Position: 11°36.8’S 133°15.8’W | Course: 300° Speed: | 7.0 knots
What a full day of sailing it has been! We’ve done everything between 6.2 and 9.8 knots. The wind started off strong this morning and into the afternoon. It slowly began to shift more east, with even a touch of north in it — but it also eased a bit. To keep up our speed, we’re sailing slightly higher than Hiva Oa, but whenever the wind picks up again, we bear off westward.
This afternoon we had our regular sextant training, followed by a medical drill. It was a good moment to familiarize ourselves with the onboard equipment and talk through a few medical scenarios we might encounter. We practiced the neck hold to stabilize someone’s head after a fall, and we used the neck brace — turns out we all have fairly average necks, not too long and certainly not too short! We also took out the vacuum splints and fully immobilized Jasmijn’s leg as a test.
The day was mostly sunny, though by nightfall some clouds started to drift in. This was also when the wind began to drop, so here’s me, hoping the clouds disappear again. Our weather report hasn’t been too accurate lately, but it did predict steady winds for tonight — so fingers crossed it’s right for once.
This morning we spotted dolphins! At least three were playing alongside the ship. We weren’t entirely sure what kind they were, but one of them seemed to have a pink belly. When I came on watch, I was asked if I knew of any dolphins with pink bellies — so I looked it up. Apparently, dolphins can blush! When they get warm from exercise, blood may rise to the surface of their skin, especially around the belly, giving it a pinkish hue. A fun fact I didn’t know before!
All is well on board,
Jet
Previous Post
