#9. Azores to Ireland | Day 4

June 21, 2024 | 14:00 UTC

The wind picked up yesterday from the southwest and we have since been sailing wing on wing on a fairly deep course of 150 degrees to the apparent wind.

As the swell picked up progressively from behind, the helming became more and more challenging for the crew, whom, for some, have never sailed in such conditions. Over the span of 24 hours, the improvement is remarkable, the learning curve is steep. We could say we have gone from “steering the boat left and right” to “trimming the rudder for waves and gusts”.

And in the meantime we have gone back to “flying” mode, doing 213nm in the last 24 hours, without trying. It feels like it’d be difficult to do less. A few more hours and we’ll be past halfway point, 600nm in.

What has been remarkable on this leg particularly is the abundance of wildlife around us. It has been said in previous blogs, but as we saw a group of whales (that we still are trying to identify) very close by yesterday, I’ll mention it again. It remains one of the most beautiful and impressive things I have been given to see.

Out here, it truly feels inhabited, and we are just passing guests.

- Manot