Alaxsandr Shishkov (Don Pedro [He looks like a Spanish sailor.]) is only twenty years old, enrolled in the Ukrainian Naval Academy and already a man with lots of experience in all matters dealing with handling a ship. I asked him the question, “What would happen if the Captain died?” He said, “First in line would be the First Mate.” Then I asked, “Suppose he died; then who would take over?” He said “I would.” On the Bat'kivshchyna all crew members were in very good health and had a very positive attitude about themselves. In the words of the Captain himself, “This is one of the very best crews I have had so far.” During the night I would ask Don Pedro how the radar works, and he would not only show me but give me a demonstration. He also showed me the Russian and American maritime charts and again took the time to decipher some of the icons and symbols. In short, he was my teacher and I was his student.

My first impression of Don Pedro was his strength. He almost crushed all the bones in my right hand when we shook hands. His English being excellent, we had no problem communicating and he took it upon himself to teach me a few Ukrainian and Russian words. The day after we arrived in Lahaina, Maui and dropped anchor, some of the crew members jumped into the Pacific and swam with great delight in the clear water. I also jumped in. As soon as I was in the water, I discovered that the water current was moving me away from the Bat'kivshchyna. I immediately yelled out for help. It was Don Pedro who heard my call and rescued me. Not being a strong swimmer, I might have drifted to Molokai, the next Island.

All the crew agreed that Andrie Davydenko (Al Capone) was the strongest member of the crew. His versatility aboard the schooner was welcomed by the Captain who needed all the help he could get. If anything needed fixing, Andrie was the man to solve the problem. What was amazing was the manner and speed with which he worked. Every day something broke or was damaged. It was always amazing to watch Andrie use some of the crudest old equipment and materials to efficiently fix the items immediately. Most of the time his hands were black with grease and dirt and his body full of sweat. In spite of many obstacles, he never refused to take the challenge. It was because of him and the rest of the crew that the Bat'kivshchyna was able to move with great ease and safety. Knowing he particularly liked to smoke, I was able to make his day midway to Maui by offering him half of my Havana cigar which he enjoyed very slowly. He and I had a common interest in music and dancing. I brought many cassettes which I gave as gifts to the crew and also had a recorder to tape some of the animated conservation we had. During the playing of Latin music, I began to dance guaracha, a Colombian dance. Andrei got up and slowly walked backwards doing a super break dance. This was followed with a very energetic Cossack dance! This event was repeated under the largest banyan tree in the historic whaling town of Lahaina, Maui. If you wanted to see the joy of dancing, this was the moment.

Victor Jorge Lopez (Señor Paganel [Character in the Jules Verne novel Les Enfants du capitaine Grant, 1867]) The crew gave me the nickname, Senor Paganel. I had never heard of this character and asked why I was given this name. To my delight I was told that I was always helping the crew and telling everyone all kinds of useful and useless information. Imagine my surprise when I returned home and read the Verne novel, finding the following at the end of Chapter VI: “... Jacques Eliacin François Marie Paganel, Secretary of the Geographical Society of Paris, Corresponding Member of the Societies of Berlin, Bombay, Darmstadt, Leipsig, London, St. Petersburg, Vienna, and New York.” They were either flattering me or making fun of me, but I enjoyed the nickname they chose for me.

Many dark, clear nights in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I got up past midnight to show the crew how to use the pointers of Ursa Major to find Polaris and next, finding Cassiopeia, locate and see the Andromeda galaxy naked eye! At other times I would lend the crew many of the different books and maps I brought about Hawaii and I suggested the best areas to see and discover. During the voyage I took a total of 603 digital photos, 189 of which I kept. Some of my photos were used in the superb web site: www.batkivshchyna.net. Being that I was the creative, experimental cook, I prepared some interesting dishes using whatever was available. Try cooking while you and the food are moving and sliding around the galley or carrying a tray of cups of hot tea up the steps from the galley to the deck in a gale and you will understand my last statement:

My voyage on the Bat'kivshchyna as cook was a little bit of heaven and a little bit of hell, as most voyages are. I certainly met some very interesting people and visited some very interesting places on Maui!

Those days and those companions, at sea and in port, were some of the most memorable of my life.

August 2003, Torrance, California.