Smooth Sailing
Note from Mom:
This is for you morning-coffee-with-Zac's-blog people. We spoke with Zac several times today. He was in good spirits but unable to run his computer to send me his blog due to power issues. It was a pretty typical day with Top Ramen, fishing lines, moldy fruit, good wind etc. Laurence spoke at the Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club this evening about Zac's journey. It was an awesome time because many of the volunteers and supporters that helped prep Zac's boat for sea were there. After talking about the historyof Zac's trip and the prep involved, we answered questions from the audience and then called Zac on his sat phone and spoke to him on speaker phone. The remnants of Tropical Storm Elida will be upong Zac this evening bringing. in the words of meteorologist Davis Morris, "CONSIDERABLY" stronger localized gusts and surges. It will be good to get him out of the Northern Hemisphere for sure.
No position tonight but at last conversation Zac was on course and making 6 knots in 12 knots of wind. Not too shabby!
Hoping to get our new schedule ironed out soon.
Marianne
This is for you morning-coffee-with-Zac's-blog people. We spoke with Zac several times today. He was in good spirits but unable to run his computer to send me his blog due to power issues. It was a pretty typical day with Top Ramen, fishing lines, moldy fruit, good wind etc. Laurence spoke at the Santa Monica Windjammers Yacht Club this evening about Zac's journey. It was an awesome time because many of the volunteers and supporters that helped prep Zac's boat for sea were there. After talking about the historyof Zac's trip and the prep involved, we answered questions from the audience and then called Zac on his sat phone and spoke to him on speaker phone. The remnants of Tropical Storm Elida will be upong Zac this evening bringing. in the words of meteorologist Davis Morris, "CONSIDERABLY" stronger localized gusts and surges. It will be good to get him out of the Northern Hemisphere for sure.
No position tonight but at last conversation Zac was on course and making 6 knots in 12 knots of wind. Not too shabby!
Hoping to get our new schedule ironed out soon.
Marianne
posted by Zac at
12:00 AM
20 Comments:
Thanks, Marianne! A report about Zac is almost as good as hearing from him.
From Iowa
Hi Zac, (or Marianne) haha
Good to hear everything is coming along nicely and that Zac is alright. Yeah when I went to look for the blog yesterday morning with my coffee, and there wasn't a new post I thought, uh oh...
I just finished Around the World in 80-Days, by Jules Verne, wow travel by sea sure was differnet in the 1800's!!! Zac, just wondering if you have read any Jules Verne? He is thee fantasy-adventure pioneer and one of my favorite authors. You would undoubtedly enjoy any of his stories as he wrote about travel by air, underwater, and space before the invention of the vehicles to take us there.
Take Care and God Speed.
Ciao,
Lisa
Hello All,
Thanks for the update. Some of us were a little worried about you Zac. I'm sorry to hear about the electrical issues but at least Zac has professional electricians and friends to call when help is needed.
It's great your making so much progress and thank God for the 12 knot winds.
Marianne I would have loved to attend your meeting last night. I was actually walking my dog past the building around 7:00 pm. If you ever have another meeting locally in or around MDR and outsiders or non-members are invited please let me know. I would love to hear these stories live.
Take care Zac and catch a nice fish for me.
Conserve Power & Sail On,
Douglas Pistone
MDR, California
Hello Mom, Thanks for the update, and I am definately in the catagory of reading Zac's blog with my morning coffee. I am amazed how I have gotten used to waking up and reading about Zac's adventure. I am also amazed that when I don't hear from him how I seem to worry, and when he mentions different foods that he is eating I find myself going to the store and trying them, I even got upset in Hawaii when he didn't post for a few days because I think I was jealous in the fact of wanting to know what he was doing. Anyway that said, I am very happy that we found his blog and we get to follow him around. Charley and Josh Hasker
Thank you mom for the update! It is always good to hear he is doing well. Get some sleep;)
Maria
Yikes! Here is wishing him good luck!
J
http://adventuresinvoluntarysimplicity.blogspot.com/
Glad to hear from him. I remember following Robin Lee Graham when I was a kid, had to wait for National Geographic!
I don't know anything about Zac's electrical system, but based on my own boat's system, does he even needs a regulator on the solar panels? Given his power draw for radar, computer and communications, and the relatively modest output of solar panels, he could probably connect one or both directly to the batteries and not ever have an over-charge. As long as there is a diode or he disconnects at night to prevent discharge.
