25th of August, 2009  I fixed the charging thing. I braided cables, a pad here, a nut there and its done. Now I switch it on and off from time to time, just to see that it works. Fabulous! I learn a lot when sailing alone, a great feeling! – another ten trips around the world and I will start believing in myself :) The wind is a bit lazy. We (me and Tanasza) are lazy too, as a result. But we are going in a right direction, which is nice after the last stage. Such a change will surely do me some good:) I have prepared myself some cucumber salad with sour cream (mizeria). I had no cream so I used “Philadelphia” cheese instead (I still have a minor stock taken from Panama). I added a bit of dill (from a jar) and the result was delicious. I did not even get burned in the process (the only reason for which was that you don’t have to cook cucumber salad :) ) The wind is changing directions again... I am still wondering how tall-ships overcome that? Does the crew climb...

2000 ZULU TIME, position: 02 45 S, 096 40 W 24.08.2009 Nearly not enough wind to fill the sails. Number of squids thrown aboard: 3. Number of ships passing about 7 miles behind my stern: 1. I am 400 miles away from the Galapagos Islands and I have over 2,500 miles left to Fatu Hiva Island. Ach, not all of you know that I am going to Marquesas Islands. Well, here I am. It is only 600 miles extra when compared to the straight route to Hawaii, but I will have much better wind conditions and I will be safer this way, since I am making a large half circle around storms ravaging the northern Pacific. What is more, I will have a better crossing angle at the next equator crossing (how many times have I crossed it?)... You may get the impression that I’ve got lost and I am sailing back and forth, well, I haven’t:). Last night was a bit strange, again. Initially, the wind died down, but then got stronger and seemed to be blowing from various directions, changing rapidly....

23rd of August, 2009 Wind died in the night. Doesn’t matter, I am in no hurry! I wanted to do so much today, but I got stuck staring at the water and slowly passing clouds. It is so beautiful here. The ocean “breathes” and produces long, but low, waves. Sunlight tries to work its way through the gray clouds, slips through patches of clear blue sky and reflects in the surface of water... Amazing, I am telling you! P.S. It is amazing how fast a man (or a woman) can forget about unpleasant moments! This stage is so different from the previous one, it is hard to believe... ZULU TIME 1800 Position: 0220S, 095 05W

2300 ZULU TIME Position: 02 01 S, 093 48 W 22nd of August, 2009 Although the sky is still cloudy, I am enjoying the cruise. The ocean is ‘wrinkled’ by small waves. Wind speed: 15 knots. I got used to my new rhythm of sleep and work. Two squids which invited themselves to the deck are already back to the sea. I saw one whale fountain and one fisherman boat in the night... and I started to wear a beanie.

20 - 21st of August, 2009 I had tears in my eyes when I sailed out. I did not expect so many people to wave me farewell when I was leaving the bay. They shouted greetings, wished me a good voyage and blessed me. I have never received as many wind flown kisses as there. Leo played the horn... The cruise started great. There was just enough wind, blowing from a proper direction. I checked everything, it was a bit cold. I am still between the islands and I keep watch, correcting course from time to time (because of currents). In three hours, it will start to dawn... 21.08.2009, ; 1300 ZULU TIME Position: 01 16 S, 091 91 W I can still see the land of the next island. It is wonderful!

20th of August, 2009 I had to switch back again. The water level is very low at the moment. Small waves build up and it is becoming a little ‘swingy’ so I had to intervene. Yesterday, when I went to s/y Selah in order to return books, I was not let go without a proper supper. And so, I ate delicious salt-roasted fish – totally amazing. It was seasoned with garlic and rosemary. One of the best fish I have eaten in my entire life.  

