Pikasaurus

I really do have wonderful memories of my life on the boat. It was such an amazing experience.

I have two favorite places that I have visited. Niue being one of them, where there ae more coconuts then people, and New Zealand.

Scariest moment was probably when we were going into an anchorage in the South Pacific and we ran aground on a coral head. Luckily we had a friend following behind us that pulled us off. That was the most terrifying moment in my life.

Man there are lots! This happened while we were in Mexico I was 6, maybe 7 when this happened. We were sailing down the coast of Mexico heading to Agua Verde. It was the middle of the day and my mom spots something on the horizon. Apparently her initial thought was it was a pelican on a jet ski. My parents decided to investigate. As we got closer, my parents realized that it was three guys floating on some bales of something. They were out in the middle of the ocean. There was no boat or anything. My parents literally fished these guys out of the water. They had been floating for three days. There were two young men and an older guy and they were so dehydrated and hungry. My mom made them chicken broth and got them water. We started to motor away from what they had been floating on. It turns out they were floating on bales of marijuana. My dad suspected they were transporting it to the States. They told us that their panga had taken on too much water when they went after a turtle. We get on the radio to contact Red Cross, the older guy needed medical attention. When we got into Agua Verde, within minutes of putting down the anchor, the guys were picked up by locals and we never saw them again. The very next morning the Federales were banging on the side of our boat. The were in their boat and had their weapons with them. I think my dad said they were AK-47s. They wanted him to come out with them and show them where the bales were. They didn't quite understand ocean currents. My dad went with them though, the only guy wearing a life jacket. He then explained to them that the currents would have moved it by now and that they would need something else. They eventually got a helicopter out looking for it, but I think it was a few days later that they got that. We ended up making friends with the head of the Federales, so customs after that was a breeze for us. When customs would ask for bribes, my dad would ask if Victor Hugo was in town. They would get really suspicious and ask why. After my dad would explain that they were friends, our passports were stamped in a hurry and he would be on his way.

My next favorite is the first time I went snorkeling with sharks. We were in Roratonga and we were going snorkeling with some friends by a reef. I happened to be the first in the water and I spotted 4 sharks, 2 black tip and 2 white tip. I was pretty young, so I was excited and freaked out. I was scream shark through my snorkel.

I'm not really sure what possessed them to do that, but they couldn't very well leave us with our grandparents or our birth-father. What ever made them decide to do that, I am really thankful for. I have had an amazing life.

When my dad met my mom he had already had the boat so he had some practice. My mom kind of learned from him and then from there out they learned as they went. :)

Kei te pai au!

My Maori is really rusty.

Never turn your back on the sea.

My parents always used to tell my brother and I this while we were on the beach. You would never know when a wave would knock you off your feet, or if a rip tide was developing. It carries to being out on the boat as well. Watch where the waves are coming from.