Fair winds, Zac!
nothing like a GREAT MOM! and a "HAM" at that! thanks for the update Marianne....
we all care for zac and pray for him (and the entire sunderland family) -- as 1 of seven children i can relate to what the sunderland household just might be like --- (and my dad was a HAM for over 70 years)
sail on, kiddo ---
john baker/hollywood/ca/USofA
jbaker1226@aol.com
Agreed...it is as nice to hear from you as it is to hear from The Zac. Thank you, Marianne! Kristina R.
Thanks for the update Marianne. I hope that David Morris' prediction of "considerably stronger winds" today turns out to be one of those weatherman's predictions that doesn't fulfill the hype.
I pray that God will only give Zac the wind/weather that he is prepared to handle. Please let us know how his day and night went if he is unable to post. As you've probably discovered there are many of us who have grown quite fond of your boy and are praying for his welfare.
Melanie in Torrance
Hi Marianne,
Thanks for getting us up to speed on what's going on with Zac...so glad all is well! As suggested before, regarding the pirate issues; perhaps it would be wise, when he is near a trouble spot, NOT to post his exact position so that anyone and all know where to find him. Better safe than sorry! More peace of mind for all of us that have learned to love that young man!!
Nancy in Palm Springs
Hey buddy!!
Tray to fix as soon as possible your eletrical problem,. Everybody wan to know your progres directly from YOU every day...
Of couse if that is not possible, its realy good the news that Marianne gave to all of us.. Thank's Marianne...
Have a nice wind & good sailing
Glen (AR)
Reread a couple of the past blogs & comments. Would appear the SSB is bleeding way too much (see Zac's prev blog entry about sat phone & having to turn off SSB to keep talking). Not sure how you could best shield it from the rest of the electronics on board, normally would suggest you ground it & possibly relocating the antenna, but that's a challenge on bluewater.
Lady Marianne -
My sis-in-law has a similar challenge tho' not as intense as what you're handling. With 4 kids left at home, 1 on a church mission, 1 just sent to college, a home based business, as well as helping my bro' at his office, plus home schooling.... The two of you amaze me. Keep up the great work!
A couple of peeps have asked what Zac's studies are in his senior year. Maybe you could enlighten us.
HUGS!
Tomi/ATL
So good to here all is well, Zac.
And Marianne, thanks so much for the update. I check on Zac's progress with my morning coffee. When we didn't hear from him I was quite concerned.
Good luck untangling those fishing lines!
Jennifer
Sherman Oaks
So good to here all is well, Zac.
And Marianne, thanks so much for the update. I check on Zac's progress with my morning coffee. When we didn't hear from him I was quite concerned.
Good luck untangling those fishing lines!
Jennifer
Sherman Oaks
zac... your the man...
just a little spiritual nourishment Isaiah 40:26...
sweet, huh
you're doing great and making excellent time...
your friends mark n adino
vicksburg, ms. usa
Currently reading "At One With The Sea: Alone Around The World" by Naomi James.
For those of you who would like an easy, entertaining read, I suggest this book.
Naomi James, after sailing for only two years and without the benefit of modern electronics, was the first female to solo, circumnavigate the globe in the 1970's. I can't recall the timing exactly, but there were a couple of other females, also, about the same time.
Anyway, she completed her voyage in 9 months.... and currently lives in Ireland after having been brought up in New Zealand.
I found the book, now out of print?, used ... on Amazon for about $8.00.
Again, its a great book for those of you who don't know much about sailing.... its not technical. She speaks of being alone, tired, fearful, joyful, angry, and proves herself to be quite the individual who met the challenge alone. She even rounded the Cape Horn with damaged standing rigging.... which was quite lucky.
Her support team was family, as is Zacs, although she had advice from a few professional sailors including her husband ( who was on another sailboat elsewhere).
C-18
Dude,You are truly BODACIOUS!
It was good to finally see a post after a period of silence. May the wind be in Zac's sails, and yes, it will be nice to get him out of the Northern Hemisphere.
Kyiv, Ukraine
Do you believe you will have difficulties sailing off Northern Australia? Have you sailed in that location before? Can you really get a legal drivers license in Majuro without a test. Are you really going to buy one?
Julie Hernandez
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