18th of August, 2009 Although it worked yesterday in the morning,  my e-mail pactor ceased to work while I was pasting it in order to protect it from the salty water in the future. I made sure it would be checked once again. I went to the yacht thinking that I will sail away and I found the thing broken. Oh, the feeling was terrible. What to do? what to do? I want to go!!! I talked to my guardian angel – Piotr of Medivet. He wants to buy a new one for me... I do not know whether to ask him to send it over here and wait? Or maybe I should sail without communications and ask him to send it straight away to the Marquesas Islands? I got sad... but Lion, a guy from the yacht nearby, invited me to join them for supper. Italians – I love their love for good wine and good cuisine. Ribs were just excellent, I also had a shower. I met a dog called Lara and I received a lot of data regarding the Marquesas Islands, as well as a movie to watch... Today in the morning, a crewmember...

17th of August, 2009 The buoy got loose again. This time I was on the yacht. I was almost naked and I could not find any shorts since I gave them all to the laundry. As a result, I pulled those muddy ropes and I threw the anchor out wearing my beautiful (and favourite, as a matter of fact), long Zara skirt. The ship I nearly crashed into was full of sea lions which were staring at me from a very short distance. A large turtle swam by to help me, but there wasn’t much it could do. Instead, I received help from Darwin, a water taxi driver. I offered to pay him for his support, but he rejected my offer. The Galapagos people are so kind and nice. My camera has jammed for some reason. It does take photos, but I cannot switch on  any specific functions. Did it get scared of lobsters on the fish market where I was taking pictures today? :) The fuel issue seems to be not as easy to solve as I thought. A petrol station (and the petrol itself) are the property of the government...

16th of August, 2009 Oh how I would love to go snorkelling in the neighbouring bay, to swim among the turtles... But you know, I am afraid of sharks. And I am stubborn in my fear and no one can convince me otherwise. The only option for me to enter water is to do it with someone holding my hand... The thing about free swimming is that there is no ‘someone’ around... Oh well, I will sew the mainsail (a tiny, but rather nasty tear). I will copy promotional materials, do the laundry, clean things a bit. I need to catch up with blog and e-mails, too... later: I fixed the mainsail with glue, a kind of rubber. I got really dirty. It is chilly. Do you know what was reported to me? Today, i.e. on the 16th of August, 2009, my hometown of Ustka held "II bieg leśno - plażowy o puchar dyrektora OSIR" – a 15km run from Ustka to Rowy. Competitors were in good shape (everyone finished the run, with one exception). The weather and moods were great! Competitors included members of...

15th of August, 2009 Mr Schies was my last resort if I wanted to send e-mails while at sea. For two days, I was trying to find the source of the problem: once something couldn’t be installed, another time something couldn’t be uninstalled, later on compression failed, the computer couldn’t find appliances, and so on and so forth.  For a while, I was running ashore - getting access to the Internet – and going back on board... checking new ideas, finding them again on the Internet and later on going back on board…  Consultations with invaluable Janek and darling Sergiusz were long and knotty for me; plus, bear in mind the difference in time zones - Hawaii, London, the Galapagos Islands... With God’s help it was finally ‘revealed’ that it was the ocean that we should blame,  as water had got into my computer and rusted some circuits inside. An expert on yacht electronics, the only one here, by the way – Mr Schies, although very busy, came today on Tanasza and...

Friday I got up very early. Ben, an Australian, visited me. He is a crewmember of the catamaran ‘parked’ nearby – a ‘neighbour.’ Ben quitted a job which he didn’t like and decided to sail through the Pacific. He mentioned that he met a Polish yacht in Panama. It was manned by a couple who travelled with a dog. They were going to/from Easter Island. Could it have been Tomek Lewandowski? Is it possible that we were there at the same time and we missed each other? Geez... Ben was to pull me to the top of the mast but, being a gentleman, he offered that he would climb it instead. I agreed hastily, before he had a chance to reconsider:) Thanks to him I crossed several repairs out of the list, and only a few remain there now... In the morning, I was visited by a large turtoise and now I am sitting in a beautiful hotel. In the mountains. Totally by accident! – yesterday in the morning, in a water taxi, I met Fernando. Fernando is a manager of Royal Palm Hotel (

