Papeete, Tahiti, 03.07.2008
ZORRO: The swordfish Zorro paid us a visit. Sporting a length of around 2 meters, this Blue Marlin would easily weigh in at around 200 kilos. Some meal, in other words. A majestic view, that will stay with us for a long time.
As always on a 17th of May where anyone from our hometown is involved, the weather had to be terrible. We spent an incredible 29 days getting from Pitcairn to Tahiti, a 1200 mile leg. Not a single breath of wind! In addition, our batteries were flat and the motor dead. So there we were, drifting in the middle of the enormous, blue Pacific. Not that we had any problems with that. We sunbathed, fished and made gourmet dinners every day. The exception weatherwise, was of course 17th and 18th of May. Those two days we had a full gale, with rain and all kinds of troubles, all pounding us from the wrong direction, of course. However, National day had to be postponed. Not until the 21st did we have the courage to dress up (or down) and go for a parade around the mast and back again. With the Norwegian flag and everything. In the cockpit we had prepared a traditional meal, with sausage, mashed potatoes and various cabbage. Can life be better than that? The friendly, traditional competitions had to be called off due to lack of space. So there we were, celebrating in solitude. Well, not quite.
When we were preparing the food, a very majestic sight chose to show itself at our stern. A Blue Marlin at a length of some 2 meters! Swordfish this size usually weigh around 200 kilos. We threw all our hooks at it, as well as a can of tuna fish. But nope. Zorro wasn’t hungry, just curious. Just as Zorro disappeared and we had eaten our food, an enormous shark came swimming along. Unfortunately, it disappeared before we could photograph it, but it looked HUGE. All in all a very nice celebrating, even though a few days late. But then again, only we know that. We, Zorro and Tom, of course.
FACTS ABOUT 17th of MAY :
# The Norwegian Constitution Day is the National Day of Norway and is an official national holiday each year. The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll on May 17 in the year 1814. The constitution declared Norway to be an independent nation.
# The celebration of this day began spontaneously among students and others from early on. However Norway was at that time under Swedish rule Convention of Moss in August 1814) and for some years the King of Sweden was reluctant to allow the celebrations.
# A noteworthy aspect of the Norwegian Constitution Day is its very non-military nature. All over Norway, children's parades with an abundance of flags form the central elements of the celebration. Each elementary school district arranges its own parade with marching bands between schools. The parade takes the children through the community, often making stops at homes of senior citizens, war memorials, etc
# The National Day is also celebrated in many Norwegian immigrant communities throughout the world, with traditional foods.
(Source: Wikipedia )
MORNING MOOD: The sunsets and sunrises in the Pacific are almost as stunning as Røst, where we come from. It is not easy to stay in a bad mood after an entire day of slow sailing, when the day ends like this.
GOURMET FOOD: We ate traditional Norwegian national day food. Sausages and mashed potatoes. The ice cream came first when we reached land, but then we ate two liters of it in less than three minutes!
THE PARADE: In 30 degrees centigrade, with the same temperature in the sea, and a burning sun, there is only one sensible way to dress in the Pacific. Wearing your own skin.
THE ART OF COOKING: It is never boring to cook when on the high seas. Will the food end up on the floor today? We are getting good at this, managing to hold on to ourselves, the food on the stove, the stove, the food and spices on the shelf, and all of this using only two hands!
THE TUAMOTU-ARCHIPELAGO: National day we celebrated more or less voluntarily in the middle of the Pacific. We were joined by the shark Tom and the swordfish Zorro.
