Sewing is a Healthy Hobby

Canvas sewing project maybe #15, but I have lost count. The truth of it is I am a hobbyist, plain and simple. Not as much as I am the lover of my natural world, but a close second. To immerse myself in a project and fully drift away in creating something from nothing, is bliss. I am not an artist, and don’t care to follow directions, funny huh? I create!

My projects aren’t perfect but they are mine and I am proud to have made them. I am a life long learner, finding great happiness in the process of a new challenge. This week was all about my canvas project of making a UV paddle board bag, all 11.3 feet of it! The last two covers I bought were wrecked by UV within a few months. A good cruiser friend of mine Chrissy, sold me a bolt of Grey Top Notch fabric, amazing fabric btw, but impossible to get out here in the islands. This challenge had perfect timing, since we had a bit of weather for hunkering down and Scott was down for the count with a bad cough. Sewing for me is quite therapeutic, gives me inner peace and energy at the same time! Now off to see the sunset.

We Sail honors Kathy’s Beach Yoga

The first 5 minutes of this you tube sailing episode was a fun walk down memory lane. When Scott and I were back in the Marquesas, a beach was hard to come by. The island Tahuata has the only few sandy beaches in all of the Marquesas islands due to their tall volcanic rocky nature. The waters surrounding these islands are quite deep and steep, without much coral, so sand is a rare sight.

Warren and Erica, fun sailing and yoga friends!

Tahanea Yoga Studio, for the week

But quite the opposite are the Tuamotu Island chain. Spending months there, we always found a sandy beach spot for morning Yoga sessions. Any cruiser that happened to be listening on the morning vhf was invited to a calming 1 hour yoga session. Some folks would attend as an excuse to get off the boat and stretch their legs. If there were any locals wondering by, they were always welcome as well.

Laundry on a Boat?

Let’s talk laundry! We all have it. It’s a chore for all of us, like it or not. 😝 Whether you’re lucky and use a laundry service or your washer/dryer does most of the work, laundry is still a chore.

😅 Well, let me tell you…it’s quite an ordeal when living on a boat, and in the rainy or windy tropics. 😎 Here is the run down. First, I wait for a sunny morning and hope it stays that way all day, without huge winds. (I may have waited a week or 2 for this weather window, btw) Next, I make sure we’ve made water, and the tanks are full. If I am lucky we have hot water from yesterday’s motorsailing. In our small galley sink, I hand wash our clothes, being careful not to use too much soap or too much water, 😂! Next, (if rain suddenly appears) I string up my cockpit laundry lines. If it’s still sunny, I wipe the dust off all the boat handrails. I wring out the sheets and towels using the handrail. I then hang up all the laundry with very strong stainless steel clips. I stay home for 4 hours to keep a good watch out for sudden squalls or any change of weather. I take them down, fold and put away (The only typical part of laundry. Phew, done!! 🥰 It’s much easier to just wear a bathing suit and shower in it after my swim. Or the wind blows a towel overboard, thank goodness for the boat hook.

Atoll vs. Island

Headed to our 19th (new) Island here in French Polynesia of Taha’a. So cool, 😎 but wait, is it kind of part of Raiatea island. We haven’t gone out into deep waters so it should be just one island. If it’s part of Raiatea then maybe still our 18th island to explore. 😣 Good conversation here since many of us have been living in atolls and/or islands for a year now, and I thought I knew the difference! Ha, humble pie for sure. Here is the difference according to Wikipedia: 😜 But what do you think?

An atoll is a kind of island. It is made, volcanically, then a coral reef forms around an island that sinks over many years.

Chat GBT doesn’t know if Raiatea is sinking. Hmmm. We just left Raiatea and crossed a large bay of water about 100 feet in spots and we will drop anchor in about an hour at the north island of Taha’a. GPS picture above shows us as the blue dot. More research is needed. Or just watch this fun video.

Friends come for a week of Sailing!

Good friends from Atascadero come for a visit on Sea Bella. Penny and Steve Crawford do a write up about their time here in Huahine:

“A huge thank you to Kathy and Scott Erwin aka SeaBella. Experiencing a tad-bit of the sailing lifestyle with you both was beyond what we could have imagined. So many laughs, so much snorkeling, eating, drinking, and did I mention a few boat lumps and bumps lol. We are forever grateful for this once in a lifetime experience. Who knows… maybe another adventure down the “road” in our future.The French Polynesian island of Huahine did not disappoint! Getting to experience 6 days on the Erwins sailboat was nothing less than spectacular. The friendship, laughter, snorkeling, island adventures, local peoples traditions, a few boat boo boos, and the whole lifestyle is hard to express in words. We are forever grateful for this incredible experience!”