Lectures and food
03:00UTC | Marina Flamingo
In-Port
I’m in my bunk, listening to my favourite tunes while the crew are on deck or in their bunks, some texting home, some reading, there’s that feeling of a big trip in the air, and it’s no wonder, tomorrow we set off to the Galápagos.
Today was briefing after briefing. We talked through all the safety equipment onboard, ran a man overboard drill, checked the engine, and after lunch ashore we sat in an aircon room for a weather brief while going through how to put a passage plan together. Big thumbs up to the crew for listening to my voice for that long.
After a delicious and fun dinner ashore, everyone’s gone into their own little bubble, that one where nerves mix with excitement and you can feel the start of the trip getting closer.
After many trips as skipper, I’ve realised this feeling never really goes away. The thoughts of making sure we’ve got everything, that little voice saying maybe we’ve missed something, or if we’ve covered everything before departure. I used to hate it, being on edge right up until we left.
Now I kind of embrace it, it keeps me grounded, keeps me aware.
And it makes that moment even sweeter, when the sails go up, the course is set, and the engine goes off, then it’s just us and the open ocean.
My happy place.
Alex Laline
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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!!