Arrival

The crew of Chasch Mer arrived in Seal Beach California Wednesday, June 6 2007. The five had sailed the yacht 2400 nautical miles in 17 days. Engineless, the yacht's sails were the sole source of positive movement. Windless days, the crew grew agitated and fears of drifting in the ocean waiting for wind grew in the minds of some. With patience, the wind came up and we sailed hard for many days on end. Following seas and huge waves with short periods made for a wild ride as Chasch Mer surfed down the rolling giants. The sea life was full and welcoming upon arrival. We were greeted by humpback whales breaching out of the water, four different dolphin species playing off the bow, shy sea lions, pelicans, and sea gulls. It was wild and way cool.

I had the celebratory beer and fish n chips upon arrival. It was awesome but even better was the In and Out Burger.

Until next time - Fair winds and following seas.

Day - 15

Approaching the mainland. Nearly 275 nautical miles away, we're predicting
a land sighting sometime Wednesday morning.

You know you're getting near southern California when coming from Hawaii
when:

-the water goes from a blue to green color
-temperature drops. It's freezin out here
-puffy white clouds disappear and it's all haze
-sea lions bobbing on the surface for a mid-day snooze
-long pieces of kelp floating on the surface
-passenger plane contrails pointing towards LAX
-ships. Big ships going east and west.

After 15 days thus far with no engine, the crew of Chasch Mer are all
anticipating the arrival. Our ETA is sometime Thursday, June 7. Though
it's a bit soon to tell as the wind has a mind of it's own.

Fairwinds from 034.32.54N 123.26.20W

DAY - 11

Another High Pressure system has come up and with that no wind. Our engine
is broken down. That makes many of the crew frustrated. Especially since
we're currently becalmed a thousand miles from no where. The upside we've
got plenty of good food and treats thanks to the half way packages from the
skipper's wife, Paulla, and James' roommates.

Our electricity is very limited since we have no way of charging batteries.
We're expecting to arrive in Seal Beach Yacht Club sometime between June
5-9. But don't take my word on it.

Fairwinds from 36.14.01N 132.58.02W Noon - May 31st.

DAY - 8

After another 70 mile day we're starting to feel wind again. This morning
started with kite and main flying in 12 kts of wind. The floating garbage
density is also decreasing. A sign that we're leaving the High pressure
system.

Our spirits have been proportional to our boat speed. With two 70 mile days
in a row (the first day we made 200 miles) the crew has been in poor
spirits. The best medicine is naturally to fish and see what we can hook.
Yesterday we had 7 hits, 2 catch and release and one 25 lb keeper. My first
Big Fish. It was the strangest thing. Mahi Mahi or Dolphin Fish hunt in
packs. Two large bulls started trailing the boat looking for smaller fish
that may be living underneath of us. I spotted one just off the starboard
stern, placed a lure in front of its nose and started popping it out of the
water. The great Mahi Mahi was curious and started striking. I suspended
the lure just above the water and BAM. She sprung out, clamping down on the
hook and dove deep swimming cirlces around our keel hoping to cut the line
free. I gave her line, and let her tire herself. She was just under the
boat, out of reach from our gaff. The natural thing to do of course, was to
dive in with line in hand and fight the fish on it's own turf. I tied a
bowline around my waist and dived into 12,000 feet of water. There she was
hiding beside the keel, wrapped up in her own creation to free herself. I
came beside the fish, she did not move, just starred at me with her circular
blue and yellow eye. At this point I was out of breath and surfaced. Upon
a second dive I saw her swimming circles around the keel in the opposite
direction. I was amazed. She then freed herself and charged me. I dove
deeper, still with line in hand and jerked her back, setting the hook
deeper. The fish was angry and it was time for me to leave the water. I
planted myself on the swim platform and continued to bring in the line, she
was just in reach of the gaff, and BAM. We got her. The gaffer pulled her
aboard, and we prepared to steady the fish for her death. All of a sudden
she throbbed with all her strength, freeing herself from the gaff. She
slipped back into the sea, though still hooked she didn't go far. Again, we
gaffed her and brought her to the swim platform. On her left side we could
see she tore a massive chunk of her head off in the desperate attempt to
free herself from the gaff in her mouth. Blood flowed into the water and
soon sharks were trailing. We quickly grabbed a large bag, placed her
inside and waited for her to give the shake, the final contraction of
muscles before death. She died. I filleted the fish and ate some of the
flesh above the gills. It was sweet in taste and strong in energy. It made
me strong and alert.

DAY - 7

May 26 - Third day in the high pressure system. Our engine has decided that
it will not run. As a result we're forced to sail through the High. We're
sailing on glassie seas at 3kts through a field of garbage that has been
trapped in this as well.

