DAY 3
Another day has gone by and another day of Big Glows and Small Glums. The crew woke up to a stunning sunrise this morning, followed by the mandatory morning swim. It is one of my absolute favorite moments of anchoring: waking up in the morning, jumping in, getting out, a fresh water rinse, and sitting with a coffee while watching the sun slowly rise.
After breakfast, Andy gave a magnificent weather lesson. It is so nice to see someone teach their passion to other people—it really is contagious! After that, everyone got briefed on their duties for their watches, and we proceeded to hoist anchor and head out to the open sea for our offshore phase.
The wind might have been one of the only glums for the day, failing to fill even the slightest puff, but making a stunning sight to watch. We managed to keep busy by taking sun sights, practicing reefing, and enjoying a great lasagna cooked by Mia.
Just a few hours ago, as the sun was setting down over the oily, windless sea, the breeze started picking up a little bit. We unfurled the jib, turned the engine off, and are now underway—not making a lot of way, but enjoying the peace and quiet of a very starry night.
I managed to get a sight on Vega, and I’m like a kid with a new toy taking sights on this trip. My last sights were back five years ago when I was training with my Mini 6.50, and I never really understood the bigger picture—just followed my proformas and got my plots. Having seen the way Andy teaches and explains it has really woken a passion inside of me. I never thought I was smart enough to be able to understand celestial navigation, so I’ve either become really smart in five years or it really is down to who you learn from, and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher.
Time to put the kettle on and wake up the other watch. Signing off the Portuguese coast. — Alex
After breakfast, Andy gave a magnificent weather lesson. It is so nice to see someone teach their passion to other people—it really is contagious! After that, everyone got briefed on their duties for their watches, and we proceeded to hoist anchor and head out to the open sea for our offshore phase.
The wind might have been one of the only glums for the day, failing to fill even the slightest puff, but making a stunning sight to watch. We managed to keep busy by taking sun sights, practicing reefing, and enjoying a great lasagna cooked by Mia.
Just a few hours ago, as the sun was setting down over the oily, windless sea, the breeze started picking up a little bit. We unfurled the jib, turned the engine off, and are now underway—not making a lot of way, but enjoying the peace and quiet of a very starry night.
I managed to get a sight on Vega, and I’m like a kid with a new toy taking sights on this trip. My last sights were back five years ago when I was training with my Mini 6.50, and I never really understood the bigger picture—just followed my proformas and got my plots. Having seen the way Andy teaches and explains it has really woken a passion inside of me. I never thought I was smart enough to be able to understand celestial navigation, so I’ve either become really smart in five years or it really is down to who you learn from, and I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher.
Time to put the kettle on and wake up the other watch. Signing off the Portuguese coast. — Alex
View more passage logs
Hat overboard!
On June 4, we reviewed our passage plan before our departure from the marina in Hjellested.
Departure from Bergen!
The crew on the women’s sail training on Isbjorn is settling into a great routine for managing the boat and life onboard.
The sun sets on another journey
The hardest part of sailing across French Polynesia wasn't the night watches, the heat, or the open ocean — it was the prospect of being trapped on a small boat with a group of strangers. First-timer Natalie boards as a self-described land crab and discovers that the sea has a way of reshaping both your sea legs and your assumptions. What follows is dolphins, sharks, the Milky Way in full technicolour, and a crew that somehow made the whole thing better than she ever imagined.