Day 6 At-Sea
12º 54’ N, 041º 36’ W
11 February 2024
2041 Ship’s Time
12º 54’ N, 041º 36’ W
Steering 275 at 9-10 knots
The sky is as dark and as full of stars as it has been yet. This is very likely the result of the passage of a front further north early this morning, which came with a backing and freshening of the wind. We had around 20 knots for the better part of the day. The whole crew is well experienced by now, and steered our vessel playfully and with confidence. As the waves picked up, the surfs kept getting better and better, regularly hitting 12-13 knots. The fun factor was and still is undeniable.
At 1357 Ship’s time, we crossed the bar of 1,000 miles sailed. We celebrated this little milestone with a big shout and a fruit salad, after which we all freshened up with a shower for the second time on this trip. The smell of fresh soap onboard is a gentle reminder of our lives ashore and puts our experience onboard into perspective.
As if to top off the day with one last highlight, Jen and Rene served up a lovely couscous at sunset, with spices that Rene brought us straight from Morocco. This was our first true sunset, after the northeasterlies finally managed to clear the dusty haze that has clouded the horizon for days. As the day merged into the moonless night, the stars appeared brighter than ever before, revealing our Milky Way. Of course, I couldn’t resist the temptation to bring out the binoculars for a quick glance at the Orion nebula and the Andromeda galaxy, both visible to the naked eye. Seeing our sister galaxy and the brightly lit gas cloud always seems to awaken deep philosophical thoughts. I am left with a profound feeling of voyaging—over sea, and on another scale, through the universe.
2041 Ship’s Time
12º 54’ N, 041º 36’ W
Steering 275 at 9-10 knots
The sky is as dark and as full of stars as it has been yet. This is very likely the result of the passage of a front further north early this morning, which came with a backing and freshening of the wind. We had around 20 knots for the better part of the day. The whole crew is well experienced by now, and steered our vessel playfully and with confidence. As the waves picked up, the surfs kept getting better and better, regularly hitting 12-13 knots. The fun factor was and still is undeniable.
At 1357 Ship’s time, we crossed the bar of 1,000 miles sailed. We celebrated this little milestone with a big shout and a fruit salad, after which we all freshened up with a shower for the second time on this trip. The smell of fresh soap onboard is a gentle reminder of our lives ashore and puts our experience onboard into perspective.
As if to top off the day with one last highlight, Jen and Rene served up a lovely couscous at sunset, with spices that Rene brought us straight from Morocco. This was our first true sunset, after the northeasterlies finally managed to clear the dusty haze that has clouded the horizon for days. As the day merged into the moonless night, the stars appeared brighter than ever before, revealing our Milky Way. Of course, I couldn’t resist the temptation to bring out the binoculars for a quick glance at the Orion nebula and the Andromeda galaxy, both visible to the naked eye. Seeing our sister galaxy and the brightly lit gas cloud always seems to awaken deep philosophical thoughts. I am left with a profound feeling of voyaging—over sea, and on another scale, through the universe.
ManotBerger
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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.