Blue Water, Black Magic and Green Blood

Wow. Vanuatu is fantastic and considering it was the country I wanted to visit more than any other and therefore had the highest expectations of, I am definatly enthralled with this country and wish we could have spent more time there.

My first adventure was in Port Villa on the island of Efate. The city itself was not very exciting. Noting all the duty free shops on the main street (all selling the same thing of course) you could tell it was very geared towards the cruise ships that came into town. I did however manage to entertain myself. I had never before riden a jetski, so when I saw the sign advertizing rentals I took advantage of a way to escape the heat and monotony of town and feel the cool ocean breeze once again. Loren, the exective director of SALTS, was on the boat with us for the first two weeks of this leg and the two of us rented a 2 stroke jetski and went bombing around the harbour. It was hilarious. We both had different driving styles. I liked to go fast and run straight over wakes of other boats (but usually chickened out and slowed down at the last second). Loren liked the fast turns and I was whipped off the back, twice! But both times managed to hold onto my sunglasses and chaco flops. I never did get him back....

Next island was Ambrym. This was the most interesting place for me. Aside from all the things one can read about in the log (salts.ca) I had a very interesting chat with an aussie girl named Ally who was living there working on a council in charge of 12 villages and teaching the local women to take over. This is a very radical concept considering it is very traditionally patriarchal, but they wre voted in, and so far less corruption, although Ally didn't seem to think a lot of progress had been made otherwise. I was fascinated by the culture though and all the "kastom" (custom) that prevailed their lives, right down to who could sit higher than who (male versus female). Ally's experience was definately a rich one, but one could liver their for years and not understand what was going on. The villages are very steeped in black magic and to a degree it runs their lives. Ally was told not to hang her washing out over night in case someone came and put magic on her shirt. She said she had seen things there that she can't explain. It was kind of eery, but at the same time so fascinating. We talked for a while. I think it was nice for her too to have "westerners" to talk to as well. She had may stories to share and was thrilled to be able to hang out for a bit. She even participated in an impromptu mug-up on the beach after a pig roast.

The last place we visited in Vanuatu was Louganville, on Espirito Santu. I made an amazing dive here on the President Coolidge, one of the best and most acessible wrecks in the world to dive on. It was definately the most technical dive I have ever made. I was fully inside the wreck (it was 650feet long) and could only see in some rooms with the aid of a light. We went down to kiss "The Lady" who was a portrait/frieze on the wall in the dining room, saw toilets still intact, although on what appeared to be the roof because of the orientation of the ship, and went into the chain locker as well. Also I got cut, not immediately interesting, but what I found fascinating, was the fact that because you lose colour as you go deeper in the water my blood was bright algea green! Red is one of the first colours that you lost as you descend, so while if I shone my light on my arm the blood was red, to just look at it plainly it was green. strage. luckily too, the cut has healed nicely and not got infected, which seems to happen to easily in tropical climates, especially when dealing with coral.

The passage over to the Solomons will be remembered by all because of the 6 meals of fish we ate. We caught a 8 foot marlin, and while we tried to release it, damaged it too much, so were forced to take it onboard and eat it. Marlin, is okay, not the most amazing fish ever, a little tough, but the resident fisherman Chase and Scott were able to be quite creative with ways to cook this fish (which I'm sure the cooks Gillian and Katie welcomed with open arms) We had fish steaks, fish sausages, fish nuggets, fish burgers, and fish cakes. All very cook, but when we caught another similar sized marlin the day we finished the first one, everyone was keen to let it go.

Pictures

I've also uploaded some pics to the web check out

Lautoka & Waya, Fiji

*sorry the quality doesn't seem to be that great on the enlargements...I'm working on it.

