11°32.9' N 025°46.2' W
October 10, 2025 | 21:53 UTC | 11°32.9' N 025°46.2' W | Life on the Heel
This day started with another calm morning motoring through the doldrums. We’ve been very lucky to be spared from many squalls during our passage through these latitudes. Life onboard has been quite luxurious some of these days with good food, great company, and time to rest before the next part of our trip.
We got a nice morning shower when a cute rain cloud flew by, continued by oven pancakes made by Lance, and ended our morning shift with seeing some whale spouts in the distance. During the day, headwinds picked up and at one point a squall hit us (for the first time?), which made us put in a second reef in the main. Everyone was just happy to get some action after the calm days. Morale onboard was further boosted when Vilgot the legend made fish tacos for dinner from the Wahoo we caught yesterday. Many cheers all around!
Now we are trying to make as much way north as possible to avoid a weather system building, which Erik is following closely and briefs us about daily. Squalls pop up from nowhere here and some can grow quite big. We want to stay as far away as possible. In the meantime, we have 220M left as the crow flies to Cape Verde, planning to sweep by before starting our last leg of this passage up to the Canary Islands.
We are back to a life on the heel – but like Brittany says, you just got to lean into it!
David | ADRIENNE II Apprentice
crew@59-north.com
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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.
Among the Channel Islands
In the wind shadow of SoCal we had a restful night with calm conditions ghosting through smooth seas. We’re getting ourselves in position for spicy weather tonight once we round Cape Conception, the seas build and the breeze freshens. It will be an upwind sail into an acceleration zone along a formable coast with few bailout points, Morro Bay being one. The crew is really gelling with lots of smiles and laughter on deck. Monterey is in our sights!