Happy Halloween

Hi kids!

Well, I hope you had a good Halloween. Candy is great! Mmmm. Wish I
had some right now.

Angel Jen and I are still in New York City. Today is Halloween and
there are lots of people dressing up and going out. Goblins, witches,
Michael Jackson impersonators, you name it.

Here is a picture of a person dressed up as a joker. She dressed up
her little dogs, too. That was funny.

What, you may ask, does a pirate do on Halloween. I mean, I'm already
a pirate. So I'm dressing up as a businessman and wearing a suit. I
hope it works. Of course, some of the businessmen in New York are
pirates already so it may not work. I'll let you know!

Angel Jen and her macheté

Hi kids!

When I went out shopping for charts Angel Jen was left here in the
boat alone. She was happy enough for a while (as happy as she gets
when her man ain't around, that is). Then the wind picked up and the
boat started hopping around in the waves. She started to worry about
the mooring dragging and the boat crashing into something.

By the time I got back she had the motor running, was sitting in the
cockpit and had my macheté out and ready in case she needed to cut the
lines and steam up river.

I was like, "Way to go, Angel Jen!"

Looks like I trained her right. With that macheté in hand I do belie
ve she's got a little of the pirate in her, too!

The Empire State building

Hi kids!

After we bravely piloted through the East River (sailing over the
bones of the sailors wrecked and sunk there over the centuries) we
rounded the bottom end on Manhattan and went up the Hudson River to
park the boat on a mooring. Then I got off the boat to go shopping for
new charts. While I walked around I saw this building.

It's called the Empire State Building. It was built in 1932 and was
the tallest building in the world for forty years. It's a landmark of
New York City. It's like WAYYY tall.

Then in 1973 some showoffs built two taller buildings in New zyork
called the World Trade Towers. Then some other showoffs in Chicago
built an even taller building.

Then Kuala Lumper, Malaysia, got into the act. Then Dubai, then who
even knows where the worlds tallest building is any more. Seems like
everyone wants the tallest one.

Maybe we should get Camptown to build one next. Compare and discuss.

Hell's Gate

Hi kids!
There is a river that runs beside Manhattan Island called the East
River. It connects Long Island Sound and the New York Harbor. There is
one spot in the river that is very dangerous for sailors. The tidal
currents run very, very fast. They swirl and boil and can toss a big
ship around and make it impossible to control. They can even make it
crash and sink.
Funny thing about tidal currents, though. Since they come in and go
out twice a day there are four times a day when they stop entirely as
they turn around. (Of course, the astute mathemeticians among you have
already seen this as an example of the theorum that a continuous
function cannot pass from positive to negative quantities without
passing through zero.)
When the tide comes in it 'floods'. When it goes out it 'ebbs'. When
there is no current it's called 'slack water'. It's only safe to go
through Hells Gate at slack water. We looked up when that would happen
in a book then figured out when to start driving the boat to just get
there at that time. It turned out we had to get up at four in the
morning!
So we got up early and drove the boat through the dangerous place in
the pre-dawn darkness, through a hard rain with the wind blowing and
everything. It's REALLY HARD to figure out where you are going in the
dark. Boats don't have headlights like cars. But we used our charts
and figured it out. Here is a picture of one of the huge bridges we
went under, the Triborough Bridge. Man, was it ever hard to see! I
sure was glad to have Angel Jen on board. She's a good navigator and
she REALLY doesn't want any crashes.
Man, was it exciting. The river was pretty quiet at slack water but
still had a lot more current than we ever saw in Maine! And a few
minutes later, when we were past the danger place, the current came
back again. Good thing we got out of there!
Tomorrow, we go see the Statue of Liberty!

Dressing the ship

Hi kids!

After we got through talking to Captain Sean we watched as the crew
'dressed the ship'. They were taking the ship to a parade and
reception nearby. Traditionally, sailors decorate the ship by flying
all their signal flags at once to make it very colorful.

In the old days sailors couldn't talk to each other by telephones or
radios. You know why? There WEREN'T any telephones or radios. No one
had invented them yet. So sailors used signal flags. Each flag stood
for a single letter. They could spell out words by raising flags!
Then they got tired of using so many flags and invented a system of
standard message abbreviations to cover many situations. Like if they
just raised a single yellow flag that meant the ship's crew is
healthy. That was because the yellow flag stood for the letter 'Q'
which is the first letter of the word 'quarenteen'. When a ship enters
a new country they fly the Q flag to ask the new country's inspectors
to come ok them for entry. Nowadays sailors just use the flags for
show or to honor their traditions.