The International Language of Dance

One thing I love about being offshore is being able to experience culture. There are a few great things about travelling on the boat that make these experiences all the richer. One is that we are able to get to some more remote locations than the average "parachute" tourist, another is that we are able to bring our home with us, and a third is that we are a whole group of young people.
After leaving Lautoka we sailed over to another island, still part of Fiji, called Waya. We brought Kava to the cheif and we warmly welcomed into their village. It was a very traditionaal Fijian village and a mother named, Mila, gave us a tour of their village and introduced us to the "old man" (chief) and "old woman" (matriarch) and then a local boy, Sie, led us on a hike up the mountain. We found out later that we were the first foreigners to ever climb all the way to the top! We were also suprised to hear that we were the first boat to come to island in least 20 years and definately the only boat full of young people who wanted to spend time sharing with them.
We rowed some of them back to the boat for a tour and to play on our rope swing and were invited back that evening because they wanted to dance for us. After dinner we rowed the dories back in the dark and they led us over to a low cement porch covered by mats overhung by corrugated tin roof, in front of a field where they would dance for us. Some of the local boys performed a knife dance, the warrier/fertility dance, the flame dance, and a fire dance. It was a hilarious. You could definately tell they were having fun with it, adding in some impromptu and less than authentic moves... it was all fantastic though! The fire dancing was the most awe inspiring. They were whipping around sticks with flames on the ends of them (kind of like the ones jugglers use) and doing all sorts of pyramids and tricks. The most amazing was when they balanced the flamming sticks on the bottoms of their feet. They were laying on the ground holding balls of fire on the arches of their feet!!!
The next part was possible even more hilarious.
They asked us to dance for them.
They had everyone stand up and tought us the "Bula Dance" definately some form of the Fijian Macarena, and then we did a sort of congo line which included a half squat, reaching between your legs to grab the persons hand behind and infront of you and then a jump... all the while the locals laughing hysterically and yelling at us to "not touch the coconuts".... slightly offside, but we were happy to make their day.
After this we had a kava ceremony and we brought some instruments on land and Tavish and Jose performed a drum duo and we all had a little impromptu mug-up with them.
All in all a very memorable night and a fantastic way to start of the leg.
We are now unfortunatly back in Lautoka waiting for fuel and a part to be made correctly for us, but tomorrow we will be on our way to Vanuatu.

Upon Arrival

After spending about 24 hours actual time and 48 hours PST I have arrrived in Fiji and sweated... a lot. It's a beautiful country, gorgeous and green and I have been enjoying the lack of ties I feel to technology. Upon arrival I was immediately whisked away by a driver from the lodge where I was to meet up with the rest of the crew during their break between legs on the boat. Safari Lodge was the very cliche of beach bum couple from Australia who just want to spend the rest of their lives windsurfing and kiteboarding and playing in the sun, so why not open a resort and teach other people to do it too? at least we'll always have company. It was a lot of fun and I had a blast giving my best on the windsurfing board and lounging around in the incredibly comfortable hammocks.
I am however very glad to be back on the Pacific Grace once again. After spending a year on the Swift the first thing I noticed was how BIG the Grace felt and then how dry she looked compared to the glossy varnish of the Swift. The heat down here, while making us all sweat profusely has dried all moisture out of the wood. Never-the-less she still looks grand and striking against here background of turqoise blue sees and jagged island chains.
We have spent a total of one day together so far and already this group seems a promising one. They all have high expectations for the leg and we are going to do our best to follow through. My favourite part of offshore is simply the amount of time you have with everyone and the next 76 days should be amazing to watch and take part in.
We are planning on leaving Fiji tomorrow for the Yasawa Group and then back here to Loutoka to clear out of customs before heading off to Vanuatu.

Last Trip, time to pack

Well thats is it. It's really hard to believe that I am finished another season, a third season! and that I won't be going out on the boat again next week...or at least not on the Swift. This weekend is proving to be busy and expensive as I fill malaria prescriptions and buy all the other odds and ends that will be easier to get in Canada. I am really excited to go. I have been looking forward to this for a long time, but this season has been so amazing as well and I will be sad to leave this crew, that I have gotten to know so well and love so much, behind. I will also admit that I am nervous about coming into a community that has been established already and trying to find my place in a role that I have never played with SALTS.

Gone in Ten, Nine, Eight....

Hi Everyone.

I'm off in 10 days, crazy! Anyways, I'm packing up my apartment today so I thought I'd send out the addresses of the Port Agents while I still have my computer with me. So just in case anyone wants to send me mail (*wink *wink It's so special to get mail when you arrive in port!) well now you have that ability! Make sure my name and Pacific Grace appear on the outside somewhere to make sure it gets to me. Don't forget to send me your info if you want to start collecting exotic stamps. So there you go, love you all.

