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.
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Seasickness
But maybe, I thought, with some drugs I could stay ahead of it. The first 48 hours I felt horrible. But luckily with 3 health care professionals on board and in a very encouraging environment, my body found its way. Anyway, someone offered me a patch (unavailable in Canada) and someone else gave me some pills for nausea and now I feel much, much better.
Dolphins and Bioluminescence
We had a good run with the sails but weather has changed and we are once again chasing the wind. Everyone is getting a chance to practice helming in big swell; starting to get a feel of the wind and water and how it pushes and pulls the hull. A pod of dolphins came to visit at night, splashing in the bioluminescent water, and again in the day, dancing in the bow wake. For now enjoying the calmer sea state and falling asleep to the rumble of the engine and the gentle whooshing of the water on the hull.
Greetings from Lala Lemonshark
The brave crew is toughing it out and staying cheerful despite being tossed around. The engine is off and we are true sailing-main and jib. In the first 12 hours we saw two pods of Orca and four humpback whales, two of which were 20 yards off the starboard beam!