2026-2 | ADRIENNE II | Trans-At: Salvador, Brazil-Canaries

Start here when planning your packing for sailing with 59º North. This list includes the general basics for all of our passages. The passage-specific packing lists offer more details.

This will be a tropical passage, so expect hot & humid conditions and light, sun-protective clothing! There's not much shade on any of our boats, so you'll want sunscreen, hats & visors. Good chance for a mid-ocean swim if conditions allow. Check the specific packing list for more details, but generally these passages are HOT!

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.

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!!

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.

By day 4, things start to get into a rhythm that starts to look like a small community onboard. It’s when personalities start to flourish, when people start losing themselves and start to realize that they don’t really care about a lot of things! I’m pretty sure the disconnection from the internet starts aligning our inner selves. Clearly everyone has gotten their sea legs by now, and even the boat seems to have understood the type of crew she has now. I love to see how people start fitting into different roles with their peers and the boat itself.

We also have faced the fact that although Adrienne is a very big ship, she sails over a much, much bigger sea. We all recommitted to being more attentive - treating our watch as a verb not a noun. We might feel comfortable handling Adrienne, but we're not on cruise control and this is no highway. I had not realized to what degree sailing the open ocean requires a daily commitment to awareness, intention, and vigilance. I'm glad for all of us my tutorial was clear but relatively mild.

Sailing on a heading of 024°, just crossed the sun´s declination a few hours before the sight, so expecting the apparent altitude to be close to 90°. The sky is mostly cloudy, but a few thinner patches around the sun enable me to see it clearly from time to time with the brighter filters.

Afternoon sight in the western sky, sailing on a 024° heading, very cloudy with intermittent thinner patches. After waiting for 20 minutes I got just a few seconds glimpse that enabled me to take a quick sight through the brighter filters.

Today marks day 6 of one of the most epic passages I've decided to take on. There is something wildly exciting and equally calming about being surrounded by nothing but ocean. I get to watch the entire rhythm of the world shrink down to wind, weather, watches, and 10 humans trying to get a sailboat to another continent. I'm not sure if former bloggers have noted, but this passage is HOT as balls. We continue to laugh, learn, and sweat.

Excitement was in the air as the day dawned, the Equator grew ever closer. Those who go to sea often hear of King Neptune arriving at such a time in order to promote those worthy souls from Pollywog to Shellback, in the watery realm. We were still surprised when he arrived and called upon us to honour tradition and answer for crossing the equator without permission. For me this was one of the features of the trip and it did not disappoint. This is definitely a passage to remember.

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Once the bimini was folded up the view across the starlit dome above our heads had us in awe and got our full attention. I am writing this during the same watch as I aim to share the beauty of the ocean and special moments we are witnessing during our voyage. Tonight, that light (coming from within and outside our galaxy) is guiding us across this vast open space towards our destination. Witnessing and sharing constellations builds a link to ancient cultures and seafarers, and this view into a world of lightyears and galaxies challenges the day to day notions of space and time you so recently left behind. Thank you for joining us as we sail under the stars.

Helming is basically steering the boat by hand. Helming is so completely unlike driving anything else. How each of us put all this information and sensation together to guide our hands and keep Adrienne going where we want to go - to stay the course as the saying goes - is as different as the individuals on this boat. Well there you have it helming as described by six people who approach the same basic task with highly varied perceptions, feelings, and even emotions.

This list of little moments might just shed some light on all the other stuff happening out here as we make this massive journey together. The back aft deck takes on many roles, like a salon (Anton gave Naxo an award winning haircut), a butcher shop (Kif cleaned his first fish), a yoga studio, gym and a dance club (Manot is an excellent DJ - and Captain and Katelyn keeps us moving wither energy and enthusiasm). Culinary magic happens nightly in a tiny galley by three amazing chef - sailors. Big thoughts, life's questions, personal histories, paths taken and talk of family (pets too) are shared. I'm beyond grateful to be a part of this little community in the middle of the Atlantic.

I’m not going to lie - I really miss my dog. As we’re just now approaching Cap Verde (two thirds of the way) I can’t help but think of all the wonderful things that happen on a trip like this; strangers become friends, terror turns into confidence, and ignorance into knowledge. It’s not for everyone. But if you do decide to cross some of most isolated spaces on the planet in a small boat, you’re definitely in for a mighty interesting ride. And next time I’ll bring my dog with me. 😊

Life aboard Adrienne is hot and sticky. It was hilarious how fast we all started moving once we heard we might go for a swim in the ocean. With our captain’s blessing, we started jumping in, hooting and hollering, grinning like children on a carnival ride. It was simple and delightful and also mind-boggling to be bobbing and washing in the great ocean under a clear sky with nothing around but our floating home and each other. But the deeper cleaning of this ocean plunge will certainly linger for days.

We sailors can come across as a cryptic bunch. Similar to almost all niche endeavors, it boils down to efficiency, safety and tradition. There are so many "ropes" and so much gear on a sailboat, that trying to identify them by descriptive terms just wouldn’t cut it. We’re in one of the best learning environments available to offshore sailors, and mistakes are a part of the process.

As you have probably figured out at this point, the drug of choice on board is, of course, celestial navigation- an art which has hooked offshore sailors for centuries. Once addicted, navigators will emerge from down below only to get their fixes two times per day, and spend the rest of their days and nights down below doing complex spherical mathematics. On Adrienne II, our skipper is our dealer. I must confess that I myself gave in to the strange urge which I’ve felt witnessing my crewmates practice this fine art, and yesterday felt an amazing sensation as I was able to wield the sextant for the first time and with it, bring down the tip of our starboard spreader to the top of our front sprayhood, presicely measuring the angle between the two (35deg, 38,8’ min). This afternoon, Naxo then showed me how to get my fix from the very sun itself - and I now fear there is no turning back.

It’s been a great experience to have a non-traditional trans-Atlantic, as it’s been packed with genuinely cool features. The Doldrums!! A place sailors have been talking about for centuries. The unpredictability is what made it such an exhilarating experience. While some might be frightened or alarmed by this kind of weather, I was embodied with a sense of calm and awe. There’s something wildly beautiful about being reminded how small you are, while feeling so incredibly alive.

After 20 days, and 3000+ nautical miles, we're back on land. The motley crew of Adrienne II, consisting of 7 happy amateurs supported by 3 professionals, have completed an epic journey many dream of but few realize. So much of this trip has been about being present - with nature, with each other, with this boat. My biggest takeaway from this trip is the amazing crossing of the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone). We all hope you've enjoyed the blog as much as we've enjoyed creating it.

Thus our existence slowly reverted to a much simpler form of being. We start to notice the smaller things, we start looking up and around, we start observing our thoughts. Sailing can be a great social accelerator. Sharing hardship and milestones, friendships are born and evolve at a speed that would seem impossible from land. And after those three weeks spent with you, I am getting ready to leave our vessel with the profound conviction that those bonds will stay with us for the rest of our lives.