It is tough trying to decide when to celebrate my 43rd birthday, so now is the time. A number of days ago I passed over the date line while my family has stayed in New Zealand. This means that yesterday was my birthday for Meg and the kids, but really as the calendar goes today is my birthday. So somewhere along the last little space of time I have turned 43 years old and I am shocked to even hear those numbers roll off my lips. I am happy Neptune has delivered a 25 knot reach as a birthday gift. The last couple days were good mileage but tough on me and the boat. It was not quite upwind but upwind enough to be very wet and loud with unnerving bangs and groans from the faithful Le Pingouin. The harsh environment and “noise” is especially intense while so far from anywhere.
I have a couple gifties from Meg and the kids and am looking forward to enjoying them in my new living room. After complaining about the status of missing bean bag space Meg was able to convince a New Zealand company called Coast (http://www.coastnewzealand.com/) to outfit Le Pingouin with one of their Marine Bean bags which has been the coolest addition to the boat ever. We are talking a super bonus comfy bean bag chair or bed depending on the moment. So much of my downtime and today’s gift opening will be in comfort. I will report on that and birthday dinner/desert later.
It is really true that the older you get the nature of a birthday truly changes? As a child it is a joyous time. I guess when middle aged it is sort of a reality check. I would guess when older than that it becomes a bit of a celebration again, almost a triumph to get another one in the books.
All the best from a grey and cold Southern Pacific,
Brad
Monday, February 14, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Lots of Wind from Tropical Cyclone
February 9, 2011 00:00 UTC
45 degrees 32 minutes South
168 degrees 04 minutes West
16 Knots Speed Over Ground
Hi There,
I’m currently dealing with 40-45 knots of wind from leftover tropical cyclone ZACA. This could have been a very bad weather system, but fortunately it is dissipating quickly. The seas and wind direction is tricky. The rotation created from a tropical system creates an uneven swell from many directions as the system rotates. Also the wind direction is now steadily backing from the North to the Northwest, which will not last long as the winds will diminish in a sloppy and confused sea. It is not comfortable, but manageable.
Best from Le Pingouin,
Brad
45 degrees 32 minutes South
168 degrees 04 minutes West
16 Knots Speed Over Ground
Hi There,
I’m currently dealing with 40-45 knots of wind from leftover tropical cyclone ZACA. This could have been a very bad weather system, but fortunately it is dissipating quickly. The seas and wind direction is tricky. The rotation created from a tropical system creates an uneven swell from many directions as the system rotates. Also the wind direction is now steadily backing from the North to the Northwest, which will not last long as the winds will diminish in a sloppy and confused sea. It is not comfortable, but manageable.
Best from Le Pingouin,
Brad
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Bizarre Setting for the Start
Apparently, Kiwis are very into their rugby. In the last 24 hours I think about 50,000 people have descended on Wellington in anticipation of the NZI Sevens Tournament and they are not your normal tourists. Don’t get me wrong, they are spending plenty of money on food, booze and everything else. They just look a bit different.
There is a tradition of Kiwis coming to Wellington in groups and wearing the most outrageous costumes you have ever seen. It is quite impressive. Better than any Halloween I have seen in the States in fact. We have grown men in pink ballerina outfits and so much more. I am sharing a couple photos below just to give you a small peek at the wacky scene happening right now around the docks. As I try and get serious and prep for the Leg 3 journey, it is a huge contrast to have all these people letting loose around me.
The boat is ready and I am ready. My shore crew has worked so hard to make sure of this and I thank them with all my heart. Jeffrey, JC, Tim, Willy, Hannah and all the additional volunteers deserve big kudos for getting the boat prepared with multiple challenges. Wellington has been a spectacular port and the Awards Ceremony last night was the best we have experienced so far. It was a classy event and great to spend a bit more time with my fellow competitors before we dive south in to the Southern Ocean.
The weather is looking good. It should be a very fast transit to Cape Horn with strong winds powering us down there quickly. I am hoping the weather during this leg of the race is more consistent than Leg 2. Right now it looks like more traditional Southern Ocean conditions and I look forward to the fantastic sailing I have seen there before.
What have I packed?
