We can see the lights of Salvador as we approach. It’s 8:30 pm local time but we only “time traveled” one hour since St. Helena so boat time is 10:30 pm. We should be at the dock in about three hours.
Our last day of the passage was much like the rest – more or less uneventful. We had decent wind in the morning but then had to drop Mini Spinny when the wind died in the afternoon. We put both engines on and later, with a bit of wind, put up the gennaker, which is easy to roll up and put away when we arrive in port.
We did school again and finished up our radish project. It didn’t go quite as well as I had hoped – it turns out that inside a boat isn’t an ideal environment for growing plants. We had enough space but not quite enough light in the location I chose. But there was still learning. The TOPS Science folks were kind enough to provide test questions (and answers). I picked the ones that were most applicable to the experiments we performed and all three kids did the test. They appear to know more about sprouting plants than they did before the unit and I think that’s the point. Next, we will try a physics unit!
Joe made lots of water because we heard the water at the dock isn’t potable so we don’t want to put it in our tanks. We will use up the water we’re making now via our desalinating water maker and then make more water at sea (where the water is clean) when we leave the dock and head north to Cabadelo.
It was a bittersweet day as Gemma will be leaving us soon and we have very much enjoyed her company. It’s unbelievable that she has been with us for six weeks. Time moves slowly on the boat and then suddenly, it’s gone. We are organizing a dancing night out after our World ARC awards dinner tomorrow night so she should sleep well once she gets on the plane. Tonight we played a round of Apples to Apples to celebrate the end of the passage and Gemma’s last night on the sea for a while.
We ate a bunch of leftovers and consigned more food to the sea so that we don’t have to put it in the trash later. Once we get to shore, we will spend some time eating off the boat, both to give the cook a much-needed break and to avoid heating up the galley. Provisioning went very well – the freezer and fridge are basically empty but we still have enough staples (eggs, butter, milk, etc.) to keep us from having to run to the store immediately.
Yesterday we had a gorgeous sunset and some evening boxing lessons on the foredeck! The girls had an outdoor shower which is always exciting for the person on watch. Gemma makes us sing when we shower on the stern so she doesn’t have to worry if someone falls off the boat. Joe had a refreshing dangle off the bow and created some new moves for the rest of us to try.
All for now. I need to focus on the navigation for the entry to the harbor!
We will be able to dock at the marina tonight and will clear Customs and Immigration tomorrow morning. Confined to the boat until then but we really don’t have anywhere to go tonight so it’s fine with us.
image2 image3 image1