Position 36°18.1’N 164°55.4’W | Course 345° | Speed 5.3 kn
Today was an awesome day.
Even though we were under engine for part of it, it may have been my favourite day so far! Why? Because we were able to go for a swim, we got back to sailing, we fixed our forestaysail, we caught a fish, and we had both an amazing sunrise and sunset! I could go on, but then this story would just become a list.
Since the start of this voyage, I’ve had my eye on the Horse Latitudes and the dreaded no-wind zone.
Because there’s nothing quite as exhilarating as a swim in the middle of the ocean. The hue of blue all around is so intense and special. The idea that the closest land is beneath your feet as you tread water… That you’re diving into an ocean that spans thousands of miles – and the land you left behind is the nearest touchpoint… And then just the feeling of salt on your skin and the sun on your face!
But when I came up before my watch, Sandrine told me the wind had been increasing – a small obstacle to overcome if we still wanted to swim. We don’t want to be moving too fast, after all…
With mizzen and jib still set, we hove to, drifting backwards and sideways a little, but at a low speed of 0.5 knots. Ideal! The swim was on!
But before all of that, we also did a man-overboard exercise. We threw a small white buoy overboard and nearly lost sight of it in the sunlight and small waves. But we found it again thanks to the Williamson turn, which brought us right back onto our previous track. A great reminder that sticking to procedure is essential in an emergency! The little buoy was retrieved, and we were all happy.
After the swim stop, we hoisted the mainsail and started sailing again. The forestaysail still needed some final work, so we finished it under the moonlight – and it’s done! So, at the 00:00 watch handover, we were able to set the forestaysail again and regain our stable course.
Michael caught a fish, but he felt it was too small and deserved a few more years to grow and reproduce. So, it was released back into the ocean – alive and well!
We’ve already sailed over 1000 miles of our 2200-mile voyage in just under a week. So doing 2.5 knots for a few hours while waiting for the wind to return? No problem at all.
All is well on board, Jet
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