Food: Loads of AlpineAire dehydrated food, Grawnola, coffee from a local company here in NZ, and a small amount of fresh food
Clothes: All my stellar Gill clothing including a new set of foulies that look and feel awesome, Ondeck team gear, Dubary boots, and some cozy New Zealand socks that Meaghan bought me
Technology: Autopilots and instruments from B&G and Simrad, an itouch with music and books, and digital photos on a keychain
Other: A new bean bag from Coast New Zealand which will be my new rest/sleep area on the boat. It is called a Marine Bean.
Cheers,
Brad
There is a tradition of Kiwis coming to Wellington in groups and wearing the most outrageous costumes you have ever seen. It is quite impressive. Better than any Halloween I have seen in the States in fact. We have grown men in pink ballerina outfits and so much more. I am sharing a couple photos below just to give you a small peek at the wacky scene happening right now around the docks. As I try and get serious and prep for the Leg 3 journey, it is a huge contrast to have all these people letting loose around me.
The boat is ready and I am ready. My shore crew has worked so hard to make sure of this and I thank them with all my heart. Jeffrey, JC, Tim, Willy, Hannah and all the additional volunteers deserve big kudos for getting the boat prepared with multiple challenges. Wellington has been a spectacular port and the Awards Ceremony last night was the best we have experienced so far. It was a classy event and great to spend a bit more time with my fellow competitors before we dive south in to the Southern Ocean.
The weather is looking good. It should be a very fast transit to Cape Horn with strong winds powering us down there quickly. I am hoping the weather during this leg of the race is more consistent than Leg 2. Right now it looks like more traditional Southern Ocean conditions and I look forward to the fantastic sailing I have seen there before.
What have I packed?
Food: Loads of AlpineAire dehydrated food, Grawnola, coffee from a local company here in NZ, and a small amount of fresh food
Clothes: All my stellar Gill clothing including a new set of foulies that look and feel awesome, Ondeck team gear, Dubary boots, and some cozy New Zealand socks that Meaghan bought me
Technology: Autopilots and instruments from B&G and Simrad, an itouch with music and books, and digital photos on a keychain
Other: A new bean bag from Coast New Zealand which will be my new rest/sleep area on the boat. It is called a Marine Bean.
Cheers,
Brad
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Decompression and Prep to Fly
After more than 7000 miles of open ocean racing in Leg 2 of the Velux 5 Ocean race around the world, it has taken a few days to decompress. The racing from South Africa to New Zealand was unpredictable and weird. Although I expected fierce Southern Ocean winds and seas, they were all coming from the wrong direction and it was not what I expected. I will expand on this later, but there are some very odd and unpredictable things happening in our oceans.
Never to leave you without entertainment, we have found Wellington, New Zealand to be a great place to explore. Team Lazarus has entered the Bird Man competition which involves a challenge of sending one man off the wharf to see how long and high he can fly. Being a pilot myself, the challenge brings in all kinds of history and principles of long ago. Please enjoy this first little glimpse of the Birdman prep…
We chose the lightest member of the team and spent the last 12 hours sourcing helium and the largest balloons available in Wellington. Our brave competitor is John Hicks, who is otherwise known as daily teacher and caregiver to my children Tate and Wyatt. He is from Charleston, South Carolina and never expected to be participating in the Velux race, much less being sent in a lawn chair off the coast of New Zealand with 2000 balloons overhead. We hope his mother will forgive us, but he is well protected and will look good diving off the pierhead. The Birdman is a competition to find the craziest and most creative costume to jump off the Taranaki Street Wharf in Wellington, New Zealand. Learn more about the adventure at http://www.birdman.org.nz/. More news tomorrow as we try our best to get a member of Le Pingouin to fly!
Cheers,
Brad
Never to leave you without entertainment, we have found Wellington, New Zealand to be a great place to explore. Team Lazarus has entered the Bird Man competition which involves a challenge of sending one man off the wharf to see how long and high he can fly. Being a pilot myself, the challenge brings in all kinds of history and principles of long ago. Please enjoy this first little glimpse of the Birdman prep…
We chose the lightest member of the team and spent the last 12 hours sourcing helium and the largest balloons available in Wellington. Our brave competitor is John Hicks, who is otherwise known as daily teacher and caregiver to my children Tate and Wyatt. He is from Charleston, South Carolina and never expected to be participating in the Velux race, much less being sent in a lawn chair off the coast of New Zealand with 2000 balloons overhead. We hope his mother will forgive us, but he is well protected and will look good diving off the pierhead. The Birdman is a competition to find the craziest and most creative costume to jump off the Taranaki Street Wharf in Wellington, New Zealand. Learn more about the adventure at http://www.birdman.org.nz/. More news tomorrow as we try our best to get a member of Le Pingouin to fly!
