The 4 to 8 watch gets woken about 03:20 for their 04:00 AM watch on deck, taking over from those that have had the duty between 12 and 4. They get dressed according to the weather (fair, clear and warm just now), maybe get some coffee at the alfresco coffee station back aft. Always interesting to find out how the coffee is this time. It varies. You would think it wouldn’t, I mean you just follow a forrmula, just like at Starbucks right? Well, evidently not. Anyway, always curious to learn how the coffee is here at o’dark thirty. It has been OK lately. Or tea, tea is good too. On deck, hands out to relieve the helm and lookout, make a ship check on deck and below. Then settle down for an hour and more of the remaining dark of night. If it’s clear out, and the moon is not too strong or absent altogether, this is a good time to look up at the stars. With no land lights lighting up the night and a clear sky, good star gazing is at hand.
This morning we are steering due south. A faint loom of a coming sunrise is beginning a low glow off to the eastward. With no moon just now there are plenty of stars to see, and constellations. Off to starboard Scorpio is clear and bright even as it sets in the west. The North Star astern is getting lower towards the horizon as we make southing. Cannot yet see the Southern Cross. Like the song sings, that is a special moment when you see the Southern Cross for the first time. The Milky Way is a clear swath of millions of tiny stars smeared overhead. Looking up at it, it is a bit awe inspiring to think we are looking into our own galaxy. It is far far away and a long time ago – and its right here, right now. The biggest star in the sky, of course, is the sun and soon it will be breaking the horizon, the other stars vanish, and we will be getting our deck brushes out for the morning wash down. And then we will bend on the flying jib on this balmy subtropical morning. That sail is a good puller when it can bear.