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Ximera - Leg 2, Log Day 2 – Pleasant stay and well underway




After 5 days in Bermuda, and an unorthodox reverse (stern-first) motoring start, we are making excellent headway to our next destination: Horta, on the Azorean island of Faial.

 

We are perhaps the Northern-most boat in the fleet of the ARC, with our skipper choosing to not follow the herd and head Northeast out of Bermuda, rather than Southeast, as the rest of the fleet has done. So far, the gamble has paid off, with fine (15-18 knot winds), roughly on the beam, allowing for comfortably close-hauled sails and a course that currently puts us right on track to Faial.

 

This is, of course, more than likely to change at any given moment, as the winds and seas are notoriously fickle in this part of the Atlantic and at this time of year. Nonetheless, for now we are consistently cruising at 7-9 knots and right on course, in moderate seas, and comfortable (i.e., a bit chillier), dry weather. It’s lovely to wear pants and a jumper, rather than sweating it out in shorts and a t-shirt.

 

We picked up a new crewmember in Bermuda. John is a Canadian lake sailor from Toronto. He immediately informed us of the famous line from Moby Dick: “The Great Lakes sailor is wild-ocean nurtured, as audacious a mariner as any.” John has quickly gotten his sea legs and been swept into the fold by the rest of the crew, so it may yet turn out that Melville was right and the Atlantic is just a very large lake after all.

 

We were all taken by Bermuda’s charms. St. George’s where we stayed, was replete with gorgeous beaches with turquoise waters, an abundance of historical forts built by the Brits, lovingly maintained houses on crooked pedestrian alleyways, and polite, hospitable and friendly locals.

 

The trip has been a blast so far, and though we were a bit sad to leave such a lovely place as Bermuda, we are very excited by the excellent progress we are currently making on this leg, the longest one of the journey. 

 

Upwards and onwards.



Photo caption: it was the pirate spirit that took us North while the rest of the ARC Europe fleet went South.



Ensign and the Bones blog

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