whales
January 25, 2025, 13:45 UTC | Whales
Well, yesterday’s crew delight was a sighting of numerous whales. I happened to be cooking dinner at the time, so my only experience of them was a photograph taken by Kevin. This was probably a good thing because, upon seeing both their size and proximity, let’s just say I had a slightly different facial expression than the majority. I’ll let the team fill you in on the details.
Whilst we continue to make good speed towards Antigua, the wind angle has us making more north than we would ideally like, and we have decided that Sunday seems like a nice day for a gybe. I suspect the new angle won’t be pleasing, but it might be nice to experience the swell from a different angle for a while.
Both watches are now helming with confidence, and it’s always gratifying to know you’ve passed the halfway mark. The next milestone is when the remaining distance falls below 1000nm, which should be by Tuesday morning.
For those anticipating our arrival window, it’s still too soon to say, and there may well be lighter winds at the back end of the passage.
There’s so much laughter and fun coming from the deck at all times; it’s really quite uplifting.
Emily
EmilyCaruso
View more passage logs
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!!
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.