12th of August, 2009 The bay that Tanasza is anchored in is sheltered from the wind but I moved to a buoy closer to the shore, just for a few days. I can stay here until its owner comes back. Waves are smaller here and it is easier to work on the engine. The place is full of water taxis, pontoons, tourists, fisherman boats... the port is really busy (yet, when I mentioned that I am from Poland I heard in response: ‘Oh yes, The Pianist, a sad, but beautiful, movie...”). On Richard’s (guy from Panama) advice, I met Frank Englemayer. He is a descendant of one of the first inhabitants of the islands,  the people who were born on the Galapagos Islands. Frank has a lot of yachts, he knows the trade and he proved to be most helpful in repairing Tanasza. Jonncy, his employee, devoted entire two days (he had to survive with me next to him :) ) to Tanasza, a result of which is a long list of ‘fixed things.’ Jonncy is extraordinary, very clever and he does a really good job....

11th of August, 2009 I am here, moored to a buoy, but I may be forced to anchor. I am not at all ‘happy’ with the idea for I know I will be constantly worried about my weak chain, even if I will attach an additional rope... Anyways, catching the buoy was a great feat in itself... I would rather not repeat it – it is a very big cylinder with a shackle in the centre. I had to go to a nearby ship and convince its crew to help me out with their pontoon. The guys, although ready to help, did not speak English, and my Spanish needs a lot of improvement. What is more, they had no idea how to operate the pontoon :) As if that was not enough, heavy rain came – it is a real pity I did not record it, you’d laugh your heads off:) Later, a gentleman from the port authority and a doctor came. My lungs and tongue were examined and I was found to be healthy and ‘able’ to stay on the island. It ‘turned out,’ though, that I had no permission to moor to the buoy, but I did!...

9th of August, 2009 It feels weird to think that land is so close... This leg of my cruise is the slowest one, or rather, the most zig-zag one, and I have to struggle to reach my destination, but then the struggle itself is what I am here for and what I like. It is hard to explain, even to myself. Suddenly, a lot of issues pop up: to prepare documents, an additional anchor line, change my clothes, prepare a yellow flag, etc. I have even thought about manicure, but then the list of things to do at the engine is so long that all the effort would be in vain. By the way, I wonder if the Galapagos Islands have changed since my last visit there? It was 7 years ago. In the morning: land, ho! I can see San Cristobal Island, but I have to pass it by. Geez, what a swinging! The bird is gone. UFO! Definitely the UFO took him. Poor creature... Someone spoke over a radio about a thief caught red handed on some yacht. I failed to learn which island it was, though. The guy could have...

8th of August, 2009 The bird is still here, but the wind got “right”, hallelujah!!!  (it’s nice of it, to be honest:) ) I can sail now! At last, forward, towards the great tortoises. I am trying to move a bit to the south – if the wind turns around again, it will be easier for me to go on... Hey, I passed the equator!!!!!!! I was asleep while I was passing the very line, though :P But I shared my coffee with Neptune in the morning. I hope he drinks it with milk and no sugar:) Position 00 09 S, 087 40 W,  1830 ZULU TIME. Look what I have found in my calendar: "An experienced sailor does not fight current or wind, but rather allows them to carry him in a direction of his choice...” Yeah, interesting... Bolesław Prus wrote these words, but can anyone tell me if he sailed at all???!!! I would gladly see him try.

7th of August, 2009 New sights today. When I see clouds which seem strange to me, I always feel it is a bad omen... I did not know what to think about them... The wind became very strong with time... I nearly lost my nerves when Tanasza started to roam through the waves so fast that the mast wavered. I thought it would pass, that it was a temporary squall, but then I realised that it was not and that I have to reef the sails while the waves are not small at all. I don’t have windmeter but it does blows a lot... In the night, I noticed a bird a couple of times (was it always the same one?). It was strange, for whenever I went out to look around, it would come from behind the stern, fly towards the bow and then continue in front of Tanasza, just like a figurehead... weird... generally, my new reality is rather weird... Night time. What will a day bring? It brought sailing exercises focused on how to find a compromise between sailing towards the wind and avoiding to smash the...

