Fog Blog
0216 UTC | 48°32.5’ N 124°42.1’W
Whale watching
After a day in Victoria learning Falken and passage planning, we departed early this morning for San Francisco. We split into three watches named Watch 1, Watch A, and Watch Uno, so everyone feels appreciated, and are well into a routine of life at sea.
The plan is to motor west down the Straight of Juan de Fuca, and turn left once the wind fills in. It’s been incredibly foggy, as is to be expected in the month of “Fogust,” but when we get a glimpse of the forested mountains beyond the fog it is stunning. We’ve made good use of our time by practicing reefing, watching for whales, and setting up preventer lines for our inevitable down wind sleigh ride.
Most everyone on board has unfortunately began to feel a touch of the green monster. We are motoring in light winds but into an established sea state on the nose. Not the most comfortable conditions for what is the first time offshore for many of our sailors. Mary made the astute observation that despite the seasickness, the sentiment onboard is quite chipper. Everyone is happy to be here, and eager to keep learning. Perhaps once everyone feels a bit better, they’ll accept my pleas to write the daily blog post.
As the youngest of three girls and after 7 years of all girls education, I am loving support and immediate camaraderie of this all women’s trip. I’m excited to watch these women grow in confidence and competence as we sail fast down the coast.
Love to my family xoxo
Delaney
Delaney
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The gobbledygook of sailors
We sailors can come across as a cryptic bunch. Similar to almost all niche endeavors, it boils down to efficiency, safety and tradition. There are so many "ropes" and so much gear on a sailboat, that trying to identify them by descriptive terms just wouldn’t cut it. We’re in one of the best learning environments available to offshore sailors, and mistakes are a part of the process.
Dive on in
Life aboard Adrienne is hot and sticky. It was hilarious how fast we all started moving once we heard we might go for a swim in the ocean. With our captain’s blessing, we started jumping in, hooting and hollering, grinning like children on a carnival ride. It was simple and delightful and also mind-boggling to be bobbing and washing in the great ocean under a clear sky with nothing around but our floating home and each other. But the deeper cleaning of this ocean plunge will certainly linger for days.
Death on the high seas
I’m not going to lie - I really miss my dog. As we’re just now approaching Cap Verde (two thirds of the way) I can’t help but think of all the wonderful things that happen on a trip like this; strangers become friends, terror turns into confidence, and ignorance into knowledge. It’s not for everyone. But if you do decide to cross some of most isolated spaces on the planet in a small boat, you’re definitely in for a mighty interesting ride. And next time I’ll bring my dog with me. 😊