October 31, 2018 | Pacific Ocean off Northern Baja

28°13’30.0″N 115°38’48.0″W

She looked at me for thirty seconds and then closed her eye again. The Halloween moon appeared half-lidded through the clouds, like an all-powerful cat observer. Two rally boats motored behind us so we formed a secure triangle. They comforted me on the midnight to two AM night watch. A small bird zipped across the bow and chirped. Funny how much you appreciate quick visits from creatures when you’re at sea. 

A gorgeous sunny day greeted us in the morning. We showered on deck and Shelly almost fell over, slipping and sliding with the swells. So she decided to just sit down on the deck and shower. I fell into a funk so I napped on the spinnaker bag on top of the bow. That was my goto spot growing up to find peace. Sailboats are small, well the ones I sail on, and after a few days dancing around your fellow crew, this solitary cat needed space. 

Soft bow wake splashes woke me up in time to spot sombrero shaped Cedros Island in the distance. We sailed on and off throughout the afternoon and relaxed to oldies, the music and nap brightened my mood in time to make dinner. I heated up the pomegranate molasses braised lamb that I’d made back home and steamed saffron rice and Chino kabocha squash. I thinly sliced celery root and fresh celery for a salad to balance out the richness. While I cut the vegetables that I’d seeded months ago, I thought about my Oaxacan coworkers, driving home from the farm to enjoy time with their families, and sent my gratitude. We topped the meal with fresh pomegranate arils, yogurt and lime. It was a proper sunset feast.  With ice cold, sweet juicy oranges for dessert. 

But oh those stars. Glittering in the clear night sky, we didn’t even try to wipe the smiles from our faces.  The Milky Way streamed over us, Pleiades shimmered. It was the first full joy of the trip for me. It reminded me of the Peter Pan ride at Disneyland, where you soar through the stars in a pirate ship. Dolphins jetted up to greet us, we highlighted their showy jumps with our headlamps. Only a few hours to go until Turtle Bay.