Two weeks have passed since I left. Who would have thought? Still, even the most winding and difficult path will lead me to my destination, provided I don’t lose it:) 6th of August, 2009 0800 ZULU TIME Position 00 39N, 085 06 W. Well, it means that I am close to the equator. Zig-zags that I make on the maps look as if I was trying to paint something... The wind started to blow, well about time. For the last half an hour I’ve been able to progress towards the Galapagos Islands, but I wonder how much longer will it last? I’ve woken up. The moon is high and it is quite bright. Lots of birds around, the sky is greyish, squall-like. Tanasza, my dear yacht, is struggling heavily on the waves. I just love this boat!

Last night was all about very strong squalls and periods of silence. When it was calm, I would go ‘nowhere’ or got pushed into an unfavourable direction... but there was no point in putting more sails on, because the squall would be so strong that they would get torn. Not good. Yet, I’ve noticed that I’ve begun to get used to this situation and treat it as a good school of patience and finding the most favourable things, though sometimes they are also the tiniest ones, in every situation... I kept watch at night, ready to leap out on the deck at any time. I steered a bit, but it was really cold in the rain, even though I’m near the equator. I’d wear socks, but I have no idea where I put them. Well, they were of no use to me in Brazil or Caribbean, or Panama. I think the last time I wore them was in Cape Town, in January or so:) The day is just great. One squall after another, drizzle, again I can go nowhere. The autohelm pushes me into the wind on the waves, the...

4th of August, 2009  I’m a bit fed up, to be honest. Headwind all the time, it’s really difficult to go against the wind when it’s just millimeters on the autohelm that give you the longed-for 10 degrees that you need to fight the waves and don’t let them make you „fall out” of the course and go across the wind when you seem to be „carried away” to the other side... and the autohelm won’t get blocked to hold it for some time... late at night. The wind calmed down for a moment, and I’ve fallen asleep. As a result, I’ve got carried away to the north. Mind you, I’d been fighting so much to go as far south as possible... Never mind. The wind has come back, even less favourable this time. Now, I think there is no place to go for me. Never mind. I wanted to try and see how I could help myself (you know, sometimes a capstan doesn’t work, sometimes the autohelm lines, well, there’s always THIS or THAT...), so I turned on the engine, and you know what? it...

3rd of August, 2009 where on earth do they still produce cans and tins without this easy-open lid? It’s outrageous, because my can opener is rusty, and the other one (which I got from Jadzieńka in Cape Town) is SOMEWHERE. Using a knife to open a can is not particularly safe... When, after a lot of work, I finally managed to get to the content of the can, and I was pouring it to a pan, an orange fell into the pan and the sauce splashed everywhere. In the meantime, the wind got stronger, so I had to adjust the autohelm. When I got back, it turned out that my food was stuck to the pan. I put what was left onto a tortilla (after all, it was a can of SPANISH beans), but the tortilla got torn. Well. I put it on a plate. The plate slid to the sink. As the sink was full of dirty dishes, the plate got stuck on a mug. My friends know that I’m as patient as an angel, so you know that I wasn’t particularly worried and ate what I managed to dig out from the sink. It’s a pity,...

2nd of August, 2009 It’s a pity I can’t unfurl the genoa, I could do with a front sail when going headwind. Two days ago, Krzysztof (www.interprosailingteam.com) called me – what I heard is still eating me. He called me to check how I was feeling, but he also told me about his great loss. Only those who have had yachts for a long time know what it means to lose such a yacht... On the way back from a regatta, his s/y Blyskawica was in a highway accident. Well, I do want to believe that it will set sail on many regattas... At night, there were many big birds around me, maybe they thought I’m a fishing boat:) And today, there is a little birdie with a white belly. It looks so cheerful that it makes me smile whenever I see it.

