#3. Cape Verde —> Barbados | Day 3 at-seA

February 8, 2024
2130 Ship’s Time
13º 47’ N, 031º 41’ W
Steering 270º at 8-9 knots

Groundhog day out here, in the best way. The wind remains steady from the ENE and FALKEN is smoothly making way downwind with a happy and rested crew.

Day 3 today, the day it always turns around, even for the worst of the seasick. Sara had been feeling less than 100% since the start, but props to her for continuing to stand her watches and do her stints at the helm. Tonight was her first full meal at dinner and the first time she actually felt like herself, and with a long way still to go she’ll finally get to enjoy the sailing. I’ve long said that it takes three days for everyone to acclimate to life offshore, whether seasick or not. I had my first real solid, deep sleep this morning, visiting another planet during my four-hour off watch, which felt amazing.

The showers today also felt amazing. While the evenings onboard are cool and damp, the morning watch from just after 8am through to about 1430 are brutally hot and sunny. We’ve been hiding from the sun down below when we can, with only a helmsmans and one watchkeeping outside together in the hottest part of the day. So when we decided to call for showers earlier this afternoon it was a welcome announcement. We ran the watermaker all afternoon, topped up the battery charge with the engine, scrubbed the cockpit and took turns at the stern showering in the ‘bathtub’, which offers the best view of the following seas, and hot water too.

Manot made a chicken curry for dinner tonight, with curry paste all the way from Switzerland. As I type the Milky Way is visible overhead and the on-watch is chit-chatting in the cockpit while FALKEN keeps making the miles downwind. So far we’ve covered 469 miles since Mindelo and counting.

// Andy