from this photo I would be grateful) and our first sighting of Orcas.

Our surprise; On the passage back to Kodiak was seeing whales broach twice. What a breath-taking site, WOW! The utter magnificence of these creatures is one that has to be experience to appreciate. No I didn’t get a photo, it happened so fast, I just wanted to bask in the moment!

Back in port Tue. the 27th; Steve rebuilt the generator and it is purring like a well fed kitten. The generator hasn’t worked right since it was worked on in Phuket Thailand in 2006. He has become quite the mechanic on diesel engines. So a little trip is in order and we are preparing to fly out of Kodiak on Sunday.

We will be spending next week on Orca Island, close to Seattle, WA for a reunion with fellow college mates from Steve's Yale school days. Then back to Kodiak to explore and travel the seas the till Sept. The plan to date is to leave Equus in Kodiak for another winter.

Lux at Veritas – Light and Truth.

Till next posting, be present, live large and laugh often!

2010-07-30T18:52:00.005-08:00

July 24, 2010 leaving Afognak;

Taking in the warm sunshine, as I stretch and become one with nature and going to the place that brings me joy - yoga on the bow of Equus is one of those places for me.

After a good night’s blow of 20+knots, we leave in the mist of an overcast morning and in our wake new friends.

A couple we met, he Michael from Fargo N. Dakota and she Natura a California girl. They are holed up in the middle of this mostly uninhabited remote wilderness island. Their neighbors; many salmon, dolly vardens (another type of fish), a Kingfisher (bird) couple, a few bears, and a familiar fox.

They work for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, ADF&G, they live in a quaint cabin next to the Afognak River; the cabin supplies all the creature comfort one needs to be quite content.

They have an outbuilding, originally used as living quarters for a second warden, being Michael & Natura are a couple, it was available for others needs. As they are both creative and love quilting, they have converted this outbuilding into a quilting studio.

They also have a greenhouse for fresh veggies, a smoke house, a 4-wheeler to get around the island and a banya, (sic?), Russian for a type of sauna. It is a small out building with a 55 gal. drum as the stove, large pot of hot water for moisture and bathing, 2 buckets filled with cold river water to help one sustain the heat of the spa and a couple of benches on which to sit. Of course a run outside and dip in the cold stream is always a refreshing bonus!

However, the night got away from us and we had to forgo this Russian spa. I was so looking fwd to the cleansing experience. However after a bottle of wine and a few martinis, the cleansing may have been for naught anyway.

Our dinner consisted of baked salmon, rice, salad, and a fresh baked chocolate sourdough cake and they were kind enough to give us our first sourdough starter mixture.

By the time we had finished dinner and conversation it was close to midnight and we wanted to get to the dinghy before dark, because our route out of this wilderness home was to navigate through some very tall grass and we were worried that we may surprise a sleeping bear. We hope to return for a visit later this summer.

The next evening we had planned to leave however the weather convinced us to stay and midday another sailboat came blowing in with williwaws up to 30+ knots.

Tamara is a 44 ft steel hulled cutter rigged ketch, owned by Nancy and Mark a couple who were just completing a 10 year high latitude cruising expedition. They spent the first several years in Maine and arctic Canada (Labrodor & Newfoundland) then across to the Azores, Canaries and back to South America and Cape Horn. After several years in Patagonia, they sailed to Antarctica, then back to Patagonia and on up through the Pacific to the Galapagos and Hawaii on their way to their home berth for Tamara in Cordova AK. (www.krillroye@blogspot.com)

What grand adventures we shared, we look fwd to sharing more as we both hope to be cruising the Prince William Sound area in August.

I close now for we are rounding the point and into our next anchorage Izhut Bay and then into Kitoi Bay. This is the spot we saw our first bears last fall.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-14T15:12:00.006-08:00

Kodiak, Alaska July 2010;

Reflecting as I look out at the setting sun illuminating the horizon really brought this years events home. The anchorage was so peaceful and serene. A little bay called Long Island just south of Kodiak, July 11th midnight. I write this with a grateful heart for a wonderful life.

A much-needed place for some R and R!

I arrived in Kodiak on June 17th, Steve had arrived the end of May. Both in need of a break from house hunting and re-entering a land-lubbers life again. Fellow sailors will know exactly what I am talking about. He was working diligently on getting our floating home up and running and I was back in Florida closing up our home there.

My daughter Olivia came and spent some time with me and stayed on to finish closing up our home (and enjoy the pool!). I have forgotten just how much work a home is. However I wouldn’t change a thing, I feel Steve and I are settling in to this new sea/land life well.