Papua New Guinea: send by November 1

Sarah Brizan, Pacific Grace
C/O D&S Seko Ltd.
PO Box 993 Madang
Papua New Guinea

China: send by December 9

Sarah Brizan, Pacific Grace
C/O Penavico Shanghai Pudong Co., Ltd.
5/F.,No.175 (Wang Jiao Plaza), Yan An Road
Shanghai 200002
P.R. China

Japan: Send by February 19

Sarah Brizan, Pacific Grace
C/O Waldron Norton Lilly Intl Osaka (Branch) Heisei Shipping Angencies Ltd.
Wakasugi Grand Bldg 3F
5-25 Tenjinbanshi 2-Chrome
Japan

Hawaii: send by April 22

Sarah Brizan, Pacific Grace
C/O Waldron Norton Lilly Intl
521 Ala Moana Blvd. Suite 255
Honolulu, Hawaii
96825 USA

--
Take Care,
Sarah.

~Sing, Dance, Floss, Travel

Under the Knife

Although possibly, more appropriately titled under the q-tip perhaps.... turns out that my ear drum wasn't ruptured after all but that I had wax melted onto it, hence the pain. In the end I had to go into day surgery to have it removed and after fasting and not drinking all day yesterday and not being able to go in I was glad to receive a spot this afternoon. All went well, but they ended up having to take off a layer of my ear drum as well so besides the fact that I'm still doped up feeling my ear is possible more tender and sore than it was before. The good news is that it should heal up in a couple days and then off to Fiji, no problems.

Oh and I'll be out on the boat this week, but have been promised as much as I need to recover (albeit on the boat)...should be okay though, my crew loves me.

Update

Now that title seems a little redundant as this is a blog, and what else am I going to do but update....
But I mean update on my ear, which still has not healed.
I went to another doctor who said the same thing as the last one, its just needs some time. I want to believe them, but I have this sinking suspicion that it needs more than time. Hasn't there been enough time elapsed already? It's been 10 days since I tore a hole in my ear drum and the pain seems to be increasing, arrrraaaaarrrrrgh!
Anyways, hopefully the T3's will help, now that I have actually accepted a prescription for them.
Cross my fingers and pray.

Back to School

Well I'm not back to school, but back to doing school trips which make up the majority of my year. I was thrilled to have a chance to visit with a good friend and past coworker, Rebekah, in between the break of summer and fall trips. She is an amazing girl, with such servants heart.
I was excited to sail with my old highschool for the first trip this Septmeber. College Heights is always a trip looked forward to by the crew and a really good transition trip from summer trips, where there are multi ages and no one knows eachother before hand, to school trips, where its a class that has been going to school together for a while. College Heights brings multi age student who may or may not know eachother but have fundraised together for a year before hand to get there. Going from a ten day to a five day feels so short, so the extra day with this group was great to have.
I usually feel like the longer a trainee spends on the boat the more they understand the routine, the more they learn and the more chance I have of getting to know them even just a little. Most schools come for five days and the difference between school trips and summer trips in terms of growth, learning, and understanding are huge. This is another reason that I am so excited to have the chance to go offshore again. Having the oppotunity to spend months on the bo at is so incredible. I am excited for the immeasurable amount of potential it brings.
On a completely different note... I ruptured my ear drum! Warning: No one should ever candle their ears! A friend of mine wanted to try it out so I thought, why not?. Well I didn't know what had happenned at the time, but turns out that the loud noise pain I felt was my eardrum rupturing! I went on to do the next five days with a constantly plugged feeling ear, and the pain got better and then worse as the week progressed. I didn't get to see a doctor until we came in five days later, but I am happy to know what is wrong with me, unfortunately there is nothing I can do but wait it out, it should heal a few more days though. My crew was great to me, picking up where I had no more energy left. The boat is that last place I'd pick to be sick. I feel awful and useless because I can't do my job the way I'd like to be able to, but I was so happy to have a crew that cares so much.
Back out again tomorrow. We have a replacement cook for the next two trips. A long time SALTSer, Christina Vanderkamp, who I am really excited to be sailing with again. I am also looking forward to next weekend when one of my best friends ever, Ronelle, is coming to visit for the weekend! Lots of excitment in the next few weeks before I leave, but I'm feeling organized and my passport is back and the visas all came through which is a big weight off. Now I just need to worry about buying enough toothpaste for the year!