Cheers,
Brad
Monday, January 10, 2011
Sails Up and Ready to Fly
It’s actually quite wonderful sailing at the moment, I’m enjoying a lovely day down here, but unfortunately for the last three days I haven’t had as much breeze as my nearest rivals, Gutek and Derek. They’re killing me!
I’ve been trying to get through this high pressure system and currently have every ounce of sail up. I couldn’t put up another stitch of cloth if I wanted to, unless I took my undies off and hung them from the rig! I must look like a bird from afar with all the sails flying high, but I guess that is appropriate for Le Pingouin. Actually, not so much as penguins are aquatic, flightless birds. I really do want to fly! I can’t do any more to squeeze speed from the boat. It’s good boat racing but it sure is hard work.
I had a pretty good lead coming out of that low pressure area about a week ago and I was watching carefully what was going on in the Tasman Sea. I’ve been pipped at the post here before and I’ve also pipped someone else at the post too so I know the Tasman Sea is a very tactical spot. This high pressure system developed and the worst case scenario happened: it came down from Australia and elongated west of Hobart all the way across to New Zealand. In an effort not get completely parked I moved south pretty quickly. I’m glad I did as it kept me in the game. However, it also consolidated the three of us in a pretty big way.
I’ve been looking really hard at which way to approach Wellington and I think I have more options than the other guys, but the weather really is very difficult to nail down. To be honest I haven’t really decided how I am going to tackle it. Going west might be a good option, but it’s a pretty unconventional route. New Zealand has some huge mountains which really affect the wind. To the east I will get some fairly serious upwind conditions. There are factors here that could really set me back if I get it wrong. There is no doubt, this will be interesting.
Cheers,
Brad
I’ve been trying to get through this high pressure system and currently have every ounce of sail up. I couldn’t put up another stitch of cloth if I wanted to, unless I took my undies off and hung them from the rig! I must look like a bird from afar with all the sails flying high, but I guess that is appropriate for Le Pingouin. Actually, not so much as penguins are aquatic, flightless birds. I really do want to fly! I can’t do any more to squeeze speed from the boat. It’s good boat racing but it sure is hard work.
I had a pretty good lead coming out of that low pressure area about a week ago and I was watching carefully what was going on in the Tasman Sea. I’ve been pipped at the post here before and I’ve also pipped someone else at the post too so I know the Tasman Sea is a very tactical spot. This high pressure system developed and the worst case scenario happened: it came down from Australia and elongated west of Hobart all the way across to New Zealand. In an effort not get completely parked I moved south pretty quickly. I’m glad I did as it kept me in the game. However, it also consolidated the three of us in a pretty big way.
I’ve been looking really hard at which way to approach Wellington and I think I have more options than the other guys, but the weather really is very difficult to nail down. To be honest I haven’t really decided how I am going to tackle it. Going west might be a good option, but it’s a pretty unconventional route. New Zealand has some huge mountains which really affect the wind. To the east I will get some fairly serious upwind conditions. There are factors here that could really set me back if I get it wrong. There is no doubt, this will be interesting.
Cheers,
Brad
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A Chat with Sailing Anarchy from 48 South
As the low pressure system unfolded, I had the chance to talk with my friend at Sailing Anarchy. Here is the interview ... http://www.justin.tv/onthewateranarchy/b/277059431. Enjoy!
Brad
Brad
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Heading East in High Seas
All is okay out here. It is a bit of a sh*&^ fight right now but nothing dangerous I don’t think. Le Pingouin is hanging in there and I am just trying to go fast enough for the sea state and not too fast, as sliding off the waves sideways truly sucks if you’re going too slow, and jumping off them at 20+ knots boat speed also sucks. I talked to Derek today and he said he thought Gutek was misunderstood in his message about seeing 70 knots of wind. He thinks the intent was that he had the boat set up for 70 but that they only saw 40. They are in the eerie center of the low pressure system with very little wind, huge slamming seas and sunshine. I hate those moments, so hopefully I am far enough east to avoid that super slamming scenario. The storms in this part of the world come from the west typically and in some cases, like this one, from the north or north west. In any event, the boats to the west see the weather change first. Derek has been kind enough to stay in touch and keep me informed which is not necessary but very cool. I think part of the reason we have also been in touch is that no one likes to be alone in a foxhole. That is a supposition, never having been in a war myself, but I would imagine true.
