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Testarossa - Sunrise, Sunset, The Green Flash, and and and...



