Land ho! Land ho!!! LAND HO!!!!! At 2300 UTC we spotted the island of Hiva Oa through the haze. Deeply immersed in a Gillian Flynn novel, the moment from haze to right in front of my face passed in an instant. We arrived with enough remaining sunlight to see this small island in all its… Continue reading Day 19.3 – Land ho!
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Day 19
In approximately 30 hours we will be making land fall in the Marquesas, and the toughest challenge we have undertaken will be complete. Last night we had another cheerful visit from our friends, you could see them coming up to us like a cavalry. We also had two more bites to our lures yet no… Continue reading Day 19
Day 18
Last night we had a second visit by a large pod of dolphins. Common, spinner, and another type with a pink nose we’ve never seen before. They seemed to be having as much fun with their visit as we did. Sans squalls, night watch was clear and mellow. The day sail was lovely, ocean state… Continue reading Day 18
Day 17
How would you like your night watch, shaken or stirred? Perhaps a little battered or bruised? The gusts from last nights squalls caught us totally off guard, and they were big. A heavy night of swells, wind and rain left us sleep deprived, with a locker that took on water and a load of drenched… Continue reading Day 17
Day 16
With the doldrums behind us, conditions are starting to pick up again. We are entering another area of squalls, so we are keeping a close eye on the weather. We rounded up on the spinnaker with an out-of-nowhere gust but made a quick recovery and doused. With lighter winds in the forecast we swapped the… Continue reading Day 16
Day 15 – from Pollywogs to Shellbacks
I bring you news as newly anointed Shellbacks. Today at 2020 UTC, coordinates 0*00.000 South 130*00.000 West, Bravo and crew crossed the Equator, thereby transitioning from lowly Pollywogs to distinguished Shellbacks. As dictated by tradition and as the sole Shellback onboard, Captain Andy led the ceremony. We asked the Gods for forgiveness for our Pollywaggery,… Continue reading Day 15 – from Pollywogs to Shellbacks
Day 14
Wake Caffeinate Eat Read Nap Music Eat Stop the boat for a quick swim in the middle of the planet in an absolute calm, clear, gorgeous day Chill Check lure, nope nothing. Get sad and keep hoping for the best Chill See giant fish following your boat, expressing no interest in your lure Eat Stargaze… Continue reading Day 14
Day 13
That is right, 13 days at sea...in a row! That’s 312 hours, 18,720 minutes, 1,123,200 seconds. But who’s counting? We are motorsailing through the doldrums, keeping and eye out for squalls, catching up on sleep and drying all of our gear. The inside of Bravo looks like a laundromat. Except it smells less of lavender… Continue reading Day 13
Day 12
Last night we had the biggest storm to date. We also caught the most massive fish to date; a 3.5 ft 50 lb wahoo. We got our butts kicked by both the fish and the storm. Fish managed to rip the line as we were trying to get it onboard, so we lost it. Maneuvering… Continue reading Day 12
Day 11
“Squalls, squalls, squally squalls squalls” - SV Sedna It somehow feels less crappy when you know you buddy boats are in this with you. We’ve all been surfing through these big waves, big wind, and rainfall for the last 3 days. The sailing has been fast, fun and required a lot of focus. Auto can’t… Continue reading Day 11