Day 7: It’s a Homemade Cinnamon Roll Sort of Day

Carmen, otherwise known as Charlie-Alpha-Romeo-Mike-Echo-November (we've
been practicing our NATO official letter names) decided last night that
she was going to make cinnamon rolls for the crew today. She went about
finding a recipe and preparing to bake the next morning. She boiled
potatoes (with Gina's help) and set out all of the ingredients. She
tends to be one of the first to awaken in the morning aside from Jim,
who is on watch from 5-8am. And so this morning we were awoken with the
aroma of cooking cinnamon rolls – YUMMMM.

Have you ever noticed how regular foods taste so exceptionally yummy
when eating them outdoors? I just love a huge pot of spaghetti after a
cool day hiking. Oatmeal never tastes so good as when it is cooked over
a Coleman stove at a campsite. And cinnamon rolls in the middle of the
sea one week into a 3-week voyage, well that is close to nirvana, if you
believe in that sort of thing. I think it is not only the deliciousness
of the food, but the heart and the love that goes into it. I'm proud
that my little (BIG) girl gets pleasure out of giving in this way,
thanks to the excellent training she received from her dad.

Other than our fabulous breakfast, the day has been somewhat uneventful,
especially compared to yesterday's marathon 20-hour engine repair and
the previous fitful nights of sleep. Most of us got better quality
sleep last night (I know I did) due to our friend the Beast giving us a
smoother ride in a low-wind sea with swells on our beam. And today we
have covered Jim's shifts so he can nap. The kids have been laughing
around the table, playing a dice game and scrabble. And now it is time
for dinner, my how the day flies.

843 nautical miles completed; 1,930 to go. Still waiting for those
famous consistent NNE trade winds to push us there, hoping they fill in
over the next few days.