The heat is unbearable. The sun shines down on the deck cooking the cabin.
We roast inside as we seek shelter from the sun's blinding rays. Jackie's
prepared cooking meals are nearly finished and we're forced to sustain
ourselves on Ramon Noodles. I like my noodles with Maple Syrup. We tell
stories and fish. We talk boats and women, but we never speak of the wind.

We learned from companions on Oahu and the Big Island that the Internet
tracking device displaying our position is no longer broadcasting our
position. Thus, you won't be able to see us bobbling in the middle of the
Pacific. However, if you're good with dividers and have a chart of the
North Pacific handy, or Google Earth. You can plot our position.

Here is today's noon fix:
32 11' 50" N 146 45' 50"W

By the way - two days ago i swam in 18,000 feet of water. I looked into an
eye of blue and it scared the shit out of me.

Arbie Dar
JC

DAY - 5

Shower day. Everyone got a salt water bucket bath on the stern of Chasch
Mer today. Calm seas, hot sun and ice cold water. It felt terrific. The
cabin should smell much better tonight. Five guys living on a 50 ft boat,
the odors can have all the flavors of the rainbow.

Eating very well, as Jackie, an amazing cook on Oahu made us lots of frozen
dinners. Lunch was meat loaf burritos.

It's easy going as we're in a High Pressure system that continues to grow.
Winds are light, yet the stories keep coming. No one has told a story twice
yet. Floating plastic passing by carries with it an occassional excitement
and wonder. We all jump out of our seats to have a look. "Oh look at that
piece of garbage!" "Wow, let's look for fish under it"

Only one small Mahi Mahi to date was caught, and a Boobi.

May 24 HI Noon Fix:
29 31.51' N 148 08.00' W
24 hour distance covered = 161nm.

-JC

DAY - 4

Lovely sailing weather, averaging 8 knots. Have caught fish, seen dolphins
play at night in the phosphoresence, as well as a variety of sea birds and
drifting nets. Quietly sailing towards the west coast. Temperature
dropping slowly. Today's position at noon: 27 07.52' N 149 29.51' W.

Day 2

The crew of Chasch Mer are all happy, healthy, and learning the day-to-day
adjustments of living on sea. Our 24 hour time was just over 180nm
yesterday, averaging 8 knots. Chasch Mer sails exceptionally. We're very
happy with our heading as a high pressure system has been pushed far south
near Hawaii allowing us to do some Easting. We've already experienced the
normal problems of water leakage at the hatches. Makes life more wet,
especially the hatch above the head. But it's a boat.

DEPARTURE to LA

The sailing vessel Chasch Mer, a Santa Cruz 50, expected departure from Honolulu to Los Angeles May 20, 2007. The crew consists of the delivery Captain, Jay, and crew: Big John, Mark, Rob and James. The estimated passage time 20 days with the possibility of going a bit longer. Fortunately, thanks to the awesome wonders of technology, the swashbucklerjames.blogspot community can share in this adventure. Blog entries will be sent directly from the yacht while at sea. Unfortunately, I will not be able to read any comments until arriving in LA. In addition, an Internet tracking service is posted at the bottom of this entry. It shows our exact location in the Pacific Ocean.

Disclaimer: Technology is always breaking, if our dot on the map does not move for days on end, it means the tracking service broke. If postings do not appear to the website, it means, James is too tired from the dog watch and instead decided to sleep.

Where in the Pacific Ocean are the Crew of Chasch Mer?

Go to the Map

Big Journey Ahead

Sailing downwind on Chasch Mer, a Santa Cruz 50.

July 2007 is the month for the Transpac Ocean race from Long Beach to Honolulu, some 2,200 nautical miles. One of many international ocean races, the Transpac has been around since 1906. This year the race is attracting competitors worldwide as well as local sailors here in Hawaii. s/v Chasch Mer will be one of many local yachts sailing in the race. This May I will be a member of a delivery crew sailing Chasch Mer to the mainland in preparation for the race. It's a long and hard sail, roughly 20 days and nearly all upwind. Besides being long and difficult, it will also be a unique passage for Swashbuckler Productions as email at sea and a tracking beacon that automatically publishes the yacht's position to the web will be available. So, daily updates will be published directly to swashbuckler.blogspot.com as well as a map monitoring the yachts progress. I'm very much anticipating the journey, but in the meantime I've got a thesis project and learning module to keep me grounded.

Why I sail...

Waikiki Offshore Regatta 2006

Yachting is by no means economical, a boat is a hole in the water that one pours money into. That's the truth not to mention the blood, sweat, tears, and hours of time that follows all the cash. A sailing vessel demands constant attention, care, and repair. There's no end to it. For every hour of sailing there's at least 4 hours of maintenance time. So why get mixed up with these monsters?