I’ve missed this year’s Children’s Day so with a two-month delay I note down my reflections on this subject: I think that it should be a day when we not only organise truancy or games for children, but it also should be a day when we, adults, find some time for reflection on the fate of the less happy children, we should pose questions about what we can do to help them. Ronald Russell wrote in his poem entitled ‘Children Learn What They Live’: If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn. If children live with hostility, they learn to fight. If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive. If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves. If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy. If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy. If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty. If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence. If children live with tolerance, they learn patience. If...

it’s night. the moon has gone in clouds. there is absolute darkness and I can’t see the stars. They’re behind the clouds. Earlier, I saw two shooting stars... head full of dreams... I’ve been on the sea for one week now and I’ve started reading the book that Captain Wojtek Jacobson gave me – On Maria to Peru.  I was curious how they managed their cruise in this part of the Pacific in which I’ve just got stuck. Reading on board gives you the chance to have a nap, but not because the book is boring but because there are no other yachts, no squalls. Sleep is worth one’s weight in gold and books evoke such thoughts and create such a world that are a perfect prelude to our dreams... and it was like that this time as well... first, I was looking at the dedication for a long time. If he could only see that... and when I started reading, I thought that it was a pity the photos weren’t sharp and the book was so short... but I was glad that the letters were so small...

the led light on the mast stopped working. I can barely see the pointer showing me the wind direction, and when there is a cloudburst I can’t see it at all. Today, I read in the Bronisław Zieliński’s memories about Ernest Hemingway: ‘But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.’ Perhaps some of you needed to read such words today?  Being on the sea makes receiving information more difficult... for example, today I found out that one year ago Sir Edmund Hillary died. He was a citizen of New Zealand, the first climber known to have reached Mount Everest, in 1953, and in 2002 he founded the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. It was a very good start for us! Sir Hillary also reached both poles and when he finished his career, he established the Himalayan Trust Foundation, which supported building new schools, hospitals and clinics in Nepal.  I wish there were more people like Sir Hillary, who would use their popularity to finance and support others...

29th of July, 2009 something really bad happened to me last night... I don’t really know if I can find words to describe the fear, or rather the awareness I felt that it’s the silliest possible, truly inappropriate, way of dying... I got poisoned, and the situation got really serious. It turns out that the reason for my frequent stomach aches in Panama was probably some kind of a strong allergy to pineapples. Last night, I ate something like a half of this tasty fruit, and I felt pain in my stomach immediately. The thing is, it was much, much stronger than it had used to be on the continent... When I decided to take some painkiller, it was too late – with a weird taste in my mouth, I felt totally dizzy, with hot and cold flashes... I staggered around the yacht for some time, then I lost consciousness. Luckily, it was just for a moment. I knew that I had never felt that sick before. I was scared, afraid that I would never see my loved ones again. I wanted to call someone...

What’s going on here?! It’s dark because of the clouds, there is one squall after another and rain comes along with each of them... sometimes the wind spins so quickly that I barely manage to find my way... and there are plenty of ships around. My little Tanasza is very brave... she just needs a little bit of love... The right capstan needs to be dismantled, in turn. Probably some trigger or spring broke down because it doesn’t get blocked... and it should.  The thing is, Barlow, the manufacturer of my capstan, hasn’t been producing capstans for ten years... Luckily, other producer’s spare parts will be ok, but now I don’t have the opportunity to dismantle it and... I really need it. I’m using it all the time but I have different methods of blocking the line. It’s bothersome and I really need to be careful so that my hand doesn’t get pulled in. It works the other way round, too – if an unexpected squall makes us turn then it’s difficult to unblock such a...

Today, it’s been two years since I set off on my cruise... Two years ago, I left the Honolulu Harbour in the Hawaiians Islands and started the cruise of my dreams... I have this feeling that time goes by differently for those who are on the sea... Many times I have been asked about the biggest success of my cruise. I always answer that it’s the fact that I was fighting for eight years to make my dream come true and I didn’t give up. ‘And the most difficult moments of the cruise?’  ‘Those spent in the galley,’ I answer. ‘And the most beautiful views that you remember?’ ‘Postcards of the ocean, moments spent with the children from the Against the Odds Foundation, and those with my friends on the coasts of new lands...’ Recently, someone has asked me if I have changed. I guess I have, but you know what? there is one thing I’m sure of – I’m happy that my cruise hasn’t finished yet! dolphins have just visited me... I get many letters from you. You...

