This is your youngest Pole sailing the world around. Due to this running around on Vanuatu my left knee started to remind me about itself. Here it’s squishing, there it’s squishing. I ought to put on the stabilizer for a little while, especially when tomorrow I am climbing up the mast. Right knee has a big scar after cruciate ligament reconstruction. I was once flying on a paraglider on the tops of trees instead of above them and afterwards I completed its art of destruction on the snowboard. However, the left knee it’s a totally new story that I will share with you as a little time has passed and I can approch this subject from some distance already. And surely from the distance of 3400 nautical miles. It happened in Honolulu, at nearly the very beginning of my preparations for the expedition. This is how the story begins: My last yacht delivery led from San Diego to Hawaii. On the way we lost a rudder blade and one member of the crew had a stroke, an unfavorable...

Now I understand the saying: what you can do today, do it tomorrow. Even though it was raining I wanted to clean the boat (but I don't know how it got so messy from the beginning). I was procrastinating about doing the job for quite a while and today I got my butt going to do so. I went to do the dishes and did it on the shore in the marina shower just outside of my boat. So off I went passing across my plank. Nothing to it, but on the way back with all the dishes somehow I ended up in the water. If I only didn't want to be a good girl and clean! Someone moved my plank from a higher step and this way it turned out not to be secure enough. Plus the rain made it very slippery. Man, luckily touching the bottom I did not ended up in a sea urchin, which could be dangerous. My frying pan is still on the bottom. No way I'm diving for it. I'm scared of sharks and there are plenty of sea snakes around. I don't know how I'm going to go around the world with not going into the water...

Hawaii - Vanuatu, 3400 Nm non stop. I set from Honolulu for my solo around the world trip knowing that the first leg of my planned 22 months long circumnavigation will be a learning curve. I did think first month would be a test for me and my boat to see how we both handle what the ocean would throw at us, but I didn't expect the trial already at the first night. As the sun went down my mainsheet block broke and at the very next moment the pin for the autopilot came undone, so I was trying set my wind vane and steer at the same time, having my boom flying over my head. How wonderful would be if my head lamp worked or if I had a chance to go down below to fetch my flashlight, spare blocks and some straps! Also, because I was still close to land being surrounded by ships was making me nervous, especially since the close one's would not necessarily answer my VHF calls. I quickly learned to be careful what I ask for: the next morning the Pacific welcomed me totally...

It’s very late at night and I'm writing to you. I went below the steps of internet café and sat down. It is on the way to the public toilets so I'm accompanied by passing drunk people from the bar below, and surrounded by mosquitoes and some cockroaches - but that’s ok. What’s important is - that the Internet works!!! During the daylight if you come after not forgetting to charge the computer, not forgetting the camera, headphones and the notebooks, making sure the gear wouldn’t get wet on the way and if you are lucky you get the connection. It is a tricky one. Besides at that time in Poland it is late at night and so I cannot talk to my friends or my family. Therefore Dan, the owner of the internet café above, knowing I have so much writing to do, was kind enough to leave the server on so I could come tonight and do some work. It was very nice of him. So here I am writing to you. On the way here I spoke to some yachties. They just came back from Tanna, an island down...

And so it was Sunday. I love Sunday on the land, because on the sea it really does not matter what day it is. But for the navigation the sailor wouldn’t even know what time it is. But what for? The sun rises - the day comes, the moon appears – the night falls. That’s it. But this is on the sea, and here Sunday means amongst other things, little traffic. Imagine that in the town of Port Vila even though it is very small - I have counted only 18 streets☺, there are as many cars and buses as mosquitos! I mean a lot! These are mostly overcrowded buses as hardly any citizen of the island possesses his own vehicle. For 100 Vatu (more less 3 PLN, or 1 Dollar US) one can take a ride wherever one wishes to go unless he or she will not come to agreement regarding the price at the beginning of the bus craziness and this ride can afterwards cost one even 20 times more! There are also taxis, but sometimes in such terrible condition that you get into it and shortly afterwards it...

16/09/07 Vanuatu, Port Villa I felt weak and a little cold last night after falling into the water in the marina and rinsing off with a cold shower. I hope I’m not getting sick. I planned to sleep for a little longer but life doesn’t want to give me any rest and early morning my friend off a fishing boat next door indeed woke me up holding a long hook in one hand and my frying pan in the other. Right, thank you very much, now I have no excuse and I will have to cook on the next leg of my trip :). Only as I stuck out my head from down below Max was ready with the breakfast. I didn’t need to bring anything with me. My cereal is already here, as he figured out I’m smart enough hoping to be asked for breakfast over and over again. There is something in it because indeed it is better than in any best hotel in the world. I had coffee, fresh papayas, bananas, avocado, His yogurt :) and raspberries and pate, homemade pickles (you put fresh cucumber in a rest of the water...