The sea has settled down, the wind is holding steady and we’re busting a grove doing an average of 7 knots. It’s great sailing at its best!
As the day ends, we each do a five-hour night shift, usually sitting up on the bridge where we have the best visibility and can easily see if there are any storm clouds rolling around or if there are any other boats in the vicinity.
I’m lucky as my shift benefits from seeing the sun set and rise, which is always a highlight. Tuesday night’s sunset was nothing short of spectacular. While the sun made a very quick exit, the colours lingered on and appeared to dance with the clouds - causing a fiery red, pink and purple glow - and the most amazing skyline for us to sail towards.
As the colours faded, the night sky took over and the smiling waxing crescent of the moon emerged. Twinkling away beside it was Venus, followed by Jupiter and Pluto. After three hours, the moon retired to bed, but its compatriots partied on. The constellations and stars shone brighter without the moon’s overpowering presence and it was easier to catch the odd shooting star as it scurried across the busy sky.
Next week is the peak of the Leonid meteor shower and, as long as the clouds don’t get sent in, we’ll be lucky enough to enjoy front row seats for this performance. Will keep you posted!
In other news…Skipper saw a whale jump out of the water checking us out. It only surfaced the once, but we’re now keeping eyes peeled for any more oceanic activity.
Date: Tuesday 9th & Wednesday 10th November
Total miles sailed in 48 hours: 313 miles
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