Post from Joanne, New Cal -Oz

I looked out the window this evening & saw the moon. Immediately, I thought about Callisto & our sail from New Caledonia to NSW, Australia It has now been nearly a month since our journey but the experience & affect of a week at sea are still with me. I'm relaxed, a little disconnected & feeling good. The boys got in ahead of me with their comments, which echo much of my own sentiment....including the fact that Roger got the better bunk! When you are being thrown around & trusting your lee-cloth, the less room the better in your resting spot. I flew from San Francisco to Sydney & spent a wonderful 4 days enjoying the hospitality of an old friend, Lee Tredinnick, before meeting up with Michael in Noumea. I left early spring weather in Sydney for the perfect weather of New Caledonia ...not too hot, not too cold & not too humid. This was very much a trip about the journey, not the destination. Once Roger arrived and the question was answered about who the 3rd crew member was, it was plain sailing. My preparation of being rested & hydrated to avoid sea-sickness failed miserably. By the time the wind shifted on the first day at sea, I had the worst bout of mal de mare in my history on the sea ...& it did not stop until the wind shifted off the nose. There is something about watching the phosphorescence in the water, while throwing up in the dark, with the southern sky & a moon like tonight that makes it all worth while. My shipmates took good care of me, with fluids & gentle suggestions of what was best to do to feel better. The wind shifted, I recovered & we settled into life aboard Callisto and a week of blue water sailing. The company was great, the sailing was what the weather gave us & I was not ready to stop when we docked into Newcastle 7 days later. The last night of sailing along the NSW coast gave us a beautiful sunset, a full moon and at 4.30am, we were all up with a good cup of tea ready to arrive in Newcastle. If I could have changed something, it would have not to have been on a schedule to leave. My best parts:
The companyThe whalesThe starsBeing able to absorb myself in a 900 page novel, nearly finish & really enjoy the book!I have been fortunate to join Michael & Ann on several adventures on Callisto...& to be there when she was an idea and a brochure on the coffee table. I'm looking forward to what the next one will be.