Gone Native - ARC log

24//11/08 15:00 GMT
And now begins the much belated log...

After a frantic last few days spent stowing gear and provisions, S/V Gone Native set forth while proudly playing the theme song from Gilligan's Island yesterday afternoon. The start was exciting, complete with a brass band and throngs of well-wishers both lining the docks and afloat in various small craft. We watched the big boys start with their spinnakers flying (that's the last we'll see of them until the after-party (of which they'll probably have had several before we even arrive) and then followed shortly thereafter. After the thrill of finally starting we settled rapidly into routine shipboard chores and the division of the crew into various watches. Dave Harris explicitly wishes to have mentioned the fact that he prepared a delicious caldo de pesce (that's fish soup, for us ordinary slobs) for lunch and lime-marinated mahi with a reduction sauce of butter and herbs de Provence for dinner (oops, I forgot the potatoes, they were good too but I don't have words to describe them).

The winds have been reasonably light for the season, with light conditions far out to sea requiring the entire fleet to head south toward the Cape Verde Islands in search of better wind. We'll report more on that endeavor later.

This morning the three boys took the 07:00-12:00 watch, which included preparing a tasty breakfast of pancakes for us all. Afterwards, they even cleaned up the dishes. After breakfast we discovered a squid that had somehow ended up on deck overnight. Dissecting it proved to be a fascinating science experiment interrupted only by the appearance of a large pod of dolphins who accompanied us for an hour or two. After the pod had passed we remembered to set the fishing poles as we certainly would love to duplicate last night's dinner. Perhaps we can convince the captain to dive beneath the hull to look for oyster appetizers.

So far, as you can tell, we are having a wonderful adventure on our quest to rediscover the New World. We'll keep you posted...