Well, kids, see if you can get the teacher to show you all the signal
flags on

http://www.anbg.gov.au/flags/signal-meaning.html

And maybe you can draw them, too!

Captain Sean

Hi kids!

While we moored near the Amistad in New Haven we saw a guy circling
our boat in a little red dinghy. He stopped circling and came over to
compliment us on having such a pretty boat.

We thanked him and talked for a while. It turned out he was the
captain of the Amistad. He invited us to come look at the Amistad. We
went over and he gave us a tour. It pays to be friendly sometimes!

This is a picture of the guy, Captain Sean. He has spent a lot of time
on boats. He's an old grey beard like me now but when he was a little
kid, like ten years old, he and his family sailed around the world on
a boat like Cahaya. We asked him what it was like to sail around the
world with your family as a little kid. He said it was a blast. It
took them four years to get all the way around.

What do you think? Could you go live on a boat for four years sailing
around the world?

Looking aft

Hi kids!

Here's a picture from the saloon looking aft to the 'galley' (that's
what you call a kitchen on a boat). Angel Jen is happily making
breakfast (she loves to cook). You can see the back of our radar, the
steps to get up on deck, the ice box where we keep the food and the
end of the table. We have a small stove and oven for cooking and a
sink to wash dishes.

It's cozy which is ok because we are both cuddly. You will be happy to
know that we have a good set of Bose speakers, a new stereo and a
hookup for our iPhone so we can make the music wail when we feel like
dancing.

Be good kids and remember, keep your keels out of the mud!

The saloon

Hi kids!

Ever wonder what the inside of the boat looks like? Here's a picture
of the 'saloon'. That's what you call the eating-sitting-hanging out
part of the boat. I'm not making that up, either.

It's about eight feet long and twelve feet wide from wall to wall,
though only about five feet wide at floor level. This is where we eat
meals, listen to radio and plan our trips. We also store stuff behind
the cushions and in the lockers.

We sleep up front in the 'vee berth'. It has a bed, storage underneath
and along the sides.

At the left (you can't see it in this picture) is the bathroom. Enough
said.

Next we visit the galley!

Amistad

Hi kids!

We are in New Haven, Connecticut, hiding out from a gale. We tied up
to a mooring ball and went to sleep. In the morning we woke to find
that we were next to a reproduction of a ship from the mid eighteen
hundreds, the Amistad. The original Amistad was a slave ship. It
brought 83 Africans who had been sold to a couple Spaniards away from
Cuba sailing for their new home in the West Indies. The ships cook
told one of the Africans that the Spaniards were going to kill them
and eat them. The Africans sure weren't going to go along with that!
One of them broke his padlock on his chains with a nail he pulled out
of the ship, freed a couple of his friends and they killed the captain
and took control of the ship. The Africans demanded that the crew take
them back to Africa. The crew pretended to take them to Africa by
sailing east by day, then turned the ship and sailed north by night.
Eventually they wound up in New Haven Connecticut. The cops caught the
ship, took everyone off it and threw all the Africans in jail. It took
them two years in court to get freed. Abolitionists in Connecticut
helped them in court and when they were out of jail, helped them get
money and a ship to finally get back home to Africa to a place now
called Sierra Leone. A few years ago a black man from Connecticut
built a replica of the ship. It's on display now in New Haven. It's
the black ship on the right in the picture.

So be good children and maybe the teacher (what's her name? Ms. Hand
Sock? Something like that.) will tell you more of the story of the
Amistad including the duplicity of Martin Van Buren, then president,
the honor and integrity of former president Adams, who aided the
Africans' legal battle and that stinker in the tale, Judge Judson, who
threw the Africans in jail to begin their two year long battle for
freedom.

Chartplotter

Hi kids!

Wondering how we find our way around? Well, your friend, the federal
government, publishes 'charts' which are maps of the ocean. These are
essential to getting around. The federal government also makes GPS
satellites which means people with GPS radio receivers can locate
themselves on the map. It's services like this that make people love
the federal government so much. I know I do!

I have a thing on my boat which is like a computer with the maps in it
and a gps in it which combines these two functions and shows you a
picture of the part of the map you are in and puts a mark on it where
your boat is. My iPhone has a program in it to do the same thing. This
is a picture of the iPhone screen using that program. My boat is in
New Haven Connecticut just at the point of the red arrow in the picture.

