Between Sunshine and Swaying Masts

Position: 11°38.7’S – 109°20.5’E Course: 258° Speed: 7.6 knots

Yesterday was a classic “small jobs and cleaning” kind of day. Yesterday morning, Lisa and Jasmijn scrubbed the deck, tackling grease and plenty of fish scale. After lunch, we practiced celestial navigation – and with just 6 nautical miles off from our actual position, we’re getting sharper by the day!

By midday, the clouds began to lift and tropical sunshine took over. It made sighting the sun with a sextant much easier, and the day felt instantly warmer – even more so with sea temperatures now at 26°C. We’re all comfortably sailing in just shorts, T-shirts, and a waterproof jacket when needed.

After the meridian passage, I went up the mizzenmast to retrieve a loose line that had wrapped itself around the radar scanner. Tilmann snapped the “photo of the day” during that climb – the mast was swaying nicely in the swell.

To hoist the bosun’s chair, we used the topsail halyard, which meant we had to drop the topsail first. Once the rope was clear, we were ready to set the sail again – but the wind had picked up. Just as we were about to hoist, I called it off: too much wind, and more than enough speed already. The topsail now waits patiently on deck until things settle, which might not be for another 48 hours.

We’ve had scattered showers and some drizzle, which brings shifts in both wind direction and speed. Still, we’re making great progress: 185 nautical miles yesterday, and if we’re lucky, today might be a 200-mile kind of day.

Flying fish are everywhere now – gliding alongside us, and unfortunately landing on deck more often too. We also spotted a hammerhead shark very briefly. Special sighting, which lasted only 10 seconds though. Maybe more tomorrow.

All well on board,

Jet