Thursday, October 30, 2008

Update from Mom

Latest Position: 10/31/08 0305Z 17 02.338S 78 26.366E


From Mom:
Zac was cruising along this evening/his morning with a good 20 knots on the aft port quarter. This is the optimum angle for Intrepid sailing under Genoa alone. A few people have asked if he is using the mainsail with the repaired boom. He has used it but will only do so if he needs to to minimize risk of any further breakage. At this point, he does not need it.
He had had a terrible headache all day yesterday and so there is no blog from Zac today though he is feeling better. He did finally go up on deck to scrape drying, smelling fish off as the fish apparently landed on the high/dry side of the boat and have not washed off too well. He has some exciting plans for this afternoon which we will tell you about tomorrow. Yes, Rory, Zac received your t-shirt. He almost left it at Home Island as the postmaster brought it home with him so Zac could pick it up. Zac was picking up his boom from Parson and ended up leaving the shirt at Parson's house. He did go back the next day to retrieve it. This has probably been one of his favorite presents as there were no laundry facilities in Cocos Keeling and his clothes are getting smelly - even by his standards! Did you receive something from Zac?
He also opened his letters and gifts in Darwin. Being the rather unorganized chap that he is, many of them got wet en route to Cocos Keeling. He loves getting your letters and cards and has taken to buying postcards in port to fill out on his passages as responses to some of you all.
As far as Zac's holiday plans, he will most likely be sailing to Durban on his birthday, November 29th. He will have birthday presents to open including a microwave cake complete with candles. Thanksgiving is a few days after his birthday so we'll have to get him some turkey somehow in Mauritius. We have been planning and scheming about Christmas. He should be in Cape Town by then and in a position to relax more. At some point the whole family would like to go out to visit him but half way around the world with 6 kids may be a bit much - in more ways than one!
We had quite a few good questions asked on Sunday night when we had Zac on the phone. I think it might be fun as he is in the middle of the Indian Ocean to fire some more questions at him to answer here on the blog. In case you didn't realize it, you can read and leave comments at the end of each blog posting.
We are busy here preparing Laurence to go out to Mauritius via England where he will visit his mother and deliver our Christmas presents a bit early. Then on to Dubai and Mauritius where he will be bringing Zac birthday and Christmas presents and a list of things like chart protectors, french language tapes, a Pelican case for his ipod, more pens and paper, a spare bilge pump and a sea anchor. I am filling a small box for his halfway points. This is when the candy is gone the books are read and the DVDs watched. We tried this on his last leg to Cocos Keeling and he really enjoyed it.
Hoping this finds you all well.
Cheers,
Marianne
PS If any of you have any knowledge of shipping a 13', 45 pound boom halfway around the world, let us know at zacsworldadventure@yahoo.com

59 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Zac,
This is an amazing adventure you are experiencing. Wishing you all my blessings for a safe journey. Question: do you ever get fog out there? We have fog driving up PCH in Huntington Beach (slows the traffic way down).

-Lou

October 30, 2008 at 10:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WOW! I'm totally stoked!! Even more so since it's a Stones shirts! Thanks MA!.
Regarding the boom my surfer bud reckons u could wrap it up like the surfers do with their long boards. They have to pay and additional fee but it's not that bad. It would be easier if U could check it all the way through to Mauritus. It might be a hassle if U are going with a layover in London But U could leave it airport stored baggage area.
Additionally I use a air cargo co in LA I use for my shipments to Singapore. I will ask them tonight.
If your gang flies via Singapore U can crash at my place.shiellyz

October 30, 2008 at 11:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OOhhh! Thanks, Marianne for a very interesting read! Smelly clothes on a teenage body and a bit of disorganization, too. Glad to hear the sometimes "larger than life" Zac has some typically teenage foibles.

Zac, so sorry to hear about your headache. Smelly fish, combined with rolling seas, are enough to give me sympathy shudders! I am curious to know what you are eating and drinking now that you are nearing the halfway point of your venture. Is it hard to find food provisions for restocking that you find appealing? Also, what are you reading/studying when seas are calm? And, are you in contact still with any of the cruising folks you've met along the way? Please take good care of yourself.

