01:05 UTC | 12°16.946’ N 087°18.066’W
Sailing
We are gearing up for our last twenty-four hours at sea that is promising to be some sporty sailing. The crew defeated the final boss, Tehuantepec winds, a few days ago. Now that everyone is battle hardened we are putting on our crusty, sunscreen caked game faces on for the little brother, Papagayo winds, which are forecasting twenty-seven knots gusting to thirty-five knots. In the mean time we’ve had several ebbs and flows of perfect thirteen to fifteen knot sailing with a couple hours of easy flat motoring to top up on sleep.
Have you ever heard of disco jellies, or electric dolphins? I never had until we set off on this trip and what a treat it has been to learn about the bio illumination and then immediately get to see them in all their glory. First we had the electric dolphins zooming through the water like little torpedoes leaving a trail of teal blue streaks. There were hours of entertainment to be had just following their sporadic movements. At times two to four dolphins would get into perfect Blue Angels fighter jet formation whizz by the side of the boat and peel off from one another just like at the air show. The dolphins were amazing and just as awe inspiring were the flickering orbs of the disco jellies. The same beautiful teal blue in front of the magical starry night sky made the night watches effortless.
Delaney has kept a steady and variable stream of snack options such as Pringles, my favorite, granola bars, chocolate straws, mixed nuts, and plenty of fruit. Now getting down to the snack dregs digging deep in the cabinets revealed dried pineapple and cashew clusters. Both of these are worth their weight in gold having exhausted our fresh fruit days ago and wanting a new flavor of salt the doesn’t have to get dropped in sixteen ounces of water and dissolve for four minutes.
Mary is whipping up a wonderfully fragrant sweet potato, squash risotto with crispy artichokes, Italian sausage, and a heaping three cheese blend -butter counts as cheese ;). I have no doubt our last dinner will be one of the best with the stunning Nicaraguan mountains as our backdrop at sun set.
Papagayo Winds here we come!
// Jake
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Dolphins and Bioluminescence
We had a good run with the sails but weather has changed and we are once again chasing the wind. Everyone is getting a chance to practice helming in big swell; starting to get a feel of the wind and water and how it pushes and pulls the hull. A pod of dolphins came to visit at night, splashing in the bioluminescent water, and again in the day, dancing in the bow wake. For now enjoying the calmer sea state and falling asleep to the rumble of the engine and the gentle whooshing of the water on the hull.
Greetings from Lala Lemonshark
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!
Fog Blog
After a day in Victoria learning Falken and passage planning, we departed early this morning for San Francisco. It’s been incredibly foggy, as is to be expected in the month of “Fogust,” but when we get a glimpse of the forested mountains beyond the fog it is stunning. Mary made the astute observation that despite the seasickness, the sentiment onboard is quite chipper. As the youngest of three girls and after 7 years of all girls education, I am loving support and immediate camaraderie of this all women’s trip. I’m excited to watch these women grow in confidence and competence as we sail fast down the coast.