Each of the marks on the picture means something. The black things
that look like balls in the water with loops on top are moorings. It's
safe to tie up to a mooring so that's where we tied our boat. The red
and green marks tell where the red and green navigational buoys are.
The black numbers are the water depth in feet or meters. Each mark on
the chart is worth something!

The wind will blow really hard tomorrow. We might just stay here for
tomorrow and let the gale blow by before we start the next trip.

Well, kids, remember: the teacher is always right.

Big red thing that looks like an eye

Hi kids!
Word has gotten to me that some of you were wondering what that big
red thing that looks like it has an eye is in the picture of the
chickadee. Well, swabbies, that is my little red dinghy. I pulled it
up on deck and tied it on so I wouldn't have to drag it along behind
the boat. That's because I have another dinghy that I AM dragging
behind the boat. I am dinghy rich, you might say. Most people only
have one but we like the little one so we couldn't get rid of it. Here
is a picture of me in the little dinghy after an afternoon of hunting
mussels. The bucket is full of mussels for supper. Or rather, for MY
supper. Angel Jen thinks they stink.
Can you find the part of the dinghy that looked like an eye?

Cahaya breaks the interstate barrier again

Hi kids!

Well, we broke the interstate barrier again. We passed out of
Massachusetts waters and entered Rhode Island. Well, not so much
entered as sail by. Rhode Island is the smallest state in America.
It's so small you could drive across it in an hour. The complete name
is "State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation". Pretty long name
for a little state!

We only took one picture of Rhode Island as we went by. If you look
close you can see a bridge in the picture. We anchored in Point
Judith in a 'harbor of refuge'. This is a harbor built by the
government where none existed before. They do that sometimes when
there is too much distance between good natural harbors. It gives
passing ships a place to hide if there is bad weather. We didn't have
bad weather but we stayed there anyway.

Tonight we are in Saybrook Connecticut. Tomorrow we will go to New
Haven. Then we cross to Long Island, breaking the interstate barrier
again! Then, the Big Apple, New York City.

Well, kids. Have fun looking at the map to find Rhode Island. Stay
strong and remember, the teacher is always right. At least as far as
you are concerned.

1671? How long ago was that?

Hi kids!

Here's a picture of the front of the town hall in Vinyard Haven.
Vinyard Haven is one of the towns on The island of Martha's Vinyard.
If you look close you can see the numbers 1 6 7 1. That's the year the
town was started. Wow! How long ago was that? How should you know?
You're first graders. You can't even count that high let alone do
subtraction! Get the teacher to figure it out for you. (Hint: it's
338 years) the people of the town take a certain pride in having such
a long history. It makes them want to preserve their town kinda like
it was, to honor their history. The reason they could start their
town back then was because the settlers were REAL careful to be
friendly with the native Americans. Because in those days if the
native Americans didn't want you around they would tell you to leave.
They did that a lot to European settlers who weren't careful to be
REAL nice. That's why it was 179 years between Columbus finding
America and these settlers starting their town. European settlers are
slow learners, it seems.

Ok, kids. Try hard in school. Be REAL nice to the teacher and try not
to be slow learners!

Martha's Vinyard

Hi kids!

Here's a picture of Angel Jen in Martha's Vinyard. That's the name of
a big island off the coast of Massachusetts. Famous people and rich
people like to come here for vacations. People like President
Kennedy's family, Oprah, president Clinton and, recently, president
Obama, the leader of the free world and recipient of the Nobel Peace
Prize, have come here to vacation. They like this place because it's
beautiful. And it is. I have an old friend who lives here and she
showed us around yesterday. It's a really beautiful island with long
beaches and horse farms and LOTS of stone walls. The towns are full of
expensive art galleries and shops. In the picture Jen is standing in
front of one of the shops Angel Jen wouldn't let me buy anything
because it cost too much. But when she wasn't watching I bought a new
knit hat and gloves. It's been freezing out here!

Ok, kiddos. Have fun in school today. And be sure to obey every
command of your teacher, immediately, cheerfully and completely,
saying,"Yes, Ms. Hanzok. Certainly! Exactly as you wish, Ms. Hanzok."
Believe me, teachers love that!

Can a Boat Sail Under a Bridge?

Hi kids!

When we went through the Cape Cod Canal there were three bridges that
we had to go under. Two were bridges that carried cars and one that
was a railroad bridge. Here is a picture of our mast as we go under
the railroad bridge. Does it look like we'll make it? Actually the
bridge is much higher than our mast. It's just the perspective that
makes it look close. Ask your teacher to explain the mathematics of
perspective. She LOVES mathematics.