Blessings and best wishes to all for a Happy Halloween weekend! CindyinCincy

October 31, 2008 at 1:11 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marianne...what a mum you are!
Thank you for Zac's news and now I can't wait for tomorrow to hear what his exciting plans are for today ( or whenever ) hard to say with all these time differences...
The plans you have for Zac's Birthday/Christmas surprises are bound to make him very happy.Love the idea of the 'halfway' box.
Guess you may be having a somewhat quieter week-end compared to last week-end!
Glad you're feeling better Zac....
Keep safe.

UK friend

October 31, 2008 at 1:18 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Greetins Zac and members of the Zac Pac,

I first want to let everyone know that I finally will be getting a haircut today. I am really looking forward to that.

My mailbox has been full with missives from a lot of you saying how much you missed being able to participate in the auction last Sunday and if there would be more auctions.

My initial reaction was maybe, if someone else wanted to. But from me, no, there would be no more auctions.

I then found out that there is a beautiful white boom for Intrepid with a bunch of black magic marker writing all over it containing the names of Zac Supporters and that the boom is waiting to be taken to meet up with its intended ship.

I also found out that $2,000.00 in shipping costs is standing between that boom here in California and it's intended mast in Mauritius.

I feel that it is up to the readers and followers to step up to the plate and keep this going.

In that vein, I am planning to have an ongoing online auction starting next Monday. The auctions will last seven days and be a blind auction. There will be a link from the blog to the auction site. You can send a bid to me from the auction page and on the Saturday before the auction ends I will send an email to everyone who has bid and let them know what the high bid is. You would then have until 6:00 PM Pacific time on Sunday to improve your bid. Payment for winning auctions will be made through PayPal directly to Zac.

There will be two auctions each week. One for budget type items and one for more substantial items.

We shall start with some of the items that were not sold last Sunday and see what other donated auction items will come in from "ZacSupporters".

Kodiak Mike, as your hooded sweatshirt came to me the day after the auction, that will be one of the first auction items.

As long as there is interest, I will continue doing this. Any remarks should be addressed to me at bill@barstools4u.com so that we do not clutter up the blog with remarks.

To everyone who has contributed, my thanks and you will be acknowleged as soon as I get over this election on Tuesday.

Why am I doing this? Simple: I am getting my haircut. I just want to be sure that Zac can afford his.

Bill Mann
bill@barstools4u.com

October 31, 2008 at 1:23 AM  
Blogger Peter said...

Hi Zac, At this point, are you behind, ahead or just about right on your originally planned schedule?

Safe sailing. Look forward to reading of you arriving in South Africa.

Peter Mercer Ontario Canada

October 31, 2008 at 4:19 AM  
Blogger Douglas Pistone said...

Hello Marianne, Zac, & The Pack,

It was great to read your entry again this morning Marianne. Great job Zac in conserving that repaired boom and only using it when necessary. I'm sure Zac must smell good in those cloths. Hopefully Zac has some headache meds on board. I'm sure the consistent bad weather and rolling takes it's toll on him after a while. Hang in there Zac I'm sure you'll handle it well. One day without your blog entry won't kill us, I think???

It' nice to read that the family is trying to plan for Zac's Birthday, Thanksgiving, and even Christmas holiday. A Mom's work is never done!!!

@ Bill Mann, like I always say, "You Are the Mann". Thanks for all your hard work.

I'm going to work on the LA Gathering video this weekend and get this HD video of Zac's event on a DVD. I'm sorry to announce that I was only able to video the prep work before the meeting, interview some people, video all the different booths, and the start of the evenings events. My camera ran out of hard disk space since I just came back from the Florida Keys and had over 7 hours of hard disk space already used. I'll send Laurence & Marianne a email after I finish the DVD so they can decide what they would like to do with this DVD of the LA Gathering.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Keep on sailing Zac and get those smelly fish in the ocean. I'm sure it will make great eating for some ocean creatures.

Sail On,
Douglas Pistone
MDR, California

October 31, 2008 at 6:18 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marianne,
Dehydration is the probable cause of that headache, if he's not eating much he should be drinking something all day. There are so many points of worry for you I don't know how you do it. Thanks for the update.

Oh, smelly fish and clothes, and let's not forget, no showers! Good to know he is a typical teenager sometimes.

Shipping from AU to CK would have been much easier and cheaper. So much for that...Might try Aviacargo out of NYC which ships with Air Mauritius.
Kate

October 31, 2008 at 7:19 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This has been a great blog to follow. And educational, too! I had never heard of Coco's Keeling before seeing it here. Turns out if I were to dig a hole from my house straight down, I'd end up a hundred miles or so South of those islands, according to the internet :-) (I'm in Florida, though I lived in So Cal until a year ago).

