Captain's Personal Log

With all the long ocean passages of our journey across the Pacific, one has a lot, and I do mean a lot, of time to think. Recently on passages, as I contemplate turning the ripe old age of 30, I have come to wonder, how is it that I managed to find myself in the middle of the Pacific, on this extraordinary journey. In this entry, I want to take a look back at some noteworthy turning points and people that I believe played a big role in where I am today.

Some may suggest that I was groomed from a young age to be a sailor. Just out of frame, to bottom left of the picture below, you can see my old station aboard my Dad's sailing boats… the cooler. Unfortunately my days as a cooler jockey came to an end when I was two years old, and I don't have any memory of them, but who's to say it didn't light a fuse?

My sisters Mandy and Melanie aboard my Dad's sailboat. The cooler acted as my playpen back then.

For those of you who didn't know me when I was young, I'm sorry to admit I was a bit of delinquent. I suppose no more than any other pre-teen boy. Needless to say school was just a place to go hang out with friends and get into trouble. Something changed though around the seventh or eighth grade. Around this time my grandpa Raymond Pollard took me aside and said, "You are a strong, smart young boy. The Pollard blood courses through your veins." My Grandpa took numerous trips to the far east and Africa in the 1960's and 1970's, back when it was much less common to do so. There must be something in that Pollard blood, a thirst for adventure and far flung paces, not to mention the passion and determination to make things happen.  Maybe he saw something in me way back then, something that I hadn't seen yet in myself. In the years following that talk, my grades continually improved as I got my act together in high school.

My Grandpa's brothers, Nick and Pat, board an elephant with him in India 1973. 

Throughout high school I worked at Pollard Bro's Calcium Products and on my Uncle Larry and Aunt Marcia's farm on the 3rd concession. I was always eager to work at the farm and drive the tractors, but I didn't weigh enough to keep the dead-man switches activated on the tractor seats until the summer before high school. Working at Uncle Larry's was definitely a step up from the previous summers of potato farming and corn packing. On one noteworthy summer day, Uncle Larry borrowed about a dozen Mexican migrant works from Lonsberry Farms to dig a trench through the duck habitat we had been building down by the pond. The best part was I got to supervise them! If only my Spanish was as good back then as it is now after cruising for a year in Mexico, things may have went a lot smoother. Throughout the years there I learned a great number of skills which I still use to this day. Problem solving, improvising fixes, welding, the list goes on and on. But perhaps most importantly I developed a strong work ethic, that has been the backbone of my success in school and work.

Uncle Larry, further proof of the Pollard blood thirst for adventure, passion and determination.

Another big influence on me in high school was my teacher, mentor and friend Rolf Martens. Through his guidance I found my way into the Waterloo Coop program for Computer Engineering. The coop program in my opinion was critical in making this journey happen, since it allowed me to leave school debt free, and with a great job. A few years back Anne-Marie and I were honored to have Rolf officiate our wedding ceremony in Harrow on Lake Erie.

Anne-Marie looking stunning, Rolf, me and my main man Kyle Lefaive

After moving to San Francisco for work, the idea of living aboard a boat continued to grow in my mind. At first it seemed like a fun and lower cost way to live in the San Francisco Bay area (Note: the lower cost part didn't really pan out in the end, once you figure in outfitting the boat for cruising and 2 years off of work). Once I got into the life aboard lifestyle, and talking to fellow sailors, visions of a longer journey started to develop. None of that would have happened without the support of my parents, Herb and Michelle, who lent me the money for my first boat, despite their better judgement I would imagine.

Herb and Michelle enjoying the view from Starship in beautiful Banderas Bay Mexico.

Last, but certainly far from least, having a very adventurous wife Anne-Marie willing to buy into this crazy idea was essential! Anne-Marie has embraced the cruising life to a degree which I believe few cruising wives aspire. She insists on being able to do all sailing operations on her own, and in that sense is a true "Co-Captain". Anne-Marie is also the head of plumbing (a title few women are so eager to embrace, especially when a complete redesign of the head systems was scheduled), provisioning and route research. There have been many ups and downs on this journey, but one thing is for certain, we will look back on it fondly for the rest of our days together.

Anne-Marie goes up the mast!

Anne-Marie drilling backing plates for deck hardware.

Anne-Marie showing off her double braid eye spicing skills.

Anne-Marie and I having a good time.

Swap your Crew - Sail Magazine Article

I've been waiting to share this story since Mexico, but it's been pending publication by Sail Magazine. Finally, it's available online and in print. Pick up an August issue of Sail to see it in print (page 20) or click on the link below to read it online:

http://www.sailmagazine.com/cruising-tips/swap-your-crew

Many thanks to my coauthor Shelly Tennyson from Born Free. We miss you guys a lot!

Me and Shelly hiking in Mexico after the crew swap

A few Extraordinary Days in the Life...

