Letters Home 2002

Letters to Friends and Family 2002: From Australia to Thailand

18 January 2002 -- Cammeray Marina, Sydney, Australia

Dear Folks,

Hope your holidays were fun and invigorating. We approve the Australian approach. Since it's summertime here, most everybody combines the Christmas/New Year's break with summer vacation time and goes to the beach for about a month!

Since Alan needed to be available to the hospital from time to time, we took our holidays in short chunks, including sailing up to Broken Bay for a long weekend; spending Boxing Day with a spectator fleet of thousands for the Sydney-Hobart and Volvo Ocean Races; anchoring on New Year's Eve near the Sydney Harbour Bridge for the fireworks [video]; and land-traveling and wine-tasting with good cruising friends in whirlwind fashion through Victoria and South Australia.

I hear that the Sydney fires made the news back home, and rightly so -- they were pretty bad. For days the sky was dark smoky gray and orange, and our decks were covered in ash. As cruisers, though, we had the distinct advantage that if the fires got too close to our home, we could always take it somewhere else.

Alan is having a very rewarding experience working at the Pain Clinic at Royal North Shore Hospital. The program here is the only one worldwide in which significant success in chronic pain management has been proven in a controlled study. Alan hopes to facilitate a similar program someday back home. We are thrilled that he is able to take advantage of this opportunity.

As for me, I continue my grueling regimen of work avoidance.

Also, I now understand cricket.

And finally, I've made my peace with Australian English grammar and word usage. Why we continue to call the British, American, and Australian languages all by the same name "English" defies explanation. They are entirely different languages these days, and I think we all ought to admit it, re-label them, and get on with our lives. Did you know, for example, that collective nouns in Australian take a plural verb? "The government have implemented a new policy." "Russia are demanding economic concessions," "IBM are hiring." In American, of course, it would by "IBM is hiring" (except they're probably not). Unlike Americans, Aussies put all punctuation, even commas and periods, outside quotation marks: "See Spot run," says Julia. "See Skippy hop", says Nicole. Even the alphabets are different. In Australian, the letter after "g" is pronounced an aspirant "haitch," and the final letter is "zed." And I won't even start with words like brekky (breakfast), arvo (afternoon) prezzie (gift), rubbish bin (trash can), capsicum (bell pepper), pommie (person from England) or esky (cooler, which in New Zealand would be a chilly-bin). By the way, in the newly denominated American language, I hope to make a strong case for "y'all" as the legitimate plural of "you." Then for large groups of people, of course, the correct pronoun usage would be "all y'all." Or maybe those of us who speak both American and Texan should be considered bilingual.

Happy birthdays to the Judge, Brian, and Alex. Happy anniversary to Jimmy & Andrea. We miss your faces, and we're having a great time.

Love, Liza

21 April 2002 -- Cammeray Marina, Sydney Harbour, Australia

Dear Folks,

We continue to love Sydney and to appreciate the warm hospitality here. If you ever have the chance to visit this magnificent city -- or to come back again -- don't miss it. For the best weather, come in Spring or Fall.

Recently we attended two very Australian events. First, we went with some good local friends to an Aussie Rules football game. Second, we braved the crowds for the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. Although the two events would seem wildly dissimilar, stick with me on this. There is a central theme.

Aussie Rules football, if you have never watched it on cable, is played on a huge oval field by large, muscular, helmet-less blokes wearing short, tight shorts and a flimsy jersey. (No, that's not the theme). As far as I can tell, the phrase "Aussie Rules" is a euphemism for no rules whatsoever. This sport requires maximum toughness. Players run flat out, smash, punch, and kick non-stop -- and that's when they don't have the ball. Play is suspended every 15 minutes or so to set a few of the worst fractures and allow the crowd to get another beer. As for scoring, it happens continually (no, that's not the theme either), and the best defensive strategy is just to knock the other guy down. A goal is worth six points. A "behind" (which is a near miss, and don't be vulgar) is worth one point. In the nail-bighter we attended along with about 30,000 other fans, the Sydney Swans free-kicked a clutch goal at the buzzer to beat the North Melbourne Kangaroos 103-100. Major celebration ensued.

In contrast, the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade had better outfits. Sydney is second only to San Francisco in having the largest openly gay population of any city in the world. And though I was never half as shocked as I went hoping to be, the parade was good fun. My favorite was a male marching troupe from Canada wearing copies of Royal Mounties regalia, but only from the waist up, while carrying the banner "We always get our man." Like good comedy satire, there was something to offend everyone. And the crowd was even more entertaining than the parade. For example, when I grabbed a good spectating spot next to this huge tattooed bearded biker-looking guy -- who immediately, of course, being Australian offered me a beer -- I couldn't help but notice that he was wearing nothing but black boots and a pink tutu. Nice guy, though. Accountant from Wagga Wagga.

