Hi mom, thanks for the email, just a quick note on my taxes, please tell your
accountant, or barbra that it's 'foreign income' for my work last year. Remember I
earned it on the trip to Alaska and the boat was registered to a foreign company.
I've been getting emails from Texas and everyone says it's a beautiful spring, I
wish I were there sometimes, it's been windless and hot here. We are on our way to
the Soloman Islands and should be sailing back across the equator at about midnight
tonight. Should arrive in about 4 days, winds are lite, skies blue.
The last week around the kapinga village has been a ball. One night, a bunch of
guys, the chief's bro Jonas, our pal the local brew master Dusty, the carver Yodahm
and our other pal Barney came over with the local brew. Dusty had been brewing for a
few days and concocted about a 6 gallons of Tuba. The brew is made from gathering
coconut tree juice which involves tapping the tree, up in the branches, and hanging
a little jar by a string to catch a clear liquid dripping from the incision. The
process involves climbing a tree that has been tapped three times a day to collect
the juice, then letting it naturally ferment itself, no additives, in a jug in the
sun. It's a foul smelling brew of milky liquid, tastes a bit brewy with a hint of
'gone off' coconut. I was unable to participate because I had been on antibiotics
for a infection in my leg, a staff infection, which I was not about to hinder for
the sake of a party. Dave and the boys hit it hard though, and I stayed up with them
and laughed my ass off, we cut jokes till about midnight, they could barely paddle
home. The funny thing was that Yodahm, who has never spoken a word of English to me,
always uses Barney as an interpreter, got pissed drunk and proceed to have an in
depth mermaid boobie carving consultation with me IN ENGLISH! Next day he wouldn't
speak a word of English to me again. A side note: We finally figured out why all the
brew drinkers around here are big muscle bound guys, a question which has had me
puzzled for weeks now, these drunken body builders. To make the Tuba, you have to
clime each 'tapped' tree three times a day, each climb yields about 6-8 ounce of
Tuba, some of these trees are tapped 50 feet into the air. Hell if I had to climb
two tree's for every beer I too would be like Arnond Schwartszagovernor!
The day before we left I had completed the finishing touches on my kayak sails. A
full day's work with my sewing machine, utilizing some spinnaker material I procured
form another sailor yielded a Texas flag mainsail and jib to flatter my yellow kayak
in a collage if blinding color un-coordination. Just as the last stitches werer
sewn, the wind picked up from a incoming squall and off I went on a maiden voyage to
another island. Upon my return, about half a dozen children swam out to the Gypsy
Soul and I proceeded to take each one out for a joy ride. We had a ball.
So about an hour before we had planned to leave, Yodahm finished the mermaid and
came out to the boat to collect his trading goods (at this time I'd like to thank
everyone who has ever given me clothes to trade which I unloaded heartily to make
room for all the carvings we now have on board, and who can expect something nice
for Christmas). The mermaid is unbelievably beautiful, it took him 6 days straight
carving to finish the job, he worked from daybreak to dark every day, the whole
process was amazing. My commissioning of the carving turned out to be a great stroke
of camaraderie and everyone in the group recognized Yopdahm's pride as having been
the talent for the job and his efforts. In the end it didn't actually fit on the
mast, her tail was carved with a sweep to port and was just the right height to take
someone's eye out if mounted. She does have a place of honor though, still the
centerpiece of the salon up on the wall. We haven't named her yet, still thinking.
One last thing worth mentioning about Kapinga is our realization that the charm we
experienced, the natural lifestyle of the kapinga people, the clean, trash free
existence with no electrical; generators or outboard motors running all the time,
was really just a glitch of being back to the old ways for the people. Had we not
arrived after 6 months of supply ship drought, we probable would have had a much
different experience. As it turned out, we experienced a few weeks of local foods,
old ways fishing & hunting and a status as honored visitors for our contribution of
bringing supplies. That combined with dave and my attitudes as being 'one of the
boys' and getting involved with anything and everything from volley ball to spear
fishing to playing endless house with the kids, helping with some electronic repairs
of radios, and the ever so social 'carvers shack gammings' our experience was truly
rich in friendship and retro culture. We really hated to say goodbye in the end.
Alas we are back on the sea which is good. There's a light trade wind blowing and
we're making about 4 1/2 knots. I have been diligently watching the weather faxes
and all looks good for a 5 day weather window. The canadians left yesterday and we
rezendevoux in Gizo in a few days. All's well on board, david sends his warm
regards.
Love you, ben
ps sent to all