Circumnavigation # 3 Complete

I am back in Victoria now after fulling circumnavigating Vancouver Island for the third time. It's the greatest feeling when you round the corner and can see Race Rocks (one of the oldest lighthouses on the west coast) and you know that you are home again. Trips four and five were both fantastic, compelte with highlight visits to Hot Springs Cove, Rugged Beach and Cougar Annie's Garden!
Trip four in general was quite a calm trip, hardly any seasickness, which is great for a trip down the west coast. This trip is always really exciting because we only get to visit these places once a year everything is so new and undiscovered feeling and there isn't very much traffic either. We didn't have any really stomping broad reach sails like we normally due but a lot of our travelling was done very steadily with the courses, mains'l and main top up. We got so many fish we could hardly eat them all, despite the fish and chips night we put on thanks to Andrea.
Trip five was a different story all together. We got to sail up the island on the first day, which is rare in itself because the wind is usually blowing from the north when we want to head that way to start the trip out (there is virtually nothing between Ucluelet and Victoria). However, despite the sail (which usually calms the motion of the boat) almost every hand was seasick in one form or another. We had a few diehard trainees (most of whom were in Port watch...) who did a lot of dishes and radio watch that first day. We finally made it up the South side of Brooks Peninsula where we thought we would be sheltered from the swell....but we weren't and ended up having on the most terrifying dory experiences I've ever had trying to load people into the dory while buffering my dory against the bottom of the Swift as we got sucked under wiht every other roll! By the time we finally got to shore the trainees were almost kissing the sand and just staring at the trees trying to pretend the ocean didn't exist behind them.
The trip continued on however, and despite a lot of rolling around (penance for such a calm trip four I suppose) everyone had an amazing time. The highlight for me was a a very muddy and hilarious hike through the rainforest to Whitesand Beach (one of the most beautiful on the West Coast) Although I'm not sure everyone found this knee-deep mud experience quite as enjoyable as I did....I now have a new favourite sound though, and it is the sound of squelching mud and you lift your feet out of it take the next step back in.
It's really nice to be back in Victoria with some time to rest hopefully, between organizing everything I need for Offshore. I was getting a little nervouse about my Papua New Guinea Visa going through, but it looks like its all sorted out and that I should be getting it back next week sometime. Just enoough time to send it off to the Chinese Embassy next and have it back in time to leave in early October.
I really starting to realize how little I am prepared at the moment, but I'm slowly ticking off my to do list one by one and am trying to rest at the same time and get over a cold that seems to have taken a hold of me. It usually happens at the end of the summer. I figure my body just go go go's until the end of august and then when I get back from the boat and it realizes it has time to be sick it takes advantage of it!

Trip 3

This was an amazing trip. Leaving Victoria and knowing that you won't be back there again for at least a month is a great feeling. We set off and started the trip with a night run all the way up to Desolation sound making our first stop at Savary Island. Beautiful white sandy beach where we had a fantastic game of soccer, boys against girls...which usually isn't the best idea, but this time the girls were all for it and definitely held there own, although they just couldn't quite seem to score. Everyone was really happy and exhausted afterwards though.
The next few days we spent lolly-gagging in some of the lakes and waterfalls that are abundant in Desolation before started north again on our way up to Port Hardy. We even managed to spend an afternoon at Fredrick Arm where my watch had a lovely dory sail into the lagoon where everyone else was busy preparing for a sauna. This is always an adventure. We build a fire on the beach and heat up rocks meanwhile building a tent out of a tarp and wood with a pit in it. Then we put the hot rocks into the pit we fill the tent with people. Next we pour hot water on the rocks and let the steam collect inside the tent, for as long as we can stand it before we start a tribal chant of "Sauna sauna sauna...!!!" and then everyone makes a break for the cold water lagoon that is close at hand. It was fantastic.
We were thwarted by wind and current and fish as we spent out time trying to sail north, but not making it very far (I spent an entire four hour watch in the same 2 nautical miles of where I started!) We spent some time at many fishing spots that had been lucky the previous year, but not this time. The only fish we've caught this year is a three inch long rock fish of some sort caught off the Port Hardy Dock. We are hoping for better luck on the west coast.
This trip was one of my favourites. Trip three can make or break your summer sometimes being the "hump trip" but we were treated to so many good adventures, some spectacular sailing and whale shows (like within one hundred feet of the boat!) and even more fantastic and very talented trainees. Thanks to Angela for all her fiddle!
Port hardy has been relaxing and the time had gone by fast, but I am ready to leave and get back on the water.
Love to everyone!

