Background Information:
What are we doing: Sailing from Honolulu to the Aleutian Islands via Midway. Specifically Honolulu, to Midway (it's questionable whether or not we can stop on any islands along the way), hopefully Attu Island and Adak Islands, inevitably Unalaska for customs, and along the American/Canadian coast.
Why are we doing this: I have no idea.
Who's involved: Bob, Mike, Josh, and I from Honolulu to Alaska (after that a few of us will probably jump ship). Cathy until from Honolulu to Midway because she's smart.
When are we doing this: June 12/13th to indefinitely.
What are we going in: The Minnow, a Catana 522 Ocean Class, hull number 11.
Who's captain: Generally the youngest person on board (me) but when we get into trouble, I blame anyone.
Is there safety equipment on board: Yes, we have two kayaks and a baritone.
Will there be emailing: Yes, we will email via satellite phone and set up a semi-daily blog. We will also have a site where people can text us on the sat phone via the internet. It's free<-- hint.
What kind of food will be on board: Probably 1,429,148,903,492 bananas since Mike and Bob are doing the majority of the grocery shopping.
What will we do when we're bored: learn a different language, read, watch movies, cook, bake, play music, sand coconuts, whip lines, sail, clean, draw pictures, play scrabble, uno, chess, and poker, edit, take photographs and video, be annoying, exercise, do laps, break stuff, fix stuff.
What will we do when someone's being annoying: learn a different language, read, watch movies, cook, bake, play music, sand coconuts, whip lines, sail, clean, draw pictures, play scrabble, uno, chess, and poker, edit, take photographs and video, be annoying, exercise, do laps, break stuff, fix stuff. See also: keelhaul.
Do all of us get along: Don't know yet.
Do we have sailing experience: Some; depends on how you define experience. Here's Mike and Bob's experience.
How cold will it be: Pretty darn cold, especially if it's windy.
Is hypothermia a possibility: Always.
Are we scared: Yes.
What will we do in the case of a storm: Keep calm. Remember that the boat is very stable when inverted.
How warm will it be on board: As warm as it can be from the oven. We have lots of blankets and cold weather gear.
How warm will it be in general: As warm as the Midway islands get.
How long will we be in Midway: 5-10 days, depending on our visa. We may be the only tourist visa for Midway this year.
What's on Midway: Birds, people, an airport from WWII, a naval base, and garbage.
How long will it take to get to Alaska from Midway: Possibly one to two months or longer, weather dependent.
What is Attu and Adak like: Great places for migratory birds. Foggy, windy, rainy. All the development from WWII era has been abandoned. I think there's a (abandoned) McDonald's on Adak where we can get a quarter pounder with cheese.
What are we packing in our suitcase: Gloves, hat, swimsuit, waterproof pants, wetsuit, goggles, rubber boots, waterproof coat, lots of fleece, socks, underwear, and long underwear, sunscreen, sunglasses, toothpaste. No wool.
LINKS
About the Minnow: The Minnow Blog:
Our hypothetical track:
Another hypothetical track:
