Day 4 at-sea
Day 4
We are all now falling into the regular routine of life at sea—the times of our different watches, the writing up of the hourly log, and the drinking of coffee. On this trip, there has been a lot of coffee drinking. Everyone’s appetites have improved as we have found our sea legs, and we all want it to carry on for longer.
We had another perfect sailing night followed by a spectacular sunrise, helped by the Sahara dust brought in by the easterly wind. At 1146 UTC, we passed our 600 NM point on the trip with just 170 NM to go, so we hope to arrive at about midday tomorrow.
Skipper Alex has positioned us to the east of Lanzarote to take advantage of the southeast wind, which will push us towards Las Palmas and our end destination. We started the day broad reaching with easterly wind, then at about 1330 the wind veered to the southeast and we hauled in the sails to a close reach. Sailing along smoothly at 8–9 knots. What a fabulous ride.
Jojo
JoJoPickering
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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.