August 8, 2007
Wind ESE 10 knots, Course SE, Speed 3-4 knots, Position: 24° 11 S, 31° 14 W

Soanya's View
Today began with some clouds but quickly gave way to bright sunshine on a brilliant blue ocean. Reid decided to take it easy for the day and did little jobs around the boat like making a splice in the jib sheet and getting out some nuts to roast. Both of us spent a lot of time reading. Reid was revisiting Francis Chitchester's  around the world with only one stop voyage to get Chitchester's impressions of the weather for where we were right now and also in the Southern Ocean. Details such as how long a gale lasted what direction it came from, and what sail combinations he used are all useful information for us.

I read the Tibetan Book of Yoga and Secret Doctrines, which as its title suggests is about some lesser known forms of yoga. This was my third reading of it and it sure was a lot clearer this time around. The first time I was so confused and everything sounded the same. The definitions for various concepts seemed very similar from one to the other. But as I read other texts on similar topics the vocabulary became easier to understand and I found there were differences in each statement. The second time I read it, I got hung up on the numbers. Everything was like "practice this thirty-two times and that twenty-seven times" and "here are the ten good ways of being, ten bad ways of being, ten other ways you could be." I realized when I took the numbers out that my mind could comprehend basic premises much easier. What drew me to this particular book was that it contained step by step exercises that one could do depending on his/her ability to visualize and concentrate. Many works talking about the more esoteric aspects of yoga go into so much theory and Sanskrit vocabulary that it is hard to follow and understand how a person could apply it to themselves. Still I wouldn't say this is a book for beginners because basic definitions are not given and it wouldn't be understandable otherwise. Interestingly enough, this was a favorite book of Reid's when he did his trip on the catamaran thirty years ago.