LAND! Well almost...

Hello all!

It is a little after 9:00 in the evening and I am on watch.  The sea is calm, with a glassy smooth swell that reflects the full moon to the East and Venus to the West.  The stars between these two bright lights in the sky are themselves brilliant and beautiful.  Earlier this evening, I could follow the orange-red of the sunset from a point due North on the horizon all the way to the Southwestern sky.  You can see more and further than any place else I have ever been on land, even the flat prairies of the midwest. Piercing the smooth water, spotted dolphins are jumping alongside the boat and because we have the engine running, I don't hear the splash.  I see the shimmer, the arch of the back and the tail slipping back below the surface, all in shades of silver, black and grey.

Tomorrow morning, a twelve year old boy from a Minnesota mining town, with a grey beard and sore knees, will sail into Horta, a busy port on the island of Faial in the Azores.  He will be with a friend and a brother and they will all fall silent as they think about what they have done.  A long way traveled and a good distance yet to go.  Thank you to everyone I love for all the support you have given me.  I long to be with you, to share my stories and to hear yours.


(Posted by Christa for her dad, Pat. From an email to his friends and family)