February 14, Day 6 | Drifting in the Azores High – A Perfectly Imperfect Ocean Crossing
Adrienne II, our trusty Swan 70, is cutting through the Atlantic on a dream passage from Sint Martin to the Canary Islands. Well, cutting through might be a stretch—positioned smack in the middle of the Azores High, the breeze is nonexistent, the waves are barely a ripple, and the current? Forget about it.
Woke up after my night watch to a glassy ocean and couldn’t resist a refreshing dip—nothing like an Atlantic swim to wake up the bones. With the still conditions, we took the opportunity for a complete wash down, and now we’ve got a squeaky-clean ship, inside and out. Feels good to have the salt rinsed off, and morale is as fresh as the decks.
We’re still making progress, now clocking close to 900 nautical miles under our keel. The crew is in good spirits, and life onboard is everything we’d hoped for—fair winds (when they show up), great camaraderie, and a ship that runs like a well-oiled machine.
That said, the sea has a way of keeping you on your toes. Today’s curveball? The fridge has called it quits. Not exactly ideal in the middle of the big blue, but thanks to some quick thinking and a well-stocked freezer, we’re improvising with ice to keep provisions from going south. No crisis yet—just another chapter in the adventure. Spirits remain high, and as long as we keep pointing in the right direction, all is well aboard Adrienne II.
- Lars Vegard Guttormsen, Crew Member, Adrienne II
Adrienne II, our trusty Swan 70, is cutting through the Atlantic on a dream passage from Sint Martin to the Canary Islands. Well, cutting through might be a stretch—positioned smack in the middle of the Azores High, the breeze is nonexistent, the waves are barely a ripple, and the current? Forget about it.
Woke up after my night watch to a glassy ocean and couldn’t resist a refreshing dip—nothing like an Atlantic swim to wake up the bones. With the still conditions, we took the opportunity for a complete wash down, and now we’ve got a squeaky-clean ship, inside and out. Feels good to have the salt rinsed off, and morale is as fresh as the decks.
We’re still making progress, now clocking close to 900 nautical miles under our keel. The crew is in good spirits, and life onboard is everything we’d hoped for—fair winds (when they show up), great camaraderie, and a ship that runs like a well-oiled machine.
That said, the sea has a way of keeping you on your toes. Today’s curveball? The fridge has called it quits. Not exactly ideal in the middle of the big blue, but thanks to some quick thinking and a well-stocked freezer, we’re improvising with ice to keep provisions from going south. No crisis yet—just another chapter in the adventure. Spirits remain high, and as long as we keep pointing in the right direction, all is well aboard Adrienne II.
- Lars Vegard Guttormsen, Crew Member, Adrienne II
crew@59-north.com
View more passage logs
Dolphin party!
Kate was about to yank the spinnaker’s sock down when I spotted a stampede of fins heading straight for us. ”Dolphins!”, I yelled back to the cockpit excitedly. Post dinner dish duty was halted down below for the show.
The pool is open!
We stopped the boat, got the ladder down and put out a line with a fender behind the boat. I love swimming in the middle of the ocean, and a bit scary when you realize its more than 4000+ m deep! Love it!
Big Pink Sail Day
I had a most fashionable pointed striped hat at dinner, and out of the depths of a cupboard a cake was created, after 14 days at sea. A group of people I had never met two weeks ago made me feel very special today.