Easter at Sea: Small Gifts from the Pacific
- Ingrid Molitor
- 16 hours ago
- 3 min read
He has risen. Praise and give thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Day whatever it is on the open Pacific. We have lost count a little, but the miles keep sliding west. We left Panama for Hawaii on March 8. As you know, a few problems along the way forced some delays. Even so, if you calculate our March 8 departure against the full mileage from Panama to Hawaii without any stops, we crossed the halfway mark. After thirty days of sailing from Panama, we have about 2,300 nautical miles remaining of the 5,000 mile passage.
After weeks of the Pacific showing us her tougher side, she decided to remind us that she can be generous too. The sailing has turned beautiful. We have become much more confident with the asymmetrical spinnaker, and the improvement in our course options and speed is remarkable. Hazel glides along with that big colorful sail pulling us forward. There is real satisfaction in feeling the boat respond smoothly after all the earlier frustrations with wraps and twists. Peter and I are beginning to trust the rig again, and it shows in our progress.
Then came one of those unexpected gifts from the sea. We caught a small thresher shark. Nothing huge, but enough for several proper meals. Fresh fish at sea always feels like a luxury, especially when the stores are running low. We cleaned it carefully and grilled it that evening. It was delicious and a real morale boost for Peter. He loves living off the land. He is that type of guy. I hate to admit it, but I have never understood the appeal of a massive vegetable garden, canning your own produce, harvesting fruit from your own trees, and hunting for all your meat in the form of deer, turkey, duck, geese, and fish. Why go to all that effort when Costco has everything ready to go, and on your way out you can order a pizza from the food court. Maybe my life is too easy. Costco just seems more efficient and a much lower overall resource expense.
The sunsets have been spectacular. Each evening the sky puts on a show with deep oranges, pinks, and purples melting into the magnificent blue water we have come to love. Sitting in the cockpit as the light fades, with the spinnaker full and the boat moving well, makes the hard days feel far away.
Today is Easter Sunday, and Peter was kind enough to scrub Hazel’s deck while I handled other chores. We each had our own small celebration. I chose a cheeseburger. Peter chose more thresher shark.
Out here, the Pacific keeps teaching us. She is hard on the boat and hard on her crew, but she also slips in moments of beauty and simple abundance. A good sail. A fresh fish dinner. A kind gesture from your mate. A sunset that stops you in your tracks. These moments do not erase the challenges, but they balance them. They remind us why we are doing this.
We are still a long way from Hawaii, still learning every day, but days like these make the journey feel rich.
Great picture of the spinnaker pulling us down wind!
All small wins deserve a celebration. Here we have two ice cold Coke zeros that we had on reserve and we are using them to celebrate a flawless spinnaker set.
This is the thresher shark that produced 8 nice size steaks!
I am not sure if this is a swordfish, billfish or a marlin. However, the day was filled with tuna surrounding our boat, and these hunters such as the one in the video hiding in our wake prepared to attack.
Perfect Sailing!
Full moon night sail, repping USA!
Easter morning sunrise!
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