Thanks for living life and sharing it with us, Zac!

October 31, 2008 at 7:41 AM  
Blogger Mouse on a Motorcycle said...

You mean that little stick isn't a carry-on item? Just tell them you're famous. Laurence could easily pass for Alec Baldwin, except he'd have to play dumb...

Praying for you daily Numbers 6:24-26
Mouse in Whittier
www.myspace.com/mouseonamotorcycle

October 31, 2008 at 7:55 AM  
Blogger Ehvee said...

Just wondered if you'd ever tried using that Dryel dry cleaning product while at sea? Seems like you could put some funky clothes in the bag with the checmical pad, lay it on the deck in the sun for a few hours, tossing it around from time to time and it might at least neutralise the body odor bacteria and make the clothes more acceptable.

I'm totally hooked on this blog and adventure now... I've been to Durban and Cape Town and really wish I could hop back down there for his arrival. This is an exciting event, he's obviously an extraordinary kid.

October 31, 2008 at 8:02 AM  
Blogger hnw555 said...

Marianne,

I've sent an email to you about help shipping the boom. Please contact me as soon as you can so we can begin the coordination.

Regards,

Hank W.

October 31, 2008 at 8:03 AM  
Blogger dawindey said...

Hi Marianne, just an idea for the shipping of the boom, why not try talking with curriers such as fedex or dhl, they could use it as a reality-commercial ad!

October 31, 2008 at 8:05 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for the update Marianne. Glad to hear that Laurence will be making the trip to Mauritus to see Zac. Can't wait to hear about how he enjoys his Microwave B-Day cake with candles!

It's great to hear about your plans for the whole family joining Zac at some point. I understand your hesitancy about traveling with your brood to South Africa. Going that far with little ones is quite an undertaking, what with long flights, airport transfers, potential delays, not to mention that traveling during the holiday season is a royal pain in and of itself. I don't envy your position on making this decision!

As for Zac; I have two questions...

What kind of music have you been listening to? Favorite artist/group?

What do you want to eat when you get back to MDR?

Are you dreaming when you sleep and what do you dream about?

October 31, 2008 at 8:16 AM  
Blogger Rusty said...

Zac,
In one of my earlier messages I mentioned that my Dad mailed me a 22 lb. anchor when I was in Hawaii. He stamped the name of my boat on it. That plow anchor still sits on the bow of my current boat 34 years later. When your adventure is done consider keeping this new boom with all the names on it as a memento. Mount it on some wall in your home and tell tall stories about it to your grand kids.

Rusty

October 31, 2008 at 8:46 AM  
Blogger carla said...

Hello Zac,
I have never written a comment before, but have followed your journey from day one, even before you departed CA. I have enjoyed reading your blogs, mom and dad's blogs and all of the wonderfully written comments from your fans! The reason I'm writing is to "Thank You" for helping me get through a rough month. My favorite book growing up in the 70's was Dove and I passed on the yellowed copy to my three children who love it as well. It became my daughter Olivia's favorite book along with Maiden Voyage, another book you have mentioned reading too. Sailing became part of Olivia's heart and soul as she sailed competitively in the Optimist and her Laser Radial. She was sailing weeks before her diagnosis with osteosarcoma/bone cancer. After fighting her battle for a year and a half she passed away in October of 2004 at age 16. Sailing taught her about courage and determination, even after she could no longer enjoy the water and feel the wind. I know in heaven Olivia is your number one fan! And now Zac, your courage and determination are helping me get out of bed and smile each day and I truly look forward to reading how you are persevering through every challenging moment thrown at you. You give me hope and seriously inspire me to go forward in a positive way. Zac, I believe Olivia was an angel to help others stop and appreciate their life and live it to the fullest and I believe you are a gift to me and many others around the world to do the same.

Thank you,
Carla
www.caringbridge.org/fl/olivia

October 31, 2008 at 9:31 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Carla,

What a wonderful stirring poem Olivia wrote. What a brave girl you had. She must have brought you untold happiness in the short time you had her.

I, along with other Zac Pacers have also lost children and find joy and comfort in the antics of Zac.

Why don't you leave your email address so that we can contact you directly.

