Musings from Moana

“Away, away.”

We steer by the compass and I wonder what it would have been like to steer by the stars and discover a new island, as the Polynesian people did many years ago. It’s been cloudy most nights and drizzly days for us, so not ideal for star-based steering.

It’s mind-boggling how many miles are wide open ocean with nothing to see. There are always two people on lookout at the very front of the ship and rarely anything to report.

“Away, away.”

How exciting it would have been for the voyagers to spot birds and then land after many days, weeks, months at sea. It was definitely a highlight when we first spotted Tonga. I woke up at 4am for my watch and there was a shadow of an island on portside.

As the sun rose, the dark island grew green. Trees blanketed sheer cliffs. I was on lookout and, for once, saw something to report: humpback whales. I saw the little cloud of their spouting and their flukes as they dived deeper. Small boats would race towards them so their passengers could leap in and swim alongside them.

“Away, away.”

We saw the whales again as we left Tonga, and soon it was open seas again with nothing much to report. While I slept that night, some people saw a volcanic island with sulfureous steam and a glow. So cool!

Now we’re heading south from Tonga towards Auckland, the swell is much bigger than it was. We no longer steer by the compass, now we steer by the wind.

“Away, away.”

We steer 60 degrees to the wind with our square sails braced. There’s an iPad that tells us the apparent wind and which direction it comes from. The first mate teaches me to feel the wind on my face and steer that way, steering the ship towards or away from the wind as we ride the waves.

It feels like proper sailing now. The ship is heeled to starboard, which means the right side of it is much lower than the left side and we’re always walking on an angle. It’s so funny to turn on a tap and see the water go down diagonally. It also rolls around with the waves, which sometimes splash over the deck and give us a saltwater shower.

“Away, away.”

In the deckhouse we play card games and chess. One evening we sang sea shanties, which was so fun. I’m so keen to teach my kids a song about pirates that goes “It’s all part of being a pirate. You can’t be a pirate with all of your parts!” That’s another song I get in my head when I’m on the helm.

Other songs include “I’m on a boat” and, oddly, “Scotty doesn’t know.” As the gusty wind sends us south, I’m reminded of the chief who voyaged from Rarotonga to New Zealand, then turned around and went back home after a few cold winters. The place he left is still called “turn around” in Māori, at least that’s what I was told.

I’m very much enjoying my time onboard and the friends I’ve made. Sending love back to my wife Elle and kids Logan and Riley. I think about you when my head sings “Away, away” to me.