We're slowly getting ready for our sailing trip to come to an end. The adventure of provisioning, finding boat parts and doing boat maintenance in exotic lands is losing its appeal. We're not as excited by beautiful anchorages as we should be and easily annoyed when an unexpected boat project pops up, such as a jellyfish getting stuck in the salt water strainer while doing dishes :( ! We dream about owning a house  and working towards new goals. I'm sure part of me will often long for this lifestyle when we're back in the "real work" of careers, deadlines and rushing around… but right now we're just ready for a change.

In order to mix things up a bit, we have treated ourselves to some excursions. These excursions often involve spending a good chunk of time off of the boat and allowing ourselves more treats….from ice cream cones and bike rentals to swimming with humpback whales. As a result, we've had a few very non-typical (and wonderful!) days in Tonga. 

The King of Tonga, Tupou VI, surveys the agricultural show.

Port Maurelle (#7) as seen from a beach pig roast.

Our Biking Day:  After discussing with Sandy from Vava'u Adventures which bike route would be best for our bike rental excursion, we opted for the less hilly route. Man are we glad we did, since the less hilly route was very challenging, on our single speed "California Cruiser" bicycles. We saw lots of Mama pigs and really cute piglets, cows, horses, gigantic spiders, small villages, friendly Tongans and a guy cutting his toenails with a machete. 

We stopped at a beach for lunch where we were mobbed by a group of very cute and talkative Tongan children. "What are your parent's names? Where are you parents right now?" they asked. Luckily we had a few granola bars and Canadian pins to give them as treats, which they loved. They also really enjoyed pieces of our peanut butter and jam sandwiches. We ended the day exhausted and happy to have spent so much time exploring the island on land!

Our Whale Day: A few days later we really splurged and booked a whale watching excursion with the aim of swimming with humpback whales. This day turned into one of the most memorable ones of our trip! The first three times we got in the water was with an adolescent male, who was completely still and positioned with his tail towards the sky and eyes towards the depths. He was singing a song so strong that it caused my whole body to vibrate and so beautiful that I instinctively wanted to follow him to hear more when he was done. Our guide informed us that he sings in hopes of attracting a female, waiting with his eyes towards the deep blue water hoping one will like his song as much as we do and pay him a visit. As the whale moved on I started to pursue when I was suddenly brought back to Earth by our guide's voice,  "Don't chase the whale. Save your energy. You'll swim with more". I could hardly believe that there was more to come. 

Our guides from Beluga Diving worked ferociously from 7 am to 5 pm looking for any signs of whales. We had a bit of a lull for a few hours in the early afternoon, but thanks to a tip from another boat, we were spoiled enough to swim with two Pacific Sun Fish during that time. It was definitely by far the weirdest and largest looking fish I've ever seen. It's quite a rare occurrence to swim with these fish and it was the first time our guides had ever seen them…..talk about a lucky day. 

By 3 pm, we assumed we were on our way back to town, since the tour was supposed to end around this time, but much to our surprise we were informed we were on our way to swim with a baby calf and it's mother. The baby was so excited, active and playful ….doing flips and twirls in front of our eyes. It was hard to know if you should look above or below the water, since the calf was often spouting and slapping its fins on the surface. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the baby do a little dive and then swim quickly to the surface. I wondered if it was going to breach. Moments later it leapt out of the water and splashed down about 30ft in front of me. Amazing! It was so cute to see the calf snuggle with it's Mom and I was astonished by her enormous size. 

Photo courtesy of Beluga Diving

I feel so privileged and lucky to have experienced the beauty of swimming with humpback whales. Extraordinary days like these make it a lot easier to keep on trucking towards Australia, even when our minds are often dreaming of our future land life in Canada. 

Note: The only negative part of our day is that our underwater camera died…We hope to get a few pictures from other people in our group. Until then, if you're interested, check out our friend Hydroquest's blog for amazing pictures from their excursion, or Beluga Diving's gallery. The pictures below are from Tonga, but unrelated to the events described.

The entrance to Swallow's Cave

Anne-Marie swimming into Mariners Cave

Beautiful coral of Ava Island 

Funny looking "dog faced" fish

Tonga - An Unexpected Kiter's Paradise!

Chris and I have spent the last week having some of the best kiteboarding of our lives in the Vava'u Group (specifically Mounu Island and Taunga Island)! 

shallow, flat, crystal clear turquoise water + consistent, clean wind = AWESOME KITEBOARDING !!!

I usually have a love-hate relationship with kiteboarding. I found it extremely difficult to pick up this sport, so once I did (FINALLY), I've been stalled at the stage of just going back and forth. The back and forth can get boring, but often trying new things would result in me losing my board and being very frustrated with horrible crashes. I'm also a bit of a kiteboarding chicken. Thanks to these awesome conditions, I felt comfortable enough to try doing transitions, toe-siding and even jumping :) It's been pure fun and I'm happy to be back on the "love train" again with kiteboarding. Thank you Tonga!