I saw stars at night, I missed them. And I also saw a tiny red moon setting on the horizon. At about 4 o’clock in the morning the foresail started flapping, although the wind hadn’t changed. I could hear the sound of a storm in the distance. Again, waves were middling, the yacht was going in a strange way, I couldn’t see much. I didn’t know if there was SOMETHING in the offing. Just in case, I reefed. It’s better to go slower but safer. The fact that Jasiek got to the Galapagos Islands with all his sails torn to pieces serves as a warning to me. And I even don’t have a crew to look out for squalls when I go to get some sleep... What’s more, there’s something wrong with the genoa roller and I don’t want to get in squalls and not be able to furl the sail. Been there, done that... nothing pleasant.

today, so far, touch wood!, it seems a bit less stormy. headwind... although it’s not too strong, it still is uncomfy because I can’t go where I want to go. I survived an insect attack . I guess they were moths. I took photos of these scoundrels so as soon as I get to the Galapagos Islands, I’ll show them to you. they were huge, one-third of a palm! do I exaggerate? well, maybe just a bit. but there were so many of them that I was afraid to touch anything because they were literally everywhere. I felt as if I had been attacked, conquered by an invader. I was deprived of my space, my privacy! horror! it was the first time I felt so powerless during this cruise... I couldn’t hit them with a flip-flop (they were too big), nor drive them away from the inside with a towel... when I tried, they started flying like mad and I had to hide away from them in my sleeping bag! one dragonfly slept by the gps. because of the insects, my going out every fifteen minutes to look for other...

zigzag, zigzag... I can’t go straight because the current is changing, the waves are strange, or even extremely strange... because there’s a storm, no wind and other yachts... I can’t remember a worse night than yesterday. setting sail from Panama is not a task for those who are afraid of storms... that is me :) it went beyond my all my great expectations, even the boldest ones... and not-expectations as well...  there are so many clouds, thunders seem to be endless as if someone had taken a fixed shot of a thunder. the sky lighted up every few seconds... I was trying to get away from it but there is nowhere to hide... it all was just around me. in the morning, the wind blew off and there was a genuine storm with rain and changing winds...  Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning conductor, did you know it? It was nice of him. I didn’t know about it either.  I awarded myself huge avocado and some other fruit. They have really beautiful fruit in Panama. I have...

23rd of July, 2009 I’ve set sail from Panama. I’m looking forward to sailing but at the same time I feel sorry leaving my friends here... well, I’ve got to come back here and take up Allan’s invitation. He has a beautiful house here and also a hotel (www.costaverde.com) on Costa Rica. Allan, thank you very much for the invitation! In the blazing sun, I saw  hundreds of yachts, pelicans flying low above the water, whale-like creatures spouting fountains of water and jumping over the surface, and some plastic bottles drifting around... the waves are strange, it’s stormy and lighting flashes all around me. A bit later: so far, there has been a storm, unfavourable waves, headwind and  the water current was, of course, in the opposing direction. It wasn’t supposed to be like that... lol, I’m wondering how it is possible that some people say they had such a good journey to the Galapagos Islands. I wish I could download the...

26th of June, 2009  http://www.sailnews.pl/content/view/577/31/ Thanks to Translateria (www.translateria.pl), you can read this article in English: An interview for sailnews.pl - Natasza Caban Friday, 26.06.2009 A sailing enthusiast and a person sensitive to the suffering of others – this is how a sailor from Ustka, Natasza Caban, is often characterized. At the moment, Natasza Caban, a person who combines her passion for sailing with charity, is preparing for the last leg of her solo cruise around the world. She found time to give an interview to sailnews.pl when crossing the Panama Canal. Here, she describes the origin of her expedition and the difficulties connected with it, as well as an amazing charity action. Enjoy your read! Let’s start from the very beginning, with the question you are surely asked quite often. How did you...

1430 ZULU pos. 01.09N, 83.14W

Saturday, zulu: 0030 pos. 02 19 N, 81 56  W