Bill
bill@barstools4u.com

October 31, 2008 at 9:44 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Happy Halloween Zac!

Though it is almost over where you are and you birthday month is about to begin.

All the best!
RK

October 31, 2008 at 10:58 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Zac my man, sorry I missed the LA gig, I was up in Santa Barbara over the weekend. It was beautiful up at this lake we were all hanging at. Sounds like we need some creative thinking for the boom scenario. Does any one have a plane. Maybe someone who owns a lear jet or something can get that thing down there. Not the most cost efffective but it would work. Does sailing with only the Genoa actually reduce your speed?

Chris Alhambra

October 31, 2008 at 11:22 AM  
Blogger jlh said...

Zac,

So glad you are feeling better and are able to carefully (!)clean the deck of those stinky fish. Also glad you are making good time to Mauritius. Happy Halloween!

@Carla, what a beautiful post and touching tribute to Olivia. My heart goes out to you.

Blessings,
Jennifer and Ben
Sherman Oaks, CA

October 31, 2008 at 11:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Zac,
We love following your adventures. Keep the fascinating reports coming. After being out on the water for so long, how much truth is there in the old adage, "Red sky at morning,sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight"?
The Warfields
Newbury Park

October 31, 2008 at 12:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, my birthday is on the 29th! Did you mean Thanksgiving will be celebrated later than the actual day (27th)?

October 31, 2008 at 1:03 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Carla,
God bless your family and your sweet Olivia. Her poetry speaks volumnes about her bravery and faith in her God. While cancer was a storm that had attacked her body, it could not attack her spirit.
I'd like to think that as Zac navigates his journey, he is clearly sailing upon Olivia's wings, especially when in the storm.
Thank you for sharing Olivia and her story. God Bless you.

October 31, 2008 at 1:14 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know you can do it Zac. Keep it up. We are all praying that you will complete your amazing mission. I know that you are doing this for 2 reasons. For God and a record. Do it for all of us fellow home schoolers.

~Anonymous Yoshininja

October 31, 2008 at 1:24 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

As I prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my 17th birthday on Monday the 3rd, I, as everyone my age does, watches their weight very closely.

I noticed that I was just about 9 pounds overweight.

I have just returned from Dave's Hair Salon in Glendale, California and have found that between my shower this morning and my shearing at Dave's I have lost that 9 pounds. I also found out that although I thought Dave was 70, I have learned that he is really 73. So I am a young punk to him. But thanks to him, I am not a young long haired punk

It appears that all of the details are worked out for the auction which will start on Monday. Although Marianne still will not allow me to auction Toby, she is considering maybe leasing him out a week at a time. She says he is great at house cleaning. Good thing too. Obviously with putting up with all of my emails to her, she does not have time for much else other than shooting me down.

We are going to start with Kodiak Mikes's hooded sweat shirt. The sweat shirt is from Kodiak Island Brewing and the front sports a quote from Ben Franklin. BEER is proof that.... the rest of the quote on Monday. The back of the shirt has a fantastic print of a map of Alaska, an eagle, snow covered mountain and what can only be described as the nothern lights. A lasso around a buch of hops adds the finishing touch to this great shirt.

http://www.barstools4u.com/images/kodiak.jpg Copy and paste this link to see the back of the sweat.

A couple of Iditarod race magnets rounds out Mike's generous donation. Another item is going to be a surprise that you will have to wait until Monday to see, but I know you will LOVE. I am looking forward to this and hope all of you are too.

Look for a link to the auction on Monday.

Any questions, just drop me an email.

Bill
bill@barstools4u.com

October 31, 2008 at 3:04 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Carla,

Thank you so much for feeling comfortable enough to share your story and the story of your precious Olivia. My heart grieves with your heart. What a special Mother ! Olivia must be watching from above.

I am inspired by you and your will to be inspired by other teens. God Bless you.

@ Marianne,

Thanks for the wonderful update on our Zac. You answered a lot of those questions us Moms like to know about.

Happy and Safe Halloween to All,
Maureen
Boise

October 31, 2008 at 4:10 PM  
Blogger Anita said...

Greetings Zac, Sunderlands and fellow Zac Pac!!

Marianne, many thanks for your post, I look forward hearing from you as well as Zac.

Sorry to hear that Zac had such a headache; I'd have to agree w/Kate, dehydration may be the cause...not to mention the rolling seas!!