We have made several new friends who have been wonderful, they really helped in the transition and made leaving our new home with a calm heart possible. Thank you!

At times we felt a bit overwhelmed making this adjustment. Because as one knows the burdens increase as one accumulates stuff. Living on board Equus we have come to appreciate how liberating a nomad’s life can be.

So on to our next adventure.

Alaska “Wow”! From the people to the vistas what a fulfilling experience. Our time in Kodiak Marina, even though tied to a dock (waiting on generator parts) gives one a bird’s eye view and sense of awe as we experience what a fisherman’s life is like (living vicariously of course) in this wild and changing environment we know as Alaska.

The hard work from morning till night as they mend nets, tune gear, provision, say good-bye the tasks seem never ending. Then you see the big fishing trawler heading out, rain and mist in its wake as the crew scurry to secure the lines and head below till the next job calls them on deck.

I love to see the women fisher people as well, it makes no difference if you are man or women the qualification’s are the same. Not afraid of hard work, love the outdoors and have a testosterone filled sense for adventure.

The nature here is different and some of the best marine nature we have experienced in our 10 years of travel. From the jungles of Borneo, Swimming with sea turtles in Philippines, hiking the Forest of Yakushima, an elephant ride’s in Thailand, a camel ride in Jordan deserts, diving the Red Sea, the many trails we have hiked through the Mediterranean country sides etc… Alaska is different a very unique experience that cannot be explained, it must be experienced.

So the invitation is extended, come and see for yourself and experience what some call the” final frontier” one of our great treasures to behold, ALASKA.

We closed on a house!

2010-07-13T16:07:00.002-08:00

March 31st 2010

Light, Love, and Laughter our new home by the sea. Well we did it, after much emotional deliberation we have become responsible land-lubbers (well the responsible part is debatable) and will now reside not far from the ocean breezes. I guess once the ocean is in your blood it becomes part of who you are.

When we walked into the home we both loved the open flow of space, inside and out, hence the name. Now we will work on building a home that will not only be our private oasis on land it will also be a home built with love and laughter to share with our family and friends for years to come.

For we have come to fully appreciate the true joy in life is not the things we accumulate it is the people who have graced our life along the way and now we have two homes to share.

Our new home is located in Palm Beach Fl.

House Hunting Saga may be over????

2010-07-13T15:51:00.004-08:00

February to March 2010;

Well we found a home with a great location that we have put a bid on so we shall see?

February was a full month of celebrations with family and friends isn't that is what life is all about!!

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale where we were reunited with old friends who we met in Italy some 7 years ago, my how time flies. Julia and Vincenzo invited us to share over a week of reminiscing, laughter and creating new memories in their condo (which they may end up buying?). We even made a quick trip to Key West what a blast.

Next we headed North to see Tom (Steve's brother) as we celebrated his 70^th birthday, hosted by Hal and Ginger at their Melbourne property in Florida. A spectacular condo on the ocean. It was a great gathering of family and the 3 brothers got to spend some quality time together. Happy Birthday Tom.

Then on to see other sailor friends we cruised with From Turkey to Israel in 2005, Jacquelin and Bill who were gracious enough to invite us into their home in the middle of a huge renovation project. They have a grand home in downtown Charleston. What a fun time catching up.

Then on to Oriental NC to hang out with grandchildren, Abe and Ruby while their parents slipped off to the British Virgin Island for some fun and sun. We had a great time sharing and learning what intriguing individuals Abe and Ruby are. I know it has been said many times before however when it is true it is worth repeating “If we knew grandchildren were this much fun we would have had them first”. Thank you Abe and Ruby for the memories.

They excepted our offer and we close on March 31, 2010 !!

Then on to Ohio where I got to spend two weekends and a few one on one days with my grandchildren. Grandchildren fill your heart with a love like non I have known till them. We both have been blessed with great grandchildren! See photos!

Ya know I always said I was never going to be one of those obsessed grandparents that could go on about their grandchildren and all I can say is never say never.

This has also been a great visit for Steve and Tom, it is sad in a way because Tom has not only housed our belongings for years he has graciously taken us in to live in his log cabin, it has become a home away from Equus and now we say good bye to it and look fwd to what adventures lie ahead for us. Thank you Tom, you are a great brother.

I also have had one of the best visits ever, catching up with all my family and friends. It made packing up and moving to Florida bittersweet, having to say goodbye with my heart so filled with love and memories shared while I was home. Thank you all!