For some it's purely a romance, to sail around the world, visiting foreign ports and meeting inviting locals that whisk one away to the village. Others it's about details, tactics, and precision as the complexities and dangers of yacht racing require a constant intensity. Attracting those driven individuals with characteristics of focused and motivated entrepreneurs. There are those who have been raised on the sea, what they call home. Some might call them gypsies of the sea, making a nomadic lifestyle in the world's oceans. Then there are the yacht club sailors who always know how to have a good Friday night on and off the water. The comfort of their nearby moored yachts, friends, and club drink specials makes for a guaranteed eventful evening. And finally, though this is by no means a comprehensive list, there are the cruisers. Carefree provided there's wind in their sails and the heading does not lead to any big thump thumps on the hull.

I don't know why I do it. It feels right and is enjoyable, exciting, adventurous, dangerous, technical, relaxing, frightening, peaceful, mechanical, and so much more. I find a little bit of myself in each one of these "sailors" but never toward an absolute. I'd like to conclude with an excerpt from Blue Water by Bob and Nancy Griffith.

"...Now I have two little children, Tenoi'i and Fiona, who have about 15,000 miles of cruising north and south of the equator in their wake. My wife recently ordered correspondence kindergarten for them.
But children are by no means the only ones who learn at sea. Everyone who casts off on a voyage will learn lessons from the sea: what it's like to be free, how to be self-reliant, the value of competence. It may cost a lot, but no price can be put on the satisfaction of a successfully completed voyage.
Sailing the ocean . . . that, my friends, is living."

Mainland Visit

To all thee concerned and not so concerned - James will be visiting Ohio for the holiday season. He'd love to hear from you and even go out for a beer or two. So send him an email or call his mom and dad's house!

callahj2@gmail.com

Mele Kalikimaka!

The Swan Passage: Episode III

The much anticipated final episode of the Good Ship Evening Star trilogy has finally arrived. To recap events leading up to Evening Star III - Captain Dark and the First Mate Jimmy have set out on a voyage to deliver the Good Ship Evening Star from Savusavu, Fiji to the Port of Bundaberg, Australia. Along the way they encounter glass seas, fierce winds, and wash machine seas. Nearly 7 days at sea the ship nears the French Island Territory of New Caledonia just as an unforeseen circumstance comes to play.

Parts One and Two of the trilogy can be viewed in the previous entry.

P L A Y video "Evening Star III" 04:25

The Swan Passage

The month of June brought about the swan voyage of the good ship Evening Star, a 45' trimaran. The vessel was moored in the port of Savusavu, Fiji Islands and needed to be delivered to Bundaberg, Australia. Our journey was to be the last passage for her Captain as the boat is going up for sale. It would also be the last passage for her Crew, as James momentarily departs from his swashbuckling ways to make studies at the University of Hawai'i.

The crew included James "Jimmy" and Bob "Captain Dark." Together we would sail just under 2000 miles non-stop to our port in the Land Down Under. The conditions idealic. The Southeast trade winds would push Evening Star all the way to Australia as we sat back and watched the world go by. Our biggest concerns would be the wind and what to eat. Ticking away the days we would find life aboard to go buy very easily. We would talk about women, the weather, and food. We would watch the stars each night and the swells in the day. Though sometimes just when things are perfect a bada-bing, bada-bang, bada-boom sneaks around the corner. Afterall, the best laid plans of mice and men of times gang aft aglay.

The following collection of videos tell the story of Evening Star's Swan Passage. Please click on the link below to view part one: "Never begin a passage on a Friday"

PLAY Video "Part I" (.mp4/18Mb)

Part II "An Unlucky Circumstance" has arrived - stay tuned for the final episode in the trilogy.

PLAY Video "Part II (.mp4/6.7Mb)

iQoliqoli Management

At the beginning of the year I had the opportunity to work with a Conservation Society in Fiji. The organization is working with communities on Vanua Levu (second largest Fiji Island) to educate and collaborate on ways to preserve near shore reef systems. As it is, Fiji is extremely fortunate to have mostly healthy coral reef systems unlike many other places in the World. Thus, the work was based on preservation rather than nursing the ecosystem back to health. Below is a short clip of Ratu Ravulolo, the highest chief of the Kubulau District speaking of the neccessity for protecting their iqoliqoli (n-gollie-gollie). This is a defined fishing ground that is governed and cared for by the people of the District. The fishing ground is a source of income mainly through Eco-Tourism. The Kubulau People declared a marine protected area within their iqoliqoli which means no fishing and has thus has fostered an abundance of marine life making it a hot spot for dive tourism. As it stands today, anyone wanting to dive in the Marine Protected Area must first pay a small fee before the diving. The money then goes to scholarships to send children from the district to school and even University.