@Carla, thank you for sharing your story. Prayers being sent your way.

Super important question: Zac, are you brushing AND flossing everyday?? :) You can't afford a toothache out there on the Indian Ocean!! Hey, just floss the ones you want to keep.

@ Glen: Buena audiencia de usted; gracias por el email. Faltamos el " seeing" usted en Zac' blog de s. Abrazos :)

@Bill Mann, I agree with Douglas, you ARE the Mann. Thanks

Zac, feel better! As always I'll be thinking of you often through the days, keeping you in prayer, and continue to be amazed. You are destin to do great things young man. We all live our story.

Hugs, until next time Godspeed
Anita M. Miracle RDH
Waterloo, NY
Captain SV "Wombat"
Avid Zac fan

October 31, 2008 at 5:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Zac, could you tell us how many knots on average your boat is traveling? If you could thx. Glad your better. Hope you had a Happy Halloween.

~Whitten

October 31, 2008 at 6:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Reckon LH might be suffering from In and Out burger withdrawals... I suffer the same with White Castle sliders.

October 31, 2008 at 7:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Zac,

What kind of music do you listen to out there?

-mandi

October 31, 2008 at 7:19 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marianne:

Thanks for the great post. You answered one of the questions I thought it inappropriate to ask. This is the first blog entry to give me a genuine belly laugh! An earlier one mentioned Zac complaining of Intrepid having a bad odor. I wondered what was causing that. Sounds as though he has no kitchen odors. The dead fist odor will eventually go away, etc. Well, you blew his cover!! It's the laundry hamper! I have a teen aged son and I do not go into his room. I'm afraid there are animals living in there and it's like a game of Twister to get across the room. If his room got only half the attention that he lavishes on his car! But I love him anyway!! He's a keeper.

The Croaker

October 31, 2008 at 8:22 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Zac ...

My boys love wanted me to tell you Hi!

We've taken our tracking to my homeschool tutorial World Geography class. The 4th graders are following you and your blog. THanks for an additional fun to our schooling program!

Wish we were closer and able to go to the California event, it would have been fun ... trying to see if our family can cheer you on upon your successful return!

We continue to pray for you and your family! Hope you are feeling better!

November 1, 2008 at 4:01 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Zac and Team Sunderland,

I have a question to be fired at Zac from us armchair-sailors in Boise. When it is mentioned that Zac has an inoperable lighter or damp matches to light the stove, can he just use the microwave? Is the microwave not used because it draws too much power? We don't understand why the microwave cannot be used instead of the stove altogether for heating chili, soups, etc.

Just curious about that detail.

Maureen
Boise

November 1, 2008 at 7:44 AM  
Blogger Heather Wilds said...

It's likely dehydration that is causing the fantastic headaches for Zac. Tell him to keep drinking! The thought of smelly fish stuck to my house is unpleasant at best...hope you can wash the stench away soon.

November 1, 2008 at 7:51 AM  
Blogger Douglas Pistone said...

Hello Everyone,

@ Troy, I was looking for the giftclick link on Zac's website and I don't see it anywhere. I'm going to spend some money on electronics at West Marine and wanted to give Zac the commission. Please advise ASAP since the West Marine sale ends on Sunday.

@ Zac, I hope the ocean has calmed down a little since we last heard a few days ago. Remember to eat well. Enjoy the weekend sailing.

Thanks,
Douglas Pistone
MDR, California

November 1, 2008 at 8:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ Douglas.
Just under the logo of the Zac Store on the blog click on "gift clicks" Next window you can see West Marine on the left side. Hope that helps
Greetings
Axel

November 1, 2008 at 10:32 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hii this is a nice website.
I read about it in a Dutch magazine.

Team: watersport4all wish you a super sail event.

Greets,
Team: watersport4all.
www.watersport4all.nl

November 1, 2008 at 3:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Douglas,

Axel is right: from Zac's GiftClix page, zac.giftclix.org, look on the left side and you'll see the West Marine ad. Click on that.

By the way, Carol asked for some of her favorite stores to be added to the site, so I'll be adding those along with some design changes this weekend.

Thanks for using GiftClix to support Zac!

Troy

November 1, 2008 at 4:58 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

P.S. I'm hoping Marianne will put the GiftClix link on Zac's website soon! Me, I always use Zac's GiftClix page to get to his website and blog. There are buttons for those on the right side.