Back to House Hunting January 2010

2010-07-13T15:50:00.003-08:00

House hunting saga continues:

I write this on route to Florida having just left Bret, Jamie, Sheldon and Landon in Atlanta Ga.My (Patricia’s) nephew and his family. It is grand to re-establish family ties again.

I think the last time I saw Landon he was a babe in arms and now he’s a energetic 4 yr old full of personal characteristics that would make Jim Carey proud. He is so cute and Sheldon his brother is almost as tall as his father, they say he is going to be 6.2 or better and being basketball is his passion he is well on his way to a future with the stars.

Before that we stopped in Athens GA to visit the Epting’s. A great southern family who are always on our list of best people/places to visit. Impressed once again with the Southern Hospitality, Thank you Lee and Ashley. Please check out the Epting’s link; Emtings.com Not only are they world class caterers they have been involved to help two fantastic films come to fruition. Check em out! Not Since You and Darius Goes West. Not Since You was largely filmed on location at the Epting homestead or better known as The Hill.

And Asheville before that; 2 great properties were found and we are still working to bring one to a close. So time will tell if it is meant to be all will work out, till then we are Florida bound to see how this area appeals to us and visit family and friends there. Thanks for your time, love and support. Patricia

December in Ohio and the East Coast 2009

2010-07-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

My Christmas with family was fine, like always I cram so much into such a short time and I lost some of the joy of the season. I have come to realize my time away from all the commercialism has served me well and I need to honor that next year. Christmas is about family, love and being together and it seems many have lost that understanding along the way. So much stress and hurriedness.

I did love to bask in the presence of my loved ones. We saw reindeer, had a hayride, took long walks and played in the snow and ice, saw Santa and Mrs. Clause, drove around and saw the lights and I spent one day at my girlfriends baking cookies. Tried to go light on the sugar and that is hard to do around an American made Christmas!

Steve spent time with his family and met up with me for a family gathering in Columbus Ohio before he flew off to be with his daughter and their family for a Hockey Christmas on the East Coast.

Part II of the House Hunting Saga.

2010-07-13T15:39:00.002-08:00

December 2nd 2010;

I write this up date on Canadian Route 401 heading East toward Detroit MI. Our goings on for the last month are as follows.

House hunting saga continues: leaving the eastern shore of NC, traveling north through, VA, Maryland, West VA, Del Pennsylvania and Connecticut. House hunting the whole way, realtor’s, many home showings, long hours in the car, hotels and on the internet.

We left Stephen and Christies (Steve’s eldest son and his family) after a short visit and arriving in Canton Ct. at Laura’s (Steve’s eldest daughter and family) the 19^th of November. We celebrated Laura’s birthday and had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Erich (Steve’s youngest son from LA) and Rosalie (Erich’s girlfriend from Chicago) stopped in for a visit as well.

We watched several hockey games staring, Sam and Ben, Laura and Jeff’s boys, looked at many properties and fell in love with two of them. We may place a bid on one of them later this month, if we decide we want to commit to months of snow and cold for our landlubber life.

Having had a nice visit with one of Steve’s classmates and dear friends in Toronto, Steve Otto. An avid historian who shared his love of Toronto with us as we toured his beautiful city.

A brief stop in Toledo to check on a dear loved one and then back to Sandusky, Ohio. I will stay on with my family and Steve will travel to see his family. It has been 5 years since my last Christmas with my family I am really looking fwd to this time.

In conclusion of this segment of the house-hunting saga: Connecticut is diffidently on the list, Leesburg/Shepardstown VA(??) and still an old favorite being the western end of NC, the Asheville area. So time will tell as we realize our dream, we’ll keep you posted.

Canada and back to the House Hunting in the lower 48

2010-07-13T15:35:00.002-08:00

I write this as we drive north on a beautiful tree-lined highways complete with mountain views from Asheville to Blowing Rock NC.

First we would like to extend a huge thank you to those in Kodiak for the loving care of Equus. They have successfully moved her into her resting winter home slip C-6 in the Small Boat Harbor, Kodiak Ak. Our main caretaker is Tom and Laura, thank you both!! You too Ian and Tucker. Also thank you Shanna, Russ, Keaton for your efforts, looking fwd to spending time with beautiful Isabel, who was just weeks old when we left also to the great staff of the marina! Thank you all! You have put our minds at ease.

Back to NC and house hunting: “Freedom is absences of choice” a Sufi saying that really hits home these days (no pun intended-hee hee). Not only are we contemplating a landlubber existence the choices that are bomb-barding us is surreal to say the least. Between spreadsheets/realtors/internet surfing we are working our way to critique a criteria list and find a location that suits both of us well. We feel so blessed to have this opportunity to have a fresh start as we build our landlubber’s life together.