Shanties

Hi kids!

Long ago men who sailed the seas in ships spent really long times on
their voyages because their ships were slow and they had a long way to
go. They didn't have tv or anything to do so they amused themselves by
singing songs. These songs were usually about sailing or things
related to ships. They were called 'sea shanties'. Here is a picture
of Angel Jen singing her sea shanties as she steers the boat with the
big wheel. Doesn't she look happy? Of course she does. She's sailing
with Pirate John!

Chickadee Hitch Hiker

Hi kids!

We sailed out of Onset Harbor in Buzzards Bay to go to an island off
Massachusetts called Martha's Vinyard. While we were sailing along,
several miles off shore, this little visitor landed on deck. He hopped
around for a while and sat for a few minutes to rest and warm up. Then
he took off and continued on his way. How a little bird like this
wound up so far off shore I do not know. Was the little bird lost?
Was he adventurous? Was he just stupid? I mean he could drown! What
do you think?

Cold Sailing

Hi kids!

We heard you guys had snow. Weird! Snow before you finish raking
leaves doesn't make sense. When I lived in Pennsylvania it never
snowed in October in my life! It must be that Republican global
warming. You should call Tina Pickett and tell her to vote against it.

Well, we didn't have snow here yet. The ocean doesn't cool down as
fast as the land. But it has been cold enough! Poor Angel Jen was all
bundled up in her long johns, pants, bib overalls, shirt, sweatshirt
and rain jacket and she was still cold. Here's a picture of her using
the binoculars to look out for big boats that might run over us.

We can't wait to get further south so we can be warm again!

Be good, kids, and don't even THINK about throwing a snow ball at the
teacher during recess.

Cahaya Conquers the Cape Cod Canal

Today Cahaya crossed through the Cape Cod Canal, known as the Canal of
Alliteration. (Thats a real word. You can look it up.) The canal is
this giant ditch, like a quarter mile wide, that the federal
government dug so big ships wouldn't have to go so far to get to
Boston. They could just cut right through the land and save time. It's
way deep, like 35 feet deep. There are roads over the canal but they
go way up in the air like 135 feet high, so the big ships can go
through without stopping.

The canal has a web cam so anyone with the Internet can see the ships
that go through. Here's a picture of Cahaya going through the canal.
The picture is sideways so you have to turn your head. We are the only
ship in the picture and we are a little bump on the far right. The
webcam tells what time the picture was taken. This picture was taken
at 11:31. So that's where we were when you were just about to have
lunch.

We scooted through the canal and now we are in a harbor waiting for a
huge storm that's coming. It's supposed to blow really hard so we are
hiding in our boat to stay dry and warm. Or at least dry.

So, kids, when your teacher tells you what great things our federal
government does, here's one. They dig canals for big boats and let
pirates use them, too. America! What a country!

Cape Cod Canal, Telecam, US Army Corps of Engineers

http://www.nae.usace.army.mil/recreati/ccc/telecam/telecam_main.htm

Hi kids!

We are in Plymouth Massachusetts. That's where the Pilgrims landed and
where the first Thanksgiving was. The Pilgrims got thrown out of
England for being revolutionaries. They were met in Plymouth by an
Indian called Squanto. Squanto had been to England himself and spoke
English well. Talk about luck!

Today we are going through the Cape Cod Canal. It's a canal cut right
through the land so ships can go through. The link above is a webcam.
It shows the boats in the canal. If you watch it at noon you might see
us go through!

Well, kids, make sure your teacher tells you about Pilgrims today. And
shout "Squanto" when she gets to the Indian part.

John from the phone

Boston, Paul Revere and Jet Airplanes

Hi kids!

We are in Boston. We left Glouscester this morning in the rain and
fog. We had to use our radar to make sure we didn't run into
anything. With radar you can see through fog and dark. Kinda. Radar
is tricky to use. It just shows blobs on the screen. You have to
figure out what they mean.

We went to Boston and dropped our anchor. That's a heavy piece of
steel that looks like a plow on a chain. It digs into the bottom of
the water and holds the boat in one place. We are located near the
airport. Here is a picture of a plane taking off over our boat.

Boston was where the American revolution started. Paul Revere lived
here and he started part of the revolution. Ask your teacher about it.
I think she remembers something about it.

Two States in One Day!

Hi kids!