And the theme? Is it that Australians have a free-wheeling enthusiasm that makes them a joy to be around, regardless of the context? That any event is popular so long as beer is widely available? That, like home, this is a country of major contrasts? Is it that Aussies, like Americans, respect individual courage? Courageous individualism? Or conversely, would it have to do with celebrating a sense of belonging? Is it the unabashed physicality? Or that you don't have to be a member of the team to celebrate the effort? Is it merely that everyone had a heck of a good time? Or that I had to drag Alan kicking and screaming to both events? Hmm. Well, I did have a profound unifying theme -- I really did -- something to do with -- no, it's gone now. Sorry.

On the home front, Alan continues to enjoy a very rewarding fellowship in pain management under the direction of Professor Michael Cousins at Royal North Shore Hospital. I'm still writing, though my original goal to finish a novel by April or May is, as most of you probably already knew, absurd. I'm plugging away, however, and may actually have something readable in the next decade or two -- though I'm not holding my breath about getting that call from Oprah.

In a couple of weeks, we'll be hauling the boat for annual maintenance and repairs. We still hope to be off for New Caledonia in late July, and to reach Singapore by Thanksgiving and Thailand by December. With fair winds (literally and metaphorically) we hope to complete the circumnavigation (knock wood) round about December 2003 -- only about a year overtime!

Congratulations to Sarah on her upcoming graduation from high school. Congratulations to Stephanie on making cheerleader again at her university. We are very proud of you. Happy April birthdays to Andrea, Judy, Dan, Jeff, and Jela. Happy anniversaries to Kurt & Claire, Nancy & Naikang, and a very happy 36th anniversary to Mom & Jack. Thanks to Debbie & Dane for visiting and bringing us Good Stuff From Home. Most of all, congratulations to my grandmother for getting online so we can send email and hear from her more often. It really makes a difference when we are so far away for such a long time.

Love, Liza

30 July 2002 -- Sydney Harbour

Dear Folks,

Goodbye, Sydney! Thank you to all the wonderful Sydneysiders we have met who included us in their lives and indoctrinated us into Australian culture, sport, politics, and Shiraz -- along with the finer points of how to barbecue properly. Although we have always assumed that as Texans we are genetically programmed to barbecue well, we have become somewhat humbler about it -- and humbler on many other fronts as well. In the words of a good Aussie friend, "Ah mate, we have sheep stations bigger than Texas!"

In a few days, we'll say a reluctant goodbye to Sydney Harbour to begin working our way back up the east coast of Australia and "over the top" to Darwin. It's a heck of a long trip -- sort of like driving from Miami up to Maine, and then west to the Dakotas -- at about 10 mph. It will be good to be under sail almost every day for a while. Even with fair winds (knock wood) and a strong work ethic, we expect it will take us 4-6 weeks. From Darwin, we make a week's passage to Bali, then Kalimantan (Borneo), Singapore by November 1st (to clear the cyclone zone in a timely fashion), the Malacca Straits, and up to Phuket, Thailand, by December. This next bit is actually, apart from Greece, the part I dreamed about most before we left. Can't wait to get started!

So happy 85th birthday to Mamaw. Happy birthdays to Julie, Claire, Dad, Jon, and Mom. Happy anniversary to Scott & Alli. We love hearing from everybody -- keep those emails coming! Much love, Liza

24 September 2002 -- Northern Coastal Waters of Australia

Hi all,

As I write this, we are nearing the end of a most pleasant five-day passage "over the top" of Australia to Darwin. It's 4:20 a.m. local time, well before dawn. Alan is asleep, and I'm on watch. The radar screen is completely blank -- no other boats within 24 miles. We are ghosting along on the Arafura Sea, flat calm with just the hint of a following swell, and winds are a very light 6-10 knots east-nor'east. There is no sound but the occasional flap of the jib and plop-whish of a wavelet. To stay on course, due west, all I have to do is follow the glittering yellow wake of the giant full moon dead ahead.

I do believe we're off to see the Wizard.

But yikes, what a trip we've had to get here. The Great Barrier Reef coast of northern Queensland, Australia, has two kinds of wind -- none at all and way too much. And two kinds of navigation hazards -- all around and everywhere. Then, of course, one must share the narrow, shallow reef- and rock-infested channels with about seven giant cargo ships who announce on the radio every few minutes that since they are restricted by their draft (depth of keel), they will not be changing course to avoid that blue-hulled sailboat dead ahead, g'day. Actually, I exaggerate. There were never more than six cargo ships at a time. (And to be fair, they do have the right of way -- even over sailboats -- in narrow, shallow channels.)

The upside is that the scenery and sunsets have been breathtaking, stunning. (Unfortunately, we've been too busy playing Dodge the Supertanker to take many photographs, but you can take our word for it.) We have explored deserted mountainous coastlines and rainforests, shallow turquoise waters and reefs and rocks unchanged -- perhaps untouched -- since Captain Cook took the same route in much the same way. Of course, he had the advantage of a large crew. On the other hand, our plumbing is much better. OK, and we also have satellite navigation, but other than that . . .. Well, except for the electronic depth sounder and auto-pilot -- oh, and weather-fax (not to mention refrigeration and a microwave) -- it really truly is just as it was two centuries ago. Well, OK we have radar. And an engine. But otherwise . . .. Actually, it's gobsmacking, when you stop to think about it, how Cook was able to chart this treacherous coastline with nothing more than a lead line, compass and sextant. All hail!

