Hello world!
The crew of Champagne Hippy are very glad to be off the dock and out sailing after an unsure morning of last-minute adjustments yesterday. The send-off from Las Palmas was fantastic, with all the crowds gathered at the exit of the marina cheering us on and wishing us well. What an amazing atmosphere to be a part of, and of course this only got better when out of the marina. Seeing so many sails raised high with all our fellow ARC friends heading for the start line was really something to behold!
Our first few hours of sailing were very enjoyable with the excitement from the start line still buzzing around on deck. As the sun set with a green flash, a pod of dolphins joined us as a fair well from Gran Canaria, a collective how lucky are we to be doing this passed over the Caesar salads being served on the dinner table. As if we thought it couldn’t get better the nights watches were filled with radio chatter and shooting stars!
All crew managed to rest and wake this morning feeling refreshed. Throughout the day we were joined by a small little bird that occasionally took refuge on our guard rails, the poor thing must have been flying for miles! At lunchtime we spotted some whales off our port side, only identified by numerous blow hole spurts but not close enough to see any tails for fins this time… Later this afternoon another large pod of dolphins joined us for some bow riding and entertainment for all.
As the night settles in we have very little visibility of the stars above however we have had maybe our last animal encounter for today, being some “flashing jellies” aptly named by skipper Josh and first mate Matt. More commonly known as bioluminescence a reaction from a massive area of organisms being agitated by the movement of the boat and thus creating a bright flash off the stern, a fascinating sight!
No luck with fishing today but we will try again tomorrow!
Champagne Hippy Crew x
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