Legato - first 3 days of the transatlantic
We are already 3 days at sea. Time flies when you are at sea. There haven't been boring moments so far, cause even looking at the waves around us is interesting.
Day 1: departure
The harbour is full of activity early on: people buy the last groceries, fill their watertanks, call friends or family at home, send a last email and enjoy the last real shower. The boats are washed at the last minute and the team shirts are
put on. We say bye to the neighbours and wish everyone a good crossing with the standard joke "we are waiting for you in Grenada!". People quickly discuss the route with each other and which sails they need at the start. Everyone is ready and looking forward
to the departure.
Soon after the start, we hoist the spinnaker, but while doing so, a large knot forms around the spinnaker. 3 people try to remove the knot by climbing the mast. After patience and hard work, the knot is out. The wind has increased, so we leave
the spinnaker for what it is. We continue sailing on the twin headsail. Eventually the wind drops and we make another attempt with the spinnaker. We manage to hoist it, but after a few hours we leave it for just too long. We broach a few times, before we manage
to take the spinnaker down.
We sail into the evening with the twin headsail and mainsail up. The wind drops and stays stable around 8 knots. The boat shakes and the sails flap. It's making a lot of noise, but we're still moving forward.
Day 2:
After a very slow night we hoist the spinnaker. We feel the increase in speed immediately. The flapping of the sails stops. A sound that lasted all night. The energy is good today. We nap, read, chat, watch the waves and listen to some rock music. a great and easy day at sea.
Day 3:
After a beautiful sunrise and some morning coffee, a wave hits us off course. The spinnaker wraps multiple times around the forestay. How do we get this out? We try to pull the spinnaker around but the force of the wind on the big sail is too
big.
We need to take a break, rethink. It is too heavy to hold the corner of the spinnaker with 1 small line. We take the sheet and clip it on the clew, bring it back around the winch. This allows us to pull the corner further back. Then when part
of the sail is behind the forestay, we change course, so wind pulls the sail around the forestay. We let the sheet go and 1 turn of the spinnaker is removed. The sheet is removed, pulled forward around the stay, back to the winch and we repeat. After an hour
the spinnaker is free again! We immediately pick up the pace. We were lucky that the wind was not too strong. Otherwise it would have taken a lot more effort.
In the afternoon the fishing rod hangs out. When we inspect the rod, we see a bird moving its wings violently and it seems to follow us. Unfortunately, it turns out he mistook our hook for a nice catch and the hook is stuck in his mouth. One
person holds the bird and the other takes the bait. Due to the stress, the poor animal also started moving its legs, causing a piece of his foot to also become stuck in another hook. Luckily we get the hooks out and let the bird go again. If all goes well,
there is no permanent damage for the bird.
There is never a dull moment at see!