So we plan to stay about a week in Darwin, then leave for the six-day passage to Bali. (Very excited!) At this point, we're still on schedule to vacate the cyclone zone in good time.

Much love to everyone at home. Hi to all Sydneysiders (Go Roosters!). Happy birthdays to Jessica, Cory, Stephanie, Leslie, and Ray. Happy Anniversary to Dan & Claire. Thanks for sending our Sydney mail, Jela. And a special thank-you to Don & Robyn in Cairns for sharing the benefit of their vast circumnavigation experience. Will try to write again from Bali or Singapore in a few weeks.

Love, Liza

P.S. from Darwin: Darwin is a great town -- nice hot sunny weather, lots to see nearby, and a laid-back and friendly atmosphere. Wish we had scheduled more time here!

13 October 2002 -- Darwin, Australia

G'day still,

Just a quick note to say that we are not in Bali yet. We are in Darwin finishing up installation of some new equipment for the next leg of the trip to Southeast Asia. We heard this morning about the bombings in Bali and convey our deepest sympathy to the injured and victims' families. If the equipment we ordered from the US had arrived on time, we might well have been in that area. Alan has volunteered his services here in Darwin at the hospital to which the burn victims have been air-lifted, and we're waiting to hear whether they are calling in extra medical personnel. By the time we get to Bali next week, I'm sure security will be tight as a drum. Again, we are so sorry for everyone affected by this horrible loss of life. And we are grateful for our good fortune in being delayed.

By the way, Alan spoke with the guys at the Australian Bureau of Meteorology before we decided to complete this equipment installation in Darwin, and they reassured us that the "wet" cyclone season is very late this year -- no sign that the usual month-long "build-up" has even begun. Moreover, the Northwest Monsoon is not expected until quite late, possibly January. So we have an unexpectedly huge weather window for the next leg of the trip. However, we still hope to be in the Singapore area and entirely out of the cyclone zone by our originally planned date of early November. Take care, everybody. Love, Liza

22 November 2002 -- Nongsa Point, Batam, Indonesia

Dear Folks,

We arrived in Singapore on November 6th, and are now docked at the Nongsa Point Marina on Batam Island (of WWII "death march" fame), just across Singapore Strait. In the past three months, Heartsong III has sailed more than 5,000 nautical miles -- from Sydney back across the equator into the Northern Hemisphere. And I have the jet lag to prove it.

First stop after a 6-day passage from Darwin was the island of Bali, site of last month's bomb blast in a tourist nightclub. Bali is the lone bastion of a Hindu majority in the otherwise Islamic nation of Indonesia. Since the bomb blast, Bali's pro-West citizenry has been in shock and economic free fall. Our time on the island was a highlight -- visiting artisan villages, eating nasi goreng (spicy fried rice), attending traditional Hindu dances and temple festivals . . . and avoiding nightclubs. This last was not that hard for a couple of cruisers who are typically sound asleep by sunset-thirty.

Then the real fun started -- the passage to Singapore. Each watch day and night for a full week we were busy avoiding Indonesian fishing vessels and nets and/or riding out crashing thunderstorms with high winds clocking the compass. On two occasions we were pursued aggressively by wooden boats with about a dozen men aboard. They were either extraordinarily gregarious fishermen, or else -- drum roll, please -- our very first pirates (pirate wannabees, anyway). We didn't stick around to find out [details].

Actually, another explanation is supported by the evidence. We have since learned that Indonesian fishermen will try to get near enough to another vessel to shoo the evil spirits from themselves onto others. That would explain why our alternator fell off, we had no wind at all between storms, our prop got wrapped by a large sheet of paralyzing plastic, and Alan was incapacitated for 48 hours of the passage by shigella (sort of like salmonella, except add muscle pain and high fever). Anyway, we have since gotten really close to a local ferry and shooed the evil spirits onwards, so I think we're OK for the upcoming passage through the Malacca Straits.

For the past week or so, we have been doing some land travel around central and eastern Malaysia by train and bus. Alan got to visit wildlife heaven -- an elephant conservation center, where he got to feed, bathe, ride, and swim with a herd of Asian elephants [video]. I got to visit my version of heaven as well -- one of the world's largest upscale shopping malls and spa resorts in fast-paced prosperous gleaming urban Kuala Lumpur (no video, but many souvenir credit card receipts).

In any event (after kissing the ocean when we got back to the boat after a 6-hour bus ride through central Malaysia) we have enjoyed the heck out of Batam and Singapore, and tomorrow we leave for Phuket, Thailand, stopping at a few Malaysian anchorages along the way. We have been operating under the standard circumnavigation mantra "Phuket by Christmas, Phuket by Christmas" -- and for once, believe it or not, we may actually get somewhere on time!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Happy birthday to Kristi; a very happy BIG 5-OH to CIndy; and happy anniversary to Eric and Erika. Much love and shooing of good spirits your way, Liza