Trip 2

Wow.

Two down three to go. This is the point in the summer, when you can't believe how little time you have left in the season. It's really like one big long trip, since leaving Victoria this time means I won't be back again until September, and then its a month and half worth of trips before the sails will come off again.
Trip 2 was great, visiting the old desolation haunts one more time, enjoying the sun while always praying for a little more wind... We had fantastic volunteers again, they really make the trip amazing. We always joke about how fabulous it would be if we could stock pile volunteers so by the end of the summer we would have 5 bosun's mates and assistant cooks, 10 watch leaders, etc. I think we don't do this because we would be laughing so hard we would never get anywhere. Gong show!
After only a few days back in Victoria, I'm already looking forward to being back on the water again. Being in town makes me realize all the things that are STILL on my to do list... like travel visas and forms and banking...ugh

I'm learning to play the fiddle

Please pray for my roomate, Kara... I've rented a violin

Trip 1

Back to the routine of summer. Its glorious, and really not so much of a routine at all. It is fantastic to be back into a longer trip after so many shorter three day ones. The summer trips are my favourite part about working for SALTS, I figure the longer the trip the better. You can get to know everyone so much more and relationships onboard develop so much deeper as well. Not to mention the fact that one can reap the benefits of all the teaching they do and not have to start all over every three days. It was a such a treat to be able to furl the topsails and headsails with trainees and then have them jumping at the gun to be able to go and do it by themselves the next time.

The first trip of the summer was full of all its usual shananigans and colourful characters,

Let me introduce you to:



RICO! ROSALITA! and CHANCHO!

not to mention was blessed with an unusual amount of wind.

The inside passage trips up to Desolation can be quite flat, but we were able to have worthwhile sails 7 of 9 days with a special treat of sailing all the way down the Georgia Strait averaging around 6 kts on our way back to Victoria. We hit up all the favourite spots: Savary Island (a glorious beach), Tenedos Bay and Unwin lake (possible my favourite anchorage in Desolation), Teakerne Arm and the waterfalls from Cassel Lake, and Hornby Island (another amazing beach, and with an icecream store to boot!)

We were blessed with four stellar volunteers and a whole boat load of amazing trainees who really bought into the program and where excited and up for anything.

This trip really drove home what it is about this program that I love. It's all the relationships that are made, the community that is developed, seeing people being challenged and learning from them, hearing peoples stories and sharing in a part of their life.

Kayaking

So I finally got my but in gear and after loving the day I spent kayaking last fall, I rented a kayaking and went out again...it only took my sister coming all the way from Prince George to keep me from being "too lazy." It was a perfect day to go out, nice and sunny, but with a bit of cloud cover so you don't get too sweltering!
Last fall I went out from Sidney and paddled over to Portland Island. This time we decided to do something closer to home and rented a double from downtown and paddled up the Gorge and around the Inner Harbour a bit.
The Gorge starts out very industrial, but as soon as you cross the Bay Street Bridge it is beautiful and peaceful. We didn't meet many other paddlers, just one or two and a couple of Harbour ferries giving a tour.
I checked the tide/current before leaving and found out that slack water under the Tillicum bridge was at 1400, which suited us perfectly since that was around the time we would be crossing under it. We got shot out going through and had an exciting paddle back under, but made it through on our first try... poor Leighsa, her foot pedal got stuck on the first attempt and she got swung back out in the current. Apparently it can get to be quite the whitewater scene in there when the current is racing. I would have liked to see what it looked like this morning at 0600 when it was doing over 7 kts! Crazy!

Sisters

Wow, the spring season has officially ended. I now have 3 months, 10 trips, 110 days before I board the Pacific Grace in Figi. Not that I have been counting (seriously I just counted now for this blog)
But to celebrate the ending of the spring season we have about 5 days off before the first ten day summer trip starts. I am so excited about the summer, but definately looking forward to some rest. Plus my sister came to visit me as an added bonus.
So far lots of shopping (see below for the sexy new shoes my sister bought) But tomorrow we are planning on going kayaking, and enjoying more of the beautiful weather we have been blessed with this week.