Well, we struck out from Kittery, a city on the southern border of
Maine, this morning at daybreak. The sunrise was beautiful and calm.
We watched a couple HUGE ships come into the port then we left. We
went across the river and we were in New Hampshire. It's another
state. Their state motto is 'Live free or die'. That's a little
radical for me. I think I'd rather talk about problems than die over
them. But that's New Hampshire for you!

New Hampshire's coastline is about sixteen miles long. That's about as
far as from Camptown to Towanda. Then comes Massachusetts. Their state
motto is 'What? You got a problem wid dat?' Well, maybe thats not the
state motto but Boston people say that a lot.

We sailed around Cape Ann and we could see the big tall buildings of
Boston on the horizon. You can justmake them out in this picture. They
have buildings that are like fifty stories tall. That's like if you
took all the houses in Camptown and put them on top of each other.
Right HUGE, I'd say.

Well, kids, be good for the teacher or she might pile all of you on
top of each other to see how tall THAT would be!

Cahaya Prepares to Break the Interstate Barrier!

Hi kids!

Cahaya has ventured to the edge of Maine! We wanted to go to
Massachusetts to sail with our guest's son but the wind was blowing
from the wrong direction so we couldn't go. The boat has to have the
wind blow it along and if the wind is blowing the wrong way we can't
go some places. We have to wait for the wind to change.

Our guest had to go back to work. So we took her to the next town
so she could get a ride home. This town is right on the border of
Maine and New Hampshire. So tomorrow when we cross the river we will
be in another state. Progress!

Here is a picture of our guest sitting up by the mast while we sailed
to the town. She is all bundled up because it was really cold. The red
thing in front of her is our little red dingy boat. I pulled it out of
the water, turned it over and tied it on deck. She is sitting behind
it watching the sea go by.

Ok, kids. Be good and eat your lunches, take your naps and stay warm.
That's what Pirate John is doing every day!

Cahaya Goes Further Than Ever Before!

Hi kids!

Well, after a week of traveling on land to dispose of our car by
giving it away (Hey, what do we want a car for? We live on a boat!) we
came back to Maine to finally leave on our great adventure. We picked
up a friend who will sail with us to Boston. We packed the boat full
of food and fuel and sailed further south than we had ever been. The
wind blew harder than we had ever seen it blow, spray rolled across
the deck as the boat splashed through the waves. We reefed the sails
and reefed some more and still she roared along. It was exciting.
Tomorrow our friends son will meet us in Marblehead, Massachusetts,
and sail with us for a day before they both have to go back to work.
We, of course, will continue the adventure. The greatest adventure two
people from Camptown and Silvara have ever been on.

Here's a picture of Pirate John getting ready to sail by having his
breakfast. Even pirates need a good breakfast before their sailing
adventures!

Well, kids, be good for the teacher or she might call you a
Marblehead, too!

Hi kids!

Some people wonder why Angel Jen and I would want to get in our boat and sail around.  One of the reasons is the beauty of the sea.  We spend a lot of time outdoors when we are sailing.  Many times we are in places that are just incredibly beautiful.  The sunsets on the ocean are really great.  We love to sail all day, then stop the boat, relax and watch the sun set.  This is a picture of the sun setting over Portland Harbor.  Aren't the clouds beautiful?  It was such a lovely night.  And there are many beautiful places just a few miles from the land that people can't get to unless they are on a boat.  Many of the places are wild and lonely, quiet and wonderful.  And, of course, they make a great place to bury your treasure when you capture gold.  And even though you don't capture gold every day, it's still nice to be out on the water.

Well, kids, keep looking for the gold at the end of the rainbow.  If you look and can't find it, maybe Pirate John has buried it on an island.

Green Cans

Hi kids!

I'll bet you've wondered how we can tell where we are going when we are on the ocean.  Well, the Coast Guard, a branch of the US government, goes out and places things like this in the water as markers.  Then they make maps to tell sailors where they put the markers and where the land is. This thing is a green navigational buoy.  It has a bell on it so sailors can hear it when it's foggy and they can't see it.  It's made of metal and reflects radar very well so they can see it with their radar when it's foggy or night time and they can't see it with their eyes.  There are red navigational buoys, too.  They have a different shape, slightly, so we can tell them apart from a long distance.  When a sailor is going into port he knows to pass the green ones on his left and the red ones on his right to be safe.  That thing in the background is a light house.  Can you tell which one?  It was in a previous message.  Look it up!

Well, kids, be goos and keep safe.  That means 'leave the greens on your left'!