Saturday August 5
830.1 NM in and 997.1 to go at 12 Days out of Bermuda! Down to them trip-figs and our Cetacea’s path through the verse has proven profound once again…all through the morning Dena and I traded off the long (mostly guesswork) process of navigating the prime wind line of a storm. We nailed it with nary a raindrop in the cockpit.I went south, Dena went east, I went a smidge to the south again and Dena squared us up on the following seas and now we’re heading back on course to Horta in a fair and kindly sea.
There’s the Writing Tack. Port tack run with a double reefed mainsail only allowing the writer to be cradled on the down wind side while indulging in those creative endeavors.
Then there’s the Sleeping Tack: Starboard run, same-same sail plan as above allowing that much needed rest for those intrepid overnight watchers.
Sunday August 6
Dena’s overnight watch
Midnight: When the sun set, the stars came out stronger than we’ve seen them since the moon approached full. The sweep of the galaxy hazed its arc and constellations were muddled by the dimmer stars we don’t always get to see.
Behind us, agitated creatures phosphoresced like stars boiling in our wake.
The moon rose small and orange at 11pm. It’s already bright enough to simplify the star field.
6:03 am: A longtail Bermudan swung by and left without acrobatics. As I watched it leave, I heard breathing and turned in time to see dolphin! A small group of the small ones dove across our bow again and again. When they took breaks, they came back and swam easily near the cockpit. There was no sign that they knew I was there, but I felt accompanied by neighbors.
Dena’s 10-11 am watch
The cross bar between the two wind generators fell right out of the port side fitting. The set screw had worked itself out and fallen. Luckily, it was still in the cockpit!
We shifted the whole cross support up to the level of the solar panels and got everything back together. It’s hard, working over my head in a following sea that pitches us back and forth sometimes. One hand for staying put and one for working meant it took both of us to work the screwdriver and crescent wrench. We got it done, though, with no hijinks.