In Which the She-Wo goes in...Again.

I should also mention, I went in again.... and no I wasn't much more prepared for it this time, than the last. The last trip I did (in the middle of my first aid course) we took the first day and rigged up the main tops'l. The boys were taking a while to furl so I leaned out the aftcabin quarterberth window in an attemp to view their progress when I felt my sunglasses fall off the back of my head! AAAAAAAAH. I quickly turned around and saw them ever so slowly sinking, and not so slowly getting pulled back in the current. So quickly weighing the odds of getting wet versus losing my sunglasses I, after not being able to reach them from the boat) launched myself out of the window and into the ocean. At first I couldn't see the glasses and thoughtI must have pushed them down, but then I looked up and they were floating just above my head. I quickly grabbed them and passed them up to Drew (the first mate) before swimming over to the rope ladder that had been thrown over to me once again.
I maintain that my fate was sealed before I went in, because Drew and Leighsa (the cook) had been taking about how it would be funny if I fell in again, just momements before.

3 Down, None to Go

Finished! I've been in boat withdrawal lately, although I havent had too much time to worry about it. The last week has been spent at an Advanced Wilderness First Aid course. This is an 80 hour course, the outdoor equivalent of OFA3 if you will. It was a great course, although I'm not used to sitting in a classroom any more, so that part was a stretch, but I got through okay.
I took the course with Slipstream Wilderness First Aid, and one of my favourite parts about this company is that when we practice our skills we do most of the scenarios outside. We spent a lot of the class out at place called Mt. Work doing scenarios in the bush and down by the water at Mckenzie Bight. It was a fun to be learning, but not have to be in the classroom.
The last day(on thursday) was test day. We had three exams to do. A Trauma scenario, and Illness scenario, and a written test. I was really nervous in the morning, mostly because I had never got to do a trauma scenario in the class because I had missed those days to take a trip on the boat, but everything went well. I passed with flying colours and now I have couple years before I have to recertify again.
Now I am back on the boat again tomorrow and have two three day trips before the summer season (ten day trips) starts up again. I also realized, that at the end of this week I will have only 10 trips left before I head to Figi. CRAZY!
Can't wait for the summer to start!
Hope everyone is doing great.
love ya!

They Left.

The Pacific Grace left me yesterday on her year long voyage. I won't say I didn't shed a few tears. They kept coming in bursts and then I'd push them back down and then they'd come out again. It was hard to watch the people that I am closest to leave all at the same time. Ironically I looked more emotional than most and I will be the one to see them the soonest (of everyone left in Victoria that is).
Victoria however, will be as busy as ever and I will be seeing them all in four months in Figi! If you want to follow the trip, check out salts.ca There is a trip log where their position and ship's log is updated frequently and I hear that pictures and videos willbe posted as well.
I am currently at home, despite the fact that the rest of my crew is sailing... why you ask? I am preparing to do an advanced wilderness first aid course, as I am the medical officer onboard and need to be up to date with all the "new stuff." I did more homework today that I have in a while and my brain is feeling fuzzy again, but hopefully I will be very prepared for my course which starts tomorrow. 10 days of intensive first aid... Well not quite ten. It's hard to find someone who can fill in for me on the boat, so I will be missing a few days of the course to do a trip at the end of the week, which will ne a nice break from classroom stuff.
Wish my good luck, I haven't had to do any exams for a while...

36 hours in PG

I flew home this weekend for a very very quick, 36 hour visit to good ole' Prince George. It was my sister's, best friend's, and best friend's mother's grad weekend.

I was horrible let down however, when I arrived in the Prince George airport, why do you ask? well after all the defending I do of Prince George, maintaining that it is not the "hick town" that everyone says it is, I arrived at the airport and was greeted by a group of at least 8 and all the males in that group were wearing too tight jeans, boots and cowboy hats, with cut off t-shirts of course... Remind me not to defend my hometown anymore, I will now mock it along with the rest of the province, hee hee.

The rest of my weekend was not a let down however. I managed to spend some time with family and friends, the home, the school, and the pub, and still upload some pics!

Congratulations to my sister Diana, who graduated from highschool, Ronelle, with her bachelor of arts from UNBC, and Helen, masters of teaching!