It was a minute past midnight, the thirtieth day of our journey had just begun, and I wasn't feeling like getting up at all. I'd laid down to sleep after my last watch the day before even though a movie'd been running and I seemed to need the rest badly as I'd fallen asleep right away. Now, in the middle of the night, I felt robbed the best part of it. Only the thought of everyone else deserving sleep as well could get my to my feet. On deck I saw the sea had calmed even more. The waves were still shaking us but were considerably less high. My brother had put a tiny edge of Genoa out as a stabilizer and we were now at least pretending to sail. The watch passed quicker than I'd anticipated. Two hours later it was my turn to wake the captain for his watch, but calling his name and even shaking him didn't result in any reaction. I had to try for about five minutes before he suddenly rose and went to life like a machine. Two minutes later I was in dreams of my own.
I woke a bit too late to start my morning watch on time. My brother, in a good and wake mood, had let me sleep a bit longer. The day looked promising and dry. The winds had calmed somewhat too much and the Genoa sail, now out about halfway, wrestled to stay up in the wind. Still we were going at a resonable speed, which was about all that was important to us. We were thinking in terms of distance to our destination and how fast we could get there.
I'd just sat down to enjoy my orange vitamin drink my brother and I had stirred up to pass the time until breakfast when I noticed a fin barely breaking the surface a short distance from the boat. I was still unsure, when seconds later there was another one, clearly to been seen this time. We had visitors for the morning, dolphins. The cup still in my hand, my brother and I stormed to the bow. A large school of dolphins had gathered around our boat and was keeping the pace, shooting gracefully through the water and shifting from port to starboard and back. It almost seemed as if some of them were playing hide and seek while others were just watching the game in delight. The unexpected guests stayed for about half an hour before they disappeared, one by one, into the open waters. The day had a good start.
I woke a bit too late to start my morning watch on time. My brother, in a good and wake mood, had let me sleep a bit longer. The day looked promising and dry. The winds had calmed somewhat too much and the Genoa sail, now out about halfway, wrestled to stay up in the wind. Still we were going at a resonable speed, which was about all that was important to us. We were thinking in terms of distance to our destination and how fast we could get there.
I'd just sat down to enjoy my orange vitamin drink my brother and I had stirred up to pass the time until breakfast when I noticed a fin barely breaking the surface a short distance from the boat. I was still unsure, when seconds later there was another one, clearly to been seen this time. We had visitors for the morning, dolphins. The cup still in my hand, my brother and I stormed to the bow. A large school of dolphins had gathered around our boat and was keeping the pace, shooting gracefully through the water and shifting from port to starboard and back. It almost seemed as if some of them were playing hide and seek while others were just watching the game in delight. The unexpected guests stayed for about half an hour before they disappeared, one by one, into the open waters. The day had a good start.
The weather looked promising, the cushions were drying again. It would stay that way, but only until early afternoon. Another squall hit us and brought a short burst of strong winds and then rain. It wasn't much, just enough to soak the almost dry cushions back to their previous wet state. When the rain stopped, the sky hang above us in a dirty grey, the boat was wet again and hope for a change to the better had been diminished. We looked at each other and had all produced the same thought. Only five more days to go, if all went through fine.
captains log:
0400 rain squall very strong
0600 unroll Genoa more, WWS 8-15
1100 up Mizzen, down Genoa, oil +w o.k.
1200 N4°02 E87°41
1330 gybe Mizzen to port
when all the cushions were nearly dry, more unerde de pluie
1400 drop M, sqall, reset Mizzen, rain
wind 5-25kn WSW, sea building up
2200 rain again
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