PLAY Video "Ratu Ravulolo" (.mp4/5.2Mb)

The Star Reach Conclusion

Dear Swashbuckler Fans,

As some of you may know and others not as much, I began my swashbuckling ways aboard the sailing yacht Star Reach. It brought me to Savusavu, Fiji where I unknowingly pursued how to be a Fijian. Walk slowly on the street, eat plenty of dalo, fish, and pineapple, hold my own in grog fund raisers, smile, bula shirts, and love rugby sevens are just some of the bits that consumed me, not to mention Fiji Bitter. I departed Fiji in late November aboard Star Reach for Auckland, New Zealand. It was a 10 day sail, and along the way many interesting things occured which I can't possibly share. However, I would like to share with you a small part of the journey in the following video clip. It was an excellent sail with two very fine individuals.


PLAY video "s/y Star Reach" (.mp4/13.3Mb)

Fly Guys

There are those of us in the world who swat, spray, smack, and even stick those pesky buzzing insects we call flies. They love to prance on our freshly laid picnics, perch on our bare feet, and even sometimes take a bite of our tender flesh. Yet, there are a few in the world with a passion for such small creatures. Their sole job is to collect, classify, and understand the behavior of the fly. They travel the world from the jungles of Brazil to the islands of the Pacific in search of new flies. Recently, some fly guys visited Fiji and invited me to join them for a morning of fly collecting high in the mountain rainforest. The result of their visit was the identification of some 40 new fly species and one that is only found on continents, suggesting Fiji separated from a continent millions of years ago.

I invite you to take a look at a moment in the life of a fly collector. As you will see it requires excellent vision, a quick hand on the fly net, and lasting patience. Sometimes though other bugs are discovered - check out this newly discovered spider.

PLAY FlyGuys Video (.mp4/12.7MB)
PLAY Spider Video (.mp4/7MB)

Hassling the Hoff

On a casual Sunday afternoon stroll leading to the Maritime Museum I bumped into the professional American entertainer, David Hasselhoff. For those of you new to the name, he's the dude from the popular television series, Baywatch. I was particularly surprised to have had this occasion as he's plastered all over Australia on Pepsi Cola billboards. A massive celebrity in Australia, David Hasselhoff is one not to be missed.

Some Background:
Below is a rough cut of Dave's appearance for a local Sydney radio station promotion. At the time of the recording Sydney was experiencing some racial riots at a nearby beach between European Aussies and Immigrant Lebanese. This temporarily resulted in the closure of some beaches. Also included are three girls contesting for the Pamela Anderson titty run. There was a competition for the guys as well though filming became impossible.

PLAY video (.mp4 / 9.2MB)

Dreaming of a White Christmas

An ozzie christmas is something to be experienced at least once for the northern hemisphere folk. Barbies (grilling out), beverages, and the beach are the key ingredients for a Merry Christmas. Being new to this experience my three flat mates and I decided to join in on the holiday cheer, pack the bags, and head for the beach. The following video is a rough attempt to wish all our friends and family a Merry Christmas.

PLAY video (9.5Mb/.mov)

Fiji Flashbacks

After being in Australia for just over a week now and continuously finding similarities with the US – I feel very much at home. Twenty-four hour convenience stores, hurried walkers on the sidewalks, high speed internet, Star Bucks, Subway, The Simpsons, Greyhound Bus lines: what more could an Ohio traveler want? Coming from Fiji where wearing shoes are optional in the stores to the bright light high rises of Sydney is night and day. But before moving onto Australia, I’d like to share two videos of moments in Fiji. One of my favorites was an invitation for lunch in Kubalau (Koom-bal-au). It was a hot day – the kind where the air sticks to everything. Resting under a Frangipani tree, the cook invited me over to the kitchen to see the food being prepared. On the wood table rested a plastic bag with the creepy contents of what would become our meal. In the wild, the creatures can be spotted with their one massive eye just popping from the sand and are then plucked from their home. Properly prepared they have a rubbery chewy quality yet quite refreshing with lime, salt, and pepper they are truly a village treat.

I’ll keep you in suspense rather than identify the afternoon snack! Unless of course you may know.

Another favorite moment was mingling about town on Saturday mornings. The sidewalks, shops, and market of Savusavu are bustling with activity as everyone is coming in from the villages to sell dalo, yanqona, bananas, papayas, mangos, fish and to buy kerosene, bread, canned fish, Maggi noodles, and ice cream. The weekly pilgrimage also serves as an opportunity to get news of friends and family members living in other villages and by mid-afternoon folks have taken their respective buses back home. The video selected for this topic is a walk down the main street and then back again ending at my favorite ice cream shop, Charan’s Milk Bar.


PLAY "Lunch" video (.mov/4Mb)

PLAY "Saturday Stroll" video (.mp4/13.7Mb)