The Cosmos Adventure - News

Report From George Hotz -- Received July 8, 2002

Cosmos

Broome to Cocos-Keeling

6/27/02:

We've had perfect weather so far. All downwind sailing. A couple of days of genoa, only sailing; a couple of days of wing and wing sailing; a day or so with the main and genoa on the same side. Now, wing and wing. We've seen some small whales the last couple of days; Mink or Fin Whales, 20 to 40 feet long. They tend to show up at about Happy Hour. They appear as a loom of ghosts under glass as they approach Cosmos, shyly from astern. The sun reflects off of their tummies as they roll their bodies in order to see us from the shallow depths of the ocean rollers that they travel in. This reflection, or loom, can be seen from many yards as they linger behind Cosmos, accumulating the curiosity to pass by, within feet of the boat. We wave and holler encouragement to them as we snap our cameras to capture the beauty and power of these magnificent creatures. I tend to thank them for tolerating us and allowing us to traverse their oceans. We look forward to today's visit. It is 1500 miles to Cocos-Keeling from Broome, Australia, and we reached the halfway point on the fifth day out. If that is not astounding, how about this: Captain Joe, Cosmos, and I, are a year into this circumnavigation as of 6/24. And, (an English teacher once told me to never start a sentence with the word And, but, I am a big boy now and, I am doing it anyway) later this evening the crew called us all together in order to acknowledge, and celebrate, the fact that Cosmos, had reached the halfway point of the circumnavigation; position: Latitude 14 degrees 10 minutes South and Longitude 103 degrees 30 minutes East. This revised position is with regard to Cosmos' home port of Annapolis, Maryland, USA. I guess that we are on our way home, now.

6/28/02:

Another beautiful day in paradise; early coffee in the cockpit accompanied by sunrise, followed by a late pancake breakfast. We enjoyed another episode of shark trolling late in the afternoon -- as previously described, shark trolling is when the crew members jump overboard while underway and swim like crazy to catch a line that we drag behind Cosmos. Then we have to pull ourselves up to the stern of the boat and climb aboard. If Cosmos is sailing at five, or more knots, this can be quite a workout and very refreshing. It is also good if one does not lose his shorts at these speeds.

7/4/02:

We arrived in the Cocos-Keeling Islands and moored at Direction Island at 0815 on the first of July. We spent the day relaxing and waiting for Customs to board Cosmos and check us in. The next day we explored the neighboring Home Island and got back to the boat in time for most of the crew to do some great snorkeling. The dinghy ride to Home Island, and back, is quite a challenge due to coral and rocky shallows and water entering the dinghy due to sea conditions. This all contributes to the adventure and it is a very attractive location; quite similar to the Tuamotus in the Pacific. Yesterday, the 3rd of July, we went to West Island on the 0700 ferry. This meant leaving Cosmos soon after 0600 and taking the adventurous dinghy ride, in near darkness, to Home Island where we met the ferry.  We got to West Island in time for a late breakfast, explore the town, buy some souvenirs, do laundry (most important), and some of the crew got minor medical attention at the medical center. We also stocked up on some items at the grocery store for our 4th of July celebration.

Today we are hosting a U.S. Independence Day celebration on the beach near the anchorage at Direction Island. Captain Joe has invited the Customs Officials, Police, local medical technician, all of the other boat crews at the anchorage. It seems that several of these people have invited others, so it may turn out to be quite a blast. As hosts, the Cosmos crew is providing BBQ'd burgers and fireworks. The guests have all been requested to bring a dish, as well. I have to go and check out the campsite on the beach, now, and get ready.

7/5/02:

We all woke up late this morning with big tummies, big heads, and big memories of a successful 4th of July celebration. I had the privilege of doing the BBQ grilling and then joined up with another guest to set off our fireworks. The fireworks that we had aboard Cosmos have been aboard since we left the states, over a year ago. It was a small set of backyard sparklers and flaming fountains. The guest, John Clunies Ross, is a licensed pyrotechnics expert and brought with him a fabulous set of real fireworks. The two of us had a great time igniting the show to the glee of the 50, or so, guests on the beach. We launched the fireworks from a nearby pier; very convenient and great fun.

We will spend today cleaning up the campsite, cleaning up the boat, refueling and provisioning. It is Friday and we plan to spend the weekend here and leave sometime on Monday. It is an absolute paradise, here, and all cruisers have a hard time leaving. We can use the leisure time to prepare for this next long voyage, of approximately three weeks, across the Indian Ocean.

George