Last night was the first time you could be out on deck sailing the boat in shorts in the dark. We haven't quite got to the t-shirt night-time temperatures as we're not fully in the trade winds. There was a combination of an ocean swell on the starboard beam (the right side) topped with a smattering of waves going in different directions and a wind coming out of North and then the NorthEast and back to North again. It made for interesting sailing in the night. At dawn, the rising sun heightened the impression that the sea was a living being breathing deeply and slowly. Emily Morgan rose up on the wide swells and descended gently, the water burbling along the length of the hull and trailing behind in a white topped wake.
Daylight brought another shift in the wind. It veered a few more degrees such that Anna and Bones decided it was spinnaker time. This sail is flown from the front of the boat. It's a huge red sail, about 65 square metres and requires attentive helming to keep it filled. If not, it can cause havoc. Sailors are either pro-spinnaker (adrenalin junkies) or white-sails sailors (me, despite myself and Alex, current Emily Morgan record holders, each hitting a speed of 9.9 knots).
When the wind went over 20 knots we dropped the spinnaker and sailed under a poled out genoa and two hours later put the spinnaker back up again then dropped once more for the night. We'll be pros by the end of the trip, though I remain to be converted.
Today marked another significant point in the passage. We now have under 2,000 nautical miles to go!
Elizabeth
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