1151 UTC | 31°48.900’N 023°07.891’W
Sailing
Randomish thoughts as we get closer to port.
Two things I picked up on my way out of home more or less last minute which have been brilliant. A beanie I thought would not be useful as we were due to sail from the Caribbean to the Canaries and I just didn’t think it would be that cold. At times, it was. Plus a beanie is great to shove down the back of your PFD to give a bit of padding against the deck, (also good to sit on). It’s good to shove down your foulie top when it’s not so cold that you need to be fully zipped up, but a bit of wind protection helps. That’s also a handy store for emergency gummie bears. If you are worried about fluff at this stage, take a look at where you are.
The second thing is a pair of rubber soled espadrilles. Way better than any deck shoes I brought with me apart from ocean boots.
Controversially, I think some bananas are good for the first few days of an offshore passage, especially if the weather is boisterous, (or active as the crew calls it). If you take as much of the stem off as you can, it saves spoiling other fruit to some degree and they are full of vitamins and just enough sugar to keep you going. Plus they taste the same way coming up as going down.
Mouthwash is handy as it’s not always possible to clean your teeth when you would like to, and, see point 2 about bananas. My least useful item is the smart watch which is telling me I’m sleep deprived and maybe some soothing sounds, like the sea, would help me drift off to sleep.
Simon, Adrienne II Crew
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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!
Day Two Delights
The seas were completely glassy with a gentle swell as we approached San Clemente Island, the southernmost of the Channel Islands. Everyone jumped in and marvelled at the lovely temperature and crystal clear, indigo-colored water. Before long the wind started to pick up, and we happily unfurled the jib and were sailing again. The afternoon has been gorgeous, cruising along at 5-6 kts, close hauled on a port tack in a gentle breeze, Catalina Island in the distance on our starboard side, and everyone is happy.
Adios Ensenada!
Around 9am this morning, we slipped lines and made our way out of Todos Los Santos Bay with a pre-arranged escort pod of dolphins. After a few hours of motoring through very calm, very blue, very kelpy seas, we clicked the engine off and off we went. After some delicious frittata and not-new potatoes a-la Adam, we executed our first of many tacks. With only 5-10 kts of wind, our close haul has been nothing but pleasant so far. After a lovely week in Ensenada for me, Alex, and Adam, we’re stoked to finally head out and begin our upwind journey back up the coast.