Day 4
Hello everyone! What a great day today has been. Everyone onboard is smelling extremely well and looking very fresh, and the reason for that is that today we hove-to to have a mid-ocean dip! That's right, we went in the water and had a beautiful swim and clean before jumping back onboard to carry on sailing.
Everyone's morale is high and the wind has shown slight signs of wanting to change direction, but as for now... still upwind! I am pretty sure the wind gods are having a bit of a laugh at Chris and me as we await this wind shift that should have happened about two days ago. But in terms of upwind sailing, I do have to admit that it doesn't get any better than this: flat sea state, 10 knots of true wind speed, and about 8 knots of boat speed. It's like paradise for upwind sailing!
For dinner, I have made my homemade lasagna, which is currently slowly cooking in the oven and is filling the air with a lovely smell. The watches have just shifted and people are going down to nap before dinner.
So not much to say—life is beautiful onboard FALKEN at the moment as we enjoy every second of what this world is giving us, which is full sunshine, perfect breeze, and a whole bunch of extraordinary people.
Love to everyone.
- Alex
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The Penultimate Blog from Adrienne II
After 20 days, and 3000+ nautical miles, we're back on land. The motley crew of Adrienne II, consisting of 7 happy amateurs supported by 3 professionals, have completed an epic journey many dream of but few realize. So much of this trip has been about being present - with nature, with each other, with this boat. My biggest takeaway from this trip is the amazing crossing of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). We all hope you've enjoyed the blog as much as we've enjoyed creating it.
Mother Nature, you’ve outdone yourself!
It’s been a great experience to have a non-traditional trans-Atlantic, as it’s been packed with genuinely cool features. The Doldrums!! A place sailors have been talking about for centuries. The unpredictability is what made it such an exhilarating experience. While some might be frightened or alarmed by this kind of weather, I was embodied with a sense of calm and awe. There’s something wildly beautiful about being reminded how small you are, while feeling so incredibly alive.
A Heavenly High
As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries. Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics. On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.