November 1, 2008 at 5:05 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ Doug and Troy,

Don't know what blog you are reading, that link has ALWAYS been there. It sounds as if you both are a bit self-promoting. I can only hope that you have a genuine interest in this cause rather than an underlying self promotion.

November 1, 2008 at 6:30 PM  
Blogger Arcticfamily5 said...

Zac,

Here are some of our family questions:

1) Now that you have been soloing with Intrepid for almost five months, do you still see the choice of her name as suitable/accurate?
2) Are you finding time for school subjects? If so, which ones? Which school subject is your favorite?
3)We saw a Google Earth video of you on a Pacific island and you were eating something that looked like fish, but you were making faces. What was it? What did it taste like?

Hope the waters smooth out so you can find some time to get rest, eat (wish we would have known about your trip beforehand -- would have sent you some dried salmon, much better than cold chili!), answer questions, etc!

@Marianne: With all you have to do, how is the homeschooling with the other kids going!? It's such a learning balancing act--textbook versus real life, "requirements" versus life skills and passions! But what I love most about homeschooling is seizing the moment to instill character -- looks like you have that down pat! Hopefully your kids are into this year's routine and helping one another. Is someone helping you with the kids extracurricular activites (e.g., driving to . . .)? Hope so! Hope you have a supportive homeschool community.

@Bill: thanks for the tip on the location of the Archives -- don't know how I missed it. We've been having great fun incorporating it into our daily routine!

20's F. this afternoon and beautiful sunset tonight!

Blessings!
Gayle, Brian, Xan, Riley, Jesse

November 1, 2008 at 7:31 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Marianne & Zac:
You have piqued my curiosity:

"He has some exciting plans for this afternoon which we will tell you about tomorrow."

Kate

November 1, 2008 at 7:37 PM  
Blogger Debbie said...

Hi Zac and Packers!!

I've been a little behind reading all the comments these last couple of days, although I always check to see if there is anything new from the Zacman!! Glad you got your haircut Bill, you must feel a whole lot better, there is just not enough time in a day!!

I hope you are making good progress to Mauritius, and you are feeling well. And Yes, you must keep hydrated!! Drink lots of water, gatorade, etc .Sheeeesh, all that water around you and not a drop to drink!! LOL

I have Zac's Birthday Card Ready to Go, but can someone give me the address as to where to send it so Zac will hopefully have it in time? How long would it take to get a letter to Durban South Africa? I should have written the address down when I saw it posted. Stupid me!! I remember it being C/O of a Yacht Club though!

Anyway....if someone would be so nice as to post it again, I would very much appreciate it!!

Hugs and Prayers, Zac. Thinking of you all the time!!

Debbie
North Hills, CA 91343

November 2, 2008 at 1:04 AM  
Blogger finven said...

I am a girl from china.It very interset to see you adventure.
I can speak a little Enlish,so can't chat with you.But now I learning English at school.I want to makr friend with you and imporve my speaking and reading.
and you ?

gongwen1234.com@qq.com

November 2, 2008 at 2:28 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Debbie,

From the post of 21 October.

Zac Sunderland
c/o Point Yacht Club
PO Box 2224
Durban
South Africa 4000

Welcome Finven to the Zac Pac. Your English is very good. Much better than my Chinese as I cannot speak any Chinese at all.

I hope everyone here remembered to turn their clocks back last night.

Bill Mann

November 2, 2008 at 5:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sunderlands..you all ok? I get worried if i don't see a post for a few days though im sure you have lots to do getting ready for the trip.

Have you found a way to get the boom mailed? Speaking of the boom..im up at 5am on a Sunday because i thought we had an earthquake..about 4:50am i heard a loud BOOM but no sigh of an earthquake..except both my cat & dog wanting to get on our bed {that's the norm when we have a quake} Anyone else in so cal hear it?
@ Debbie, I too lost Zac's address but i may have it on a post it on my desk so if we don't get it today, i will let you know tomorrow.
Zac, your always in my thoughts & prayers..stay safe Capt.
Laura

November 2, 2008 at 5:34 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Haha..thanks Bill

November 2, 2008 at 5:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ Anonymous
any advertising is good as long as it helps Zac :-)
Axel
heye@madisoncounty.net

November 2, 2008 at 5:52 AM  
Blogger Anita said...