Holding hands with LP,
Brad
Holding hands with LP,
Brad
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
GREETINGS FROM 46 SOUTH - HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011
2011! Wow, are you kidding?? That makes me really middle aged. I thought that would never happen, but bring it on! I have the distinct pleasure of ringing in the New Year in the middle of nowhere with no champagne, no woman to kiss at midnight, no ball dropping and nobody to sing that "old acquaintance be forgot" song that must be sung in unison annually. Instead, I will be pondering the meaning of life in what is forecast to be a moderate Southern Ocean sailing experience with all my Southern Ocean friends.
What will I do for New Year's 2011?
First, Le Pingouin (LP) and I will have a chat as she has a lot to say about being middle aged. Boats live in dog years.? It is about seven years to one human year so she actually just broke through 60 years old. She also has more circumnavigations under her voluminous brazier than I do. She has done this race twice before and the Vendee globe twice as well, so this is her 5th solo circumnavigation race while it is my 3rd. It is quite amazing to think that she had more than 150,000 miles in global racing mileage before we even started this adventure. The ole girl is still one of the fastest monohulls ever conceived. Combined LP and I have spent more than a year of our lives hanging out down here in the most remote place on Earth. I still feel hardly welcome and am a strong advocate for the "tread lightly and garner safe passage" theory to get through this inhospitable but beautiful place.
Following my chat with LP, I will speak with the animals that constantly escort me along my route. The birds here are fantastic. They seem so fragile as they fly in circles around the boat and flitter about in the wake of LP as we charge along. Regardless of the weather they are always there and seem genuinely interested in why I would be asking for permission to transit their private place on Earth. The flock of birds I constantly encounter represent as many different sizes and shapes as the fleet of aircraft man has built, and they look their part. The Albatross look like B52 bombers with huge glider shaped wings and robust torsos as they fly forever while seemingly never flapping their wings. On the other end of the spectrum are the petrels which are like little compact fighter jets that zip around and jet through the waves, flapping their wings to give them super speed like they are using an afterburner.
Finally on this special transition to 2011, I will speak to the things that I hopefully won't see. This includes the whales (of which I have only seen one since leaving Cape Town) and the icebergs which harbor so much of our world's ecosystem in their frigid existence.
The primary message that I will try to convey to this watery world as we enter 2011 is an apology. I'd like to be an "eyes wide open" witness to the impact our human existence has on this place. Maybe I am a lone ambassador of sorts? As I write this I am sailing in 9 degree Celsius water in a place that should have far cooler water temperature. I am sailing deliberately further north than ever before because the Antarctic convergence (ice zone) is hundreds of miles further north than when I first sailed the Southern Ocean in 1998. The birds are far less in numbers than I have ever experienced, and the whales... well, we all know that story. My message will be a hollow New Year's apology because I need to be honest with my friends down here. There is really nothing being done that will change the tide of globalization and human growth. We can hope that the pioneers of sustainability and green energy will be rewarded for tangible results. We can hope that rather than a typical New Year's resolution that is a lot of promise and little movement, that maybe the human population of our fragile home will put some action behind the rhetoric.
I don't pretend to know how much we affect this place through our actions and I am a firm believer that cyclic global temperatures are a natural weather occurrence, so I don't wish to be tied up in the politics of it all. I just speak of plane facts that we know we can change. The whales are gone because we kill them for food and resources we no longer need. The bird population is off because we kill them with bad fishing practices and by throwing trash in the water that they eat. This planet is 70% covered in water. The life and delicate balance that water provides is the brine from which all known life came. Can you imagine if that balance is upset? Water can take the life away just as easily, and in a much shorter time, than it was given. The oceans provide every ounce of water we drink. If the ice caps were to melt (which they are) the vast majority of the world's cities will become submerged. The sun and water are the two things that make every weather anomaly occur.
For crying out loud, the human body is something like 80% water isn't it? We better start taking care of our oceans or they aren't going to be here to take care of us.
