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Day 2: Cairns, Australia
September 23th, 2005

OK, I've finally had a good night's sleep. It was my first night aboard the ship that I will be calling "home" as well as "mother" over the next 24 days. The Makulu. 42 feet of sexy plexiglass and cedar-red wood. I woke up refreshed and went out to have a big Capucino and a breakfast sandwich at the biggest, brightest café on the Esplanade. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling expatriate. They don't have American style coffe, but their expensive cappucinos hit the spot.

Last night, Captain Jim and I went out for dinner on the Esplanade. Lots of tourists milling about, and colorful seafood restaurants lining the street. The place reminds me of a cross between South Beach and Coconut Grove in Miami. Lots of pretty blonde girls walking around. We had a good meal, but I was getting so tired that I had to call it an early night. I called my 2 boys using the new pre-paid phone card I bought at the internet café before heading back to the ship. They missed me in a surprisingly painful way. And I had an empty pit in my gut when we finally ended that first call. I missed them too, more than I expected for only being gone 3 days.

 


Intro to Cairns
Click to watch Movie


The Beach and Marina
Click to watch Movie

 
 

Click to watch video: Inside the Engine Room		  

Earlier this morning, before heading out to explore, I had eagerly offered my assistance to the captain. I really wanted to be taken seriously as a part of the crew, and I asked the captain to spare me no comforts. "Treat me as you would one of the crew", I said. So my first job was to rewire the Engine Room. (See Video) I spent a few hours crammed into the little engine "room", crimping the ends of wires and then attaching them to a set of panels Captain Jim had purchased at a local hardware store. I found it ironic that a renter from New York City would be responsible for the electrical integrity of a ship preparing to transverse several oceans over the coming months. But I didn't feel it was over my head.

Today, the rest of the crew arrives from the U.S. We helped them get settled into the boat and get their gear stored away. This is an ineresting bunch, and I've got lots of questions for them. We'll be planning out our itinery for the next week first thing in the morning, and I'll have a better idea where we'll be going and what we'll be doing. Then I'll try to find out something about my crewmates.

NEXT DAY