selah way

Selah Crew, photo by Andie Jael*

Today I caught up on a blog/journal, Selah Way, of six guys who are taking 7 months to sail across the Pacific Ocean to Australia. Selah, their 46 ft beneteau sailboat, is packed with provisions and a boatload of books to read. (I typed "boatload" without thinking about it :) While I've only met one of the crew members, all of their stories are amazing!

For example:
Today, we went snorkeling. 50 feet below us, sharks circled, octopus changed colors, Hunter swam to supernatural depths, and all the while a vast arrangement of very curious fish were swimming around us. I’ve always heard about snorkeling, but it’s different to have a shark swim by you, or have an octopus climb up your arm, or to be tickled by the lips of entire schools of fish. The water is so clear that at times we can see the ocean floor in waters well deeper than 50 feet. The only way to describe it is imagining yourself hovering 50 feet above your neighborhood and observing the life within a culdesac. —Cale

Oh, and did I mention that five out of six of the crew are under the age of 25 and only one of them has previous sailing experience?



21 days at sea without land is… Incredible. Everyone steers about 4 hours a day, so if you do the math we all steered about 84 accumulative hours (from Cabo San Lucas, to Hiva Oa). Every day you will find yourself resting on deck, reading through multiple books, and admiring God’s creation as flying fish zoom by. Sunsets continue to shock me, as they are now turning from Golden, to shades of pinks, purples, and blues. My understanding in my faith has dramatically improved, because we’ve been disconnected from any diversions so I’ve had a lot more freedom to speak to God, and to let him speak to me. –Cale




As we explored the island throughout the couple days we stayed at Hiva Oa we got to experience the culture in many different ways. Not only was just being around and interacting with locals quite an experience but we also got the pleasure to experience the way the Marquesain people lived. As we were walking up a hill a man invited us down to his house to show us around. He sat us down at a table and served us wine and fresh fruit right off his families trees. He showed us around his house and showed us how he carved giant tribal drums and tikki’s. He and his family were very generous and friendly and sent us away with a bag full of fruit. It was a great experience. The next day we brought him and his family a bottle of wine in return for his kindness. —Crew



I love reading about their experiences and living vicariously through adventuresome people like this. It reminds me that "later" can mean "never" and to take advantage of time I have now. I hope you enjoy following their voyage too. You can track their progress across the ocean via GPS.


{photos copyright Selah Way, 2011}

*More crew photos by the amazing Andie Jael found HERE.