Zac Sunderland
c/o Point Yacht Club
PO Box 2224 Durban
South Africa 4000

November 2, 2008 at 6:01 AM  
Blogger Kevin said...

Good Morning Zac and family,
First time to write in. I admire what you are doing and also envy you since it is what I've always thought about doing. Just to many responsabilities and bills as I've gotten older.
As for the shipping of the boom, I'd check with some of the worldwide shipping companies. They may want to get in on a great commercial opportunity!
Stay safe, and enjoy your trip Zac. I'm enjoying your adventure even though I'm just sailing in the bay!
Kevin

November 2, 2008 at 6:07 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"He has some exciting plans for this afternoon which we will tell you about tomorrow."

Still waiting to hear what that was about.

November 2, 2008 at 7:52 AM  
Blogger Fulgum said...

Zac:
Sounds like things are going well. Glad to hear that the headache went away. Irritating!

Glad things are progressing.

Scott

:)

A 45 pound boom? Would UPS be cheaper?

November 2, 2008 at 11:02 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Anonymous,

Thank you for expressing your concerns. Allow me to address your comments:

The link to Zac's GiftClix site *is* on Zac's blog index page (it was added in September), along with the links to Zac's Store and PayPal donations. It is *not* on Zac's home page, nor will it appear if you use an RSS feed to read the blog.

Please visit Zac's GiftClix site and click on the "About GiftClix" button. After reading that, if you still have concerns or questions about GiftClix, please feel free to write me personally: troy@giftclix.org.

If you would prefer to support Zac in other ways, Zac's Store sells T-Shirts, and you can make a cash donations via the PayPal "Donate" link.

In regards to "self-promotion", Douglas and I simply try to encourage others to take advantage of the various ways available to support Zac, not us: via cash donations, internet purchases, or direct sales.

If, by reading the blog and sharing in Zac's adventure, you are inspired to help, Douglas and I (along with several hundred others worldwide) hope you will do so in any way that feels right to you.

More importantly, we are glad to have you along for the ride whether you contribute financially or not. While funding is an important part of any project of this magnitude, the impetus was never about profit, only personal achievement.

Troy Brimm
GiftClix, Inc.

November 2, 2008 at 12:51 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Hi Zac Pac,

As my mailbox has been full of questions, a little fill in.

Zac had some rigging problems that kept him pretty busy.

Laurance, Marianne and the brood have been busy with packing for Luarence's trip, 6 kids with too much Halloween candy and too many emails from me to be able to maintain their sanity. I keep telling her to give me Toby to make her life easier but she is pretty stubborn about keeping him.

Consequently as soon as Marianne and Laurence can find a moment to catch their breath, they will update everyone on what is happening.

Be aware though that Zac is doing fine (as well as someone can do sporting that much hair on his head) and you will be hearing from all of them soon.

Bill Mann
bill@barstools4u.com

November 2, 2008 at 3:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Phew.....so glad to hear that all is well....I wanted to believe that 'busyness' was the reason there hadn't been an update but my concerns got the better of me and I was begining to think otherwise!
Thanks Bill.
Glad all is well in the world of Sunderlands.

UK friend

November 2, 2008 at 3:30 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bill,

You are so funny and we so appreciate your update. Your comments always make me smile. Thanks for keeping up with the Team Sunderland.

Maureen
Boise

November 2, 2008 at 3:53 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

UK friend, Maureen,

Not so sure about funny, but funny looking, everyone will agree on that.

I was lucky Friday. I did not even have to get a Halloween mask. Scared everyone, even with my haircut.

Bill

November 2, 2008 at 4:06 PM  
Blogger Joy on Journey said...

Thanks, Bill. Again, you da Mann! 6 kids wacked out on sugar?? God bless you guys! And trying to get Dad ready for a fairly long trip to the other side of the world. I am so glad you can go, Lawrence! HUGS to the kid with the smelly laundry from the whole ZacPack! How awesome is this? He doing so well! Hello, Mauritius!
Sail on, Captain!
LA in MN

November 2, 2008 at 4:37 PM  
Blogger Hannah said...

Hey Zac! Can't wait to hear what your adventure was.

@Debbie, it takes about 1-1.5 weeks for a letter to get to Africa. Two at the latest, but really depends on the post office in Durban. My sister lived in Uganda for 2 years so I have mailed a few letters to Africa. Hope this helps.

Hannah

November 2, 2008 at 6:38 PM  

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