This will be the somber but special New Year's message I will share with my friends in the Southern Ocean. It will be a very "glass is half full" conclusion, basically stating that mankind is good and wants to continue to exist, and that we will do as a race what we have to do to survive.
Happy New Year's and may you all take a few minutes to enjoy the beauty of the natural world in 2011.
Cheers,
Brad
What will I do for New Year's 2011?
First, Le Pingouin (LP) and I will have a chat as she has a lot to say about being middle aged. Boats live in dog years.? It is about seven years to one human year so she actually just broke through 60 years old. She also has more circumnavigations under her voluminous brazier than I do. She has done this race twice before and the Vendee globe twice as well, so this is her 5th solo circumnavigation race while it is my 3rd. It is quite amazing to think that she had more than 150,000 miles in global racing mileage before we even started this adventure. The ole girl is still one of the fastest monohulls ever conceived. Combined LP and I have spent more than a year of our lives hanging out down here in the most remote place on Earth. I still feel hardly welcome and am a strong advocate for the "tread lightly and garner safe passage" theory to get through this inhospitable but beautiful place.
Following my chat with LP, I will speak with the animals that constantly escort me along my route. The birds here are fantastic. They seem so fragile as they fly in circles around the boat and flitter about in the wake of LP as we charge along. Regardless of the weather they are always there and seem genuinely interested in why I would be asking for permission to transit their private place on Earth. The flock of birds I constantly encounter represent as many different sizes and shapes as the fleet of aircraft man has built, and they look their part. The Albatross look like B52 bombers with huge glider shaped wings and robust torsos as they fly forever while seemingly never flapping their wings. On the other end of the spectrum are the petrels which are like little compact fighter jets that zip around and jet through the waves, flapping their wings to give them super speed like they are using an afterburner.
Finally on this special transition to 2011, I will speak to the things that I hopefully won't see. This includes the whales (of which I have only seen one since leaving Cape Town) and the icebergs which harbor so much of our world's ecosystem in their frigid existence.
The primary message that I will try to convey to this watery world as we enter 2011 is an apology. I'd like to be an "eyes wide open" witness to the impact our human existence has on this place. Maybe I am a lone ambassador of sorts? As I write this I am sailing in 9 degree Celsius water in a place that should have far cooler water temperature. I am sailing deliberately further north than ever before because the Antarctic convergence (ice zone) is hundreds of miles further north than when I first sailed the Southern Ocean in 1998. The birds are far less in numbers than I have ever experienced, and the whales... well, we all know that story. My message will be a hollow New Year's apology because I need to be honest with my friends down here. There is really nothing being done that will change the tide of globalization and human growth. We can hope that the pioneers of sustainability and green energy will be rewarded for tangible results. We can hope that rather than a typical New Year's resolution that is a lot of promise and little movement, that maybe the human population of our fragile home will put some action behind the rhetoric.
I don't pretend to know how much we affect this place through our actions and I am a firm believer that cyclic global temperatures are a natural weather occurrence, so I don't wish to be tied up in the politics of it all. I just speak of plane facts that we know we can change. The whales are gone because we kill them for food and resources we no longer need. The bird population is off because we kill them with bad fishing practices and by throwing trash in the water that they eat. This planet is 70% covered in water. The life and delicate balance that water provides is the brine from which all known life came. Can you imagine if that balance is upset? Water can take the life away just as easily, and in a much shorter time, than it was given. The oceans provide every ounce of water we drink. If the ice caps were to melt (which they are) the vast majority of the world's cities will become submerged. The sun and water are the two things that make every weather anomaly occur.
For crying out loud, the human body is something like 80% water isn't it? We better start taking care of our oceans or they aren't going to be here to take care of us.
This will be the somber but special New Year's message I will share with my friends in the Southern Ocean. It will be a very "glass is half full" conclusion, basically stating that mankind is good and wants to continue to exist, and that we will do as a race what we have to do to survive.
Happy New Year's and may you all take a few minutes to enjoy the beauty of the natural world in 2011.
