Ocean Watch

I like late December when newspapers and magazines list the highlights of the year, because it reminds me how important it is to live in the moment. No matter what happened in the past, good or bad, big or little, it's over. It's history.

I made a conscious effort to remember that while sailing across the South Pacific this year. Whether I was feeling brave or scared, happy or sad, I bore in mind that the circumstances causing those emotions would change. Something will happen, I would think, and this will end.

It always did, of course, and now that I'm safely home, my big adventures are just a bunch of stories to tell. Here are some of my 2006 favorites:

     Best marine animal encounter: The sea snakes of New Caledonia. I didn't even have to get in the water to be enthralled by these enchanting creatures. Just a stroll around the marina or a walk on the beach usually revealed one or more of these snakes going about their business of fishing, or looking for a place to take a nap. I fell completely in love with these fine, gentle creatures.

    Best land animal moment: Having a tame kangaroo at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo hold my hand between its dainty little hands as it ate my proffered kibble.

    Best bird moment: When a wild cockatoo landed on the boat, hopped into the cockpit and ate some spilled potato chips.

    Best Hawaii moment: Walking into a bank in a remote town in Tonga and having a man say to one of my crew, "I know you!" And he did. One worked, and the other lived, in Wahiawa.

  Most hopeful marine animal moment: A hotel manager in Tonga telling me that sea horses live in the sea grasses just off his hotel.

  Most disappointing marine animal experience: Not finding a sea horse after hours of snorkeling in shallow water looking for them. "Oh," the manager said when I told him I'd been skunked. "They only come out at night. During a full moon. When it's calm."

  Worst moment at sea: Approaching the barrier reef around the island nation of Niue at night with no charts and no GPS map.

  Best decision at sea: Canceling a long-planned stop at Niue.

  Hardest decisions as captain: Deciding when and where it's safe to sail at night, and when and where it's best to slow the boat and wait for daylight.

  Moments when I was most afraid: At night, with no moon, in big seas and howling wind. Even when I knew we had the right sails up and I thought the boat was doing fine, I was afraid of those forces. Knowing it would pass didn't help. It was still miserable being that scared.

  Bravest moment: Motoring my 6-foot-draft boat into the 6-foot-deep channel of the Cook Island, Aitutake.

  Proudest moment: While moored in Rarotonga harbor, being the expert on the Aitutake channel.

  Best A close second to my proudest moment: Perfectly parallel parking the boat at Fiji's Royal Suva Yacht Club.

    Most homesick moment: Watching the film "Superman Returns," and then stepping out of the theater to find I'm still in Suva.

When I'm feeling sad that my big voyage is over, I remember this: That trip may now be just a series of stories, but at least I'm in them.

I look forward to making more in 2007.