1945 UTC | 47°13.7’N 126°34.9’W
Sailing Fast
Well, it ain't champagne sailing yet, but we have high hopes when we turn south later today. 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!
Deep thoughts on board:
Where is Delaneys secret fridge? Is there any Tiramasu left? Do we have the cleanest frying pan in the Pacific?
Laura Young
View more passage logs
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. 😊