Cheers,
Brad
 |
| Looking Aft |
 |
| Looking Forward |
Video Footage of 46 South
Howdy All,
I hope you're all getting ready to ring in the New Year! I've collected some pretty good video of Le Pingouin and I haulin' ass in the Southern Ocean. Enjoy!
http://www.velux5oceans.com/#/latest-news/on-deck-in-the-southern-ocean-with-brad/1202
More news soon. Thanks for checking in,
Brad
I hope you're all getting ready to ring in the New Year! I've collected some pretty good video of Le Pingouin and I haulin' ass in the Southern Ocean. Enjoy!
http://www.velux5oceans.com/#/latest-news/on-deck-in-the-southern-ocean-with-brad/1202
More news soon. Thanks for checking in,
Brad
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Southern Ocean Sailing At Last
The weather has not been kind to us since the Leg 2 restart in Cape Town. It has been a very slow and arduous journey thus far. Sailing one of these boats upwind is difficult and uncomfortable. It puts a lot of strain on the boat and I know I was not the only competitor out here concerned about the conditions taking someone out of the race. I am happy to say that with Christmas here, the tides have changed. I am FINALLY sailing downwind in north-westerly winds. It is a welcome Christmas treat! I have about 20-25 knots and we are hootin’ along feeling like the boat is happy and well prepared for the conditions. With that happy news, I also realize that this is one of the most remote and dangerous areas of the race.
This week marks the most remote piece of Leg 2 from Cape Town to Wellington, New Zealand. It is daunting as there is no place to stop and no one to help should I run into trouble. Countless sailors have faced adversity in this area over the years, most recently Bernard Stamm who ended up running aground on a beach in the Kerguelen Islands during the Vendee Globe race and the young teen sailor Abby Sunderland, who was rescued earlier this year. The weather can be so violent, it is definitely a place to tread lightly. In saying that, this is also a race. My mission is to get through it safely without being too conservative. I don’t want to compromise the lead now that I have taken it back from Gutek! He made some very good tactical decisions early on, and dove south of me to take the lead. I don’t think he ended up being very comfortable at 45 South, when there have been recent iceberg sightings at 46 South.
The unusual warm weather of the first 5 days at sea has changed dramatically to a bitter cold. One of my compromises to save on weight aboard was to go without a heater. Bad call! I am cold, and I expect I will be cold for the remainder of Leg 2 until I see the promising sight of New Zealand’s summer coast. Thanks goodness I am fully outfitted with Gill apparel. The layers are great and closures are keeping me dry even in the extreme conditions on deck. If you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas, you should treat yourself at http://www.gillna.com/.
I realized after doing a bit of old school math, that I have spent 25% of the last 10 years at sea for Christmas. It never seemed this hard, and it is clearly more difficult now because I feel like I am missing precious time with my children. Christmas without children just simply sucks! I did get to chat with them via satellite phone and can’t wait to see them in New Zealand.
Merry Christmas to all and please keep the wind coming strong from the right direction!
Cheers,
Brad
This week marks the most remote piece of Leg 2 from Cape Town to Wellington, New Zealand. It is daunting as there is no place to stop and no one to help should I run into trouble. Countless sailors have faced adversity in this area over the years, most recently Bernard Stamm who ended up running aground on a beach in the Kerguelen Islands during the Vendee Globe race and the young teen sailor Abby Sunderland, who was rescued earlier this year. The weather can be so violent, it is definitely a place to tread lightly. In saying that, this is also a race. My mission is to get through it safely without being too conservative. I don’t want to compromise the lead now that I have taken it back from Gutek! He made some very good tactical decisions early on, and dove south of me to take the lead. I don’t think he ended up being very comfortable at 45 South, when there have been recent iceberg sightings at 46 South.
The unusual warm weather of the first 5 days at sea has changed dramatically to a bitter cold. One of my compromises to save on weight aboard was to go without a heater. Bad call! I am cold, and I expect I will be cold for the remainder of Leg 2 until I see the promising sight of New Zealand’s summer coast. Thanks goodness I am fully outfitted with Gill apparel. The layers are great and closures are keeping me dry even in the extreme conditions on deck. If you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas, you should treat yourself at http://www.gillna.com/.
I realized after doing a bit of old school math, that I have spent 25% of the last 10 years at sea for Christmas. It never seemed this hard, and it is clearly more difficult now because I feel like I am missing precious time with my children. Christmas without children just simply sucks! I did get to chat with them via satellite phone and can’t wait to see them in New Zealand.
Merry Christmas to all and please keep the wind coming strong from the right direction!
Cheers,
Brad
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