ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE

I'm not breaking any speed records at the moment. But for me, a slow day at sea is about as relaxing as it gets (granted, I've never been pampered at a day spa). Although some sailors might be disappointed by my lethargy, scurrying around to set a spinnaker seems almost sacrilege. 3.5 knots is enough. Solitude and peace of this quality are rare commodities. I'll take it when it comes. With not a cloud in the sky and the wind pressed into the sails "like a kiss from a long lost lover" (Thanks, Snowflake), Swell is being gently persuaded toward Tahiti. I spliced a new anchor snubber and fixed the refrigerator--more than enough work to feel good about staring mindlessly out at this billowing sheet of blue for the rest of the day.

Hmmm.I'm hungry...(digging through the remaining cans for something to eat)... "Peas--too mushy, yams--too sweet, cream of mushroom soup--eeew, tuna--too fishy, black beans, okay I can do black beans.with corn.yeah, corn.and what else.evaporated milk--no, chick peas--no, sliced button mushrooms--gag, water chestnuts.hmmm? Yeah, water chestnuts .they crunch! And so goes the culinary imagination of a solo sailorette who's been vegetably deprived since December. And though I'm longing for any edible greenery that hasn't been preserved or pickled, my last five months 'on the sea less sailed' have given me reason to believe that maybe the only unspoiled places left on Earth are those where the concepts of 'availability' and 'convenience' don't exist. So after a generous helping of Earth in a purer form than I've ever witnessed, I'll eat beans and corn and water chestnuts for the next three meals and still feel like the luckiest girl around.

LIZ reporting from S 03 10' & W 154 03'