Yep. That's good old Starship in the background!

Loving Mounu Island!

Learning how to jump.......hehe!

Chris always looks so much cooler than me!

A beautiful day!

Chris asked tongue-in-cheek if there is a "Safety Conscious Kiteboarding" Magazine that I could submit our pictures too. I know the lifejacket and helmet don't look the coolest, but it's the only way I feel comfortable kiteboarding. Thank you Chris for always willingly wearing all the safety gear for your concerned wife. To add to my look, I've also been laying on the facial sunscreen pretty thick to give me a chic ghost face appearance. 

When we haven't been kiteboarding, Chris has been teaching kiteboarding and I've been playing with my favorite kiddos….it's been fantastic! 

P.S. Special thanks to LoLo for many of these great pictures!

Big smiles after a great day on the water

Patient instructor and enthusiastic student

Petter got up on the board! Let's Celebrate! Woo Hoo!

Youngest and cutest student ever! 

I love Poppy! 

I love Teddy and Poppy!

Sweet Soulful Special Suwarrow

I can't believe I almost skipped this spot because I was nervous it would be too crowded with too many social obligations (aka potlucks). Many blogs mentioned potlucks at Suwarrow, so I wasn't sure if they were a daily event and I'm not good at saying "no to potlucks" when I need more time alone. In our 10 day stay there were only between 6-12 boats anchored and only 2 potlucks, which I should add were a lot of fun. I understand now that cruisers write so much about these potlucks because they are so special. During the potlucks …
….cruisers sang songs they'd written about Suwarrow because they love the place so much
…..Harry played guitar
…..Charlie welcomed us with many words and Maori dancing
…..we ate fresh fish and coconut crabs
……we played games, sang, danced and just had a lot of plain old fun

I snorkeled daily off of the boat in crystal clear waters. It was a good way to check on our anchor and I enjoyed it immensely, even on our rainy days. I was treated to turtle, eel, shark and many fishie sightings. I even discovered that coral grows beautifully on sticks and branches.

We swam with giant manta rays who gracefully glided around us as we starred in awe. They come for a cleaning twice daily on a reef near the anchorage and snorkeling with them never got old.

Manta-Annie Collision Course. I felt like I was so close...

Like my new tattoo?

We went on beautiful walks. We had 4 days of rainy and windy weather and we took this walk during one of those days. You'd never guess it from the photo because we found the one blue patch of sky to photograph!

We made it to Suwarrow!

We played with beautiful children. We had lots of play-dates with these wonderful kiddos. Nothing beats hearing Teddy's voice on the VHF radio asking if we have time to play or feeling Poppy's hand reach out to hold mine as we walked along the beach side-by-side.

Thank you Harry and Charlie for being such wonderful hosts at this magical atoll. I loved the remote raw beauty of this island and my soul was truly happy at Suwarrow.

For more pictures of our Suwarrow stay, check out: https://picasaweb.google.com/chris.foxxxy/Suwarrow

Note: We've made the 700 nautical mile journey to the kingdom of Tonga (Vava'u Group). We look forward to exploring the nooks and crannies of this country in the coming weeks.

Made it to Suwarrow! - Day 5

What a wonderful feeling to pull into a beautiful and calm anchorage after 5 days of rolling around at sea! The Park Rangers (Charlie & Harry) came to the boat 15 minutes after we dropped the anchor to check us in. They were super friendly and invited us to a beach BBQ tomorrow! They'll supply the fish and they requested that we bring a salad if possible. No problemo! I brought extra veggies just for this occasion. We're really excited get a full nights sleep tonight and explore Suwarrow in the coming days.

Bora Bora to Suwarrow - Day 3

We're half way there! Woo Hoo!

The seas have increased, but they're following, so we're enjoying a relatively smooth ride. Our wing-on-wing sailing configuration seems to be less rolly than usual; Chris and I aren't quite sure why though, but we're sure enjoying it.

I think we've got a good watch schedule going that allows both of us to feel "relatively" rested. As rested as you can get when you only sleep for 3-4 hour chunks of time.

7 pm - 11 pm --> Anne-Marie's watch
11 pm - 2 am --> Chris' watch
2 am - 5 am --> Anne-Marie's watch
5 am - 9 am --> Chris's watch

Chris then naps for a few hours in the morning and me in the afternoon. Consistent napping during the day is the big ticket item! Even if we don't feel super sleepy, we make sure to at least lie down and try to sleep, which helps a lot to make the night watches easier.

We are in SSB radio contact with about 7 other boats that are headed to Suwarrow. In the morning is the Official Net where we give our position, weather etc... In the evenings is a Social Net where people discuss sail plans and just have general chit-chat. It's nice to feel like part of a community when you're traveling in you little boat across the big blue!