62’17.3N 167’10.7W course 336′ speed 6,7kn
We are underway again, using sail and going North! After a one day stop on Nunivak, an Island close to the Alaskan mainland, it is time to get going a little. Ice charts are coming in and looking good. Our start choking point at Point Barrow seems to be experiencing some ice flows coming by, but has been clearing more and more. There is a webcam pointed at the ice that our home front is keeping a sharp eye on, and it looks promising! http://seaice.alaska.edu/gi/observatories/barrow_webcam
Nunivak was a great stop. The island is mainly Tundra, so fairly flat and boggy around the estuary. Most of the crew went on shore to stretch their legs for a few hours. One short walk team and one long walk team. The long walk aimed to go to a small village 4 miles away, but sadly the terrain was fairly rough to hike through due to the wet underground. So halfway there, they turned around. Still a hike of 5 hours with many beautiful flowers and birds being sighted. The short walk stayed closer to shore.
On the way back in the dinghy we spotted a seal, but is stayed far away from us.
We left early the next morning, starting at 06:00 with setting a scandalized mainsail and mizzen, ready to leave under sail. We then picked up the anchor, set the staysail aback and off we went! Before breakfast time we set the rest of the mizzen and mainsail and big jib. Soon we were doing 8 knots. Since then the wind turned more to the South and we are now going downwind with an angle of 30 degrees, so we are not heading straight to Nome yet, but have a velocity made good of 5,5 knots, so still very nice. If this wind stays, we will gybe in the morning.
Then something completely different. Today we received some really sad news that was a big shock, both on board for Gijs and me, but also for Jannette. A dear skipper colleague and the writer of Zeepost and Scheepspost has passed away very suddenly. Wouter was a faithful follower of our logbook and always made sure our news reached the world. He helped out with spreading our victories and always had a kind word for us. With this short message we would just like to remember him, are thinking of him and hope his family is coping with this huge loss.
All is well on board, jet
