February 15, Day 7 | A small dot on the chart! We continue to look for favorable winds and hope that the low pressure above us will push on and give us a few more knots. After yesterday, with clear water, bathing, and a job well done with cleaning and washing, we are all longing for more pressure in the sails. We are now trying to steer straight towards the GC and keep the pace of the sailing. I wrote these lines this morning in the bowl, and since then the wind has come. We now have a constant half wind of 20-23 knots and a wave height approaching 1.8-2 meters. Tomorrow the wind will drop again, so we are really trying to take everything we can now.
A little personal reflection: I was aware that the Atlantic Ocean is big, but the feeling of being so alone in such a huge and desolate place cannot be taken in beforehand—it has to be experienced. We are lucky; Adrienne is a "Happy Ship." Everyone in the crew contributes with work, laughter, and old robber stories during the night watches, which means that the time just ticks by. I think that the feeling will be shared when we arrive. Life on the Atlantic really happens in a kind of nice bubble that you want to last for a long time.
- Jacob Gellerstam, ADRIENNE Crew
crew@59-north.com
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Kärt barn har många namn
A dear child goes by many a name, or as we say in Swedish "kärt barn har många namn". This is the case for many a person, but also some species, not least the Mahi mahi, which also goes by dolphin fish, golden mackerel, and dorado, among others. Soon, we could see the fish jump, a hundred feet or so behind the boat, and as I kept reeling, a beautiful Mahi appeared under the surface. Manot showed us how to clean and fillet it, and after a complete team effort two large fillets are now in the freezer of Adrienne II.
Cast off the lines
When we awoke it was overcast but the Brazilian sun quickly burned the clouds away and we were left with blue skies. We reviewed some safety procedures, cleaned the boat and had an exciting Person Overboard (POB) recovery. Once we were underway spirits soared as we pointed the bow toward the Canary Islands. As I write this we are heading upwind and dealing with all that involves, and working into our first watches. It is hot, a bit bumpy but we are sailing!!
People Get Ready!
The last three days have been an intense (and intensely hot) period of discovery, practice, and planning. Because Adrienne II is not a 59N boat, there's been some extra setup and coordination needed including rigging all the sails that were out for repairs before we arrived. Its been a blast working alongside the 59N team getting to help them work things out on a less familiar boat in real time. Tomorrow morning we'll run through our Person Over Board training as the final pre-departure task, cast off and head out. Can't know all that it will be, but its going to be a great adventure out in the vast world with some pretty fantastic people.