16.05 BOAT TIME | 09 09. 5’ S 138 46.1’ W
Sailing
Land Ho!
The formula for distance to the horizon (in nautical miles) is the square root of the height of eye (in feet) times 1.15. Which means the easternmost island in the Marquesas, Ua Huka, which is 2,806 feet high, should have been visible at 60.9 nautical miles, at around 430 pm, ship’s time, this afternoon. We didn’t however factor in cloud cover. Instead Fatu Huka emerged on the opposite side around dinner time, that’s what you get for trying to do the math.
The French Polynesian courtesy flag is flying, along with the yellow ”Q” flag to show we haven’t yet cleared customs. We expect to make anchorage in Taiohae on Nuka Hiva sometime tomorrow. Fun fact that Alex learned today, customs is only open on Thursdays and Mondays. Tomorrow is Friday. After much finagling he managed to arrange for us to go ashore freely on arrival, as long as the boat didn’t pull anchor, and Alex kept all our passports and produced the full crew at customs on Monday.
Another spectacular sunset marked the closing of our open ocean passage. There are moments where I wish the crossing would go on forever (usually under the stars) and moments where I can’t wait to get ashore (usually around noon). The crossing has been a truly indescribable experience.
Land ho! (Which Ken called, and apparently means the first round is on him once we get ashore).
Phoebe & Adam
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Day Four: The boat has figured us out
By day 4, things start to get into a rhythm that starts to look like a small community onboard. It’s when personalities start to flourish, when people start losing themselves and start to realize that they don’t really care about a lot of things! I’m pretty sure the disconnection from the internet starts aligning our inner selves. Clearly everyone has gotten their sea legs by now, and even the boat seems to have understood the type of crew she has now. I love to see how people start fitting into different roles with their peers and the boat itself.
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!!