A fresh trade wind sailing day. Studding sails set again. On this blue water breezy day, we are making good westing towards the hump of Brazil, and we find ourselves surrounded by spinner dolphin. Work stops (don’t see much of this back on the farm), and the gang lines the rails to watch the antics of these aquatic acrobats. They seem to jump and frolic just for fun. Why not? This can last for hours.
Working on our Palmerston cutter, grinding the quarterdeck to get the years of old linseed oil off so we can start to oil the wood again instead of varnishing old oil. Sailmakers sewing away. Anne-Laure putting in a new plank on the quarterdeck too. Who knows what the engineers are doing in the engine room?
From: St Helena Island, South Atlantic
Towards: Grenada, Windward Isles, Eastern Caribbean of the West Indies
Date: April 8, 2019
Noon position: 07-12S / 020-50W
Course and speed: WxN or 280° true at 6 knots
Wind force and direction: ESE at force 4-5
Seas/swell: moderate seas of 2-3 metres from the
Barometer: 1016 steady
Sky: Half-covered with cloud, cumulus, sunny, blue skies
Water temperature: 28.6C – 84F
Distance made good in 24 hours: 134 nautical miles
Passage log: 1,099 nautical miles
Voyage log: 23,057 nautical miles
Distance to next port: 2,696 nautical miles as the barracuda swims