Grateful for our life at sea and all the people we have the privilege to now call friends. We look fwd to the future of sharing with them, our old and new friends our life on land as well as sea. We would welcome thoughts, ideas and suggestions of others that have traveled this home hunting path.

Our favorite locations this far is Asheville, Blowing Rock-Boone, NC areas. After spending a few weeks on the west coast of NC we are now traveling east to the coast to see Steve’s eldest son and his family (Stephen, Christie, Abraham and Ruby) then up north following the coast to see what we find on route. Steve promised me no farther north than CT. Our plan is to spend thanksgiving with Steve’s daughter and her family (Laura, Jeff, Sam and Ben) in CT. So Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends and family and may we all prosper and feel the benefit of being surrounded by loving family and friends. Please drop us a line to keep us current on what is new with you all!

Alaska, LA, Las Vegas, Ohio

2009-11-21T04:58:00.005-09:00

Awe…. Is the first emotion that comes to my mind and tugs at my heart stings as we are home and most importantly sharing our time with those we love.

Erich (Steve’s youngest son) was first on our travels south, beautiful LA, California. We had a great visit as we worked around his busy schedule of making a movie. Oh, what fun to experience making movies from the inside view, this very stressful work gives one a diffident appreciation for the process that is for sure.

A bonus while in LA we hooked up with Hal and Ginger, Steve’s brother and sister-in-law, they were there on business.

Olivia and me

Then on to Las Vegas to visit Olivia (Patricia’s daughter). Having just moved there since we left 1 year ago. She has settled in well, a beautiful southwest home and a good job with Easter Seals. We are so proud of her accomplishments especially in this economy.

Then onto Ohio to see Patricia’s grandchildren, mother, sisters and brothers, Steve’s brother Tom and friends.

So needless to say our hearts are full and we love being back in the lower 48, sharing time with those we love.

See photo’s California to Ohio.

Patricia's grandchildren Halloween night.

Kodiak Alaska, Heading to the lower 48.

2009-10-01T07:06:00.012-08:00

Hello from Kodiak. We would first like to thank all of you for your encouragement, support and being with us as we traveled the many miles from Thailand to Kodiak Alaska. We have traveled well over 9000 nautical miles since this past February and, as we put our girl Equus to bed for a long cold winter, we look back with great appreciation and gratitude. The harbor website: http://www.city.kodiak.ak.us/harbor/Pages/default.aspx

This has been our first experience at winterization since we started cruising 10 years ago. We have become familiar with tropical rains, mold and monsoons, not below freezing temperatures and icebergs, and this has made for an interesting start back in our home country. Although we have been assured that ice does not form in Kodiak harbor because of the high tidal currents, the temperature still can dip quite low. The channel between the two Kodiak harbors had winds over 140 miles per hour last winter, but locals assure us that it only reached 70 to 80 mph inside the harbors! So our in-water winter berthing will be a new experience for us all.

The rigors of the winterization aside, we have been wonderfully surprised with the glories of Kodiak. Of course there are bears, fish, eagles and other north country fauna and flora in abundance, but the real joy for us thus far has been the people. Aside from our scrumptious meals like seafood lasagna, halibut in mustard sauce, salmon in white wine, butter and dill, all fresh of course, the people of Kodiak have been most gracious hosts, welcoming us like family; and the diversity and accomplishments of each family has been amazing.

A succession of immigrants, from the Alutiiqs to the Russian fur traders to the present population of fisherman, teachers, and Coast Guarders has given Kodiak the eclectic personality it shows us today.

We have a flight out of Kodiak on October 5th to the lower 48 to be reunited with our family and friends, it has been over 1 year since we have shared time together. It will be a welcomed reunion for us. We will also be on the look out for that perfect new land-lubber location. We welcome all comments and suggestions on this exciting new chapter in our lives. We also look forward to updates from you and what is new in your world.

Life is Grand, eh!

Please note we will be closing the blog site http://www.sailblogs.com/member/sail621/ and I will be updating this blog site : http://sailequus.blogspot.com/ Please be patient because I have much work to do on this site, thank you. Patricia and Steve SV Equus

ps the other site http://www.sailblogs.com/member/sail621/ will still be accessible until I get everything switched over.

Kodiak sites to check out; http://www.kodiak.org/ - http://www.alaskaflyfishinggoods.com/ - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kodiak,_Alaska - http://kodiak.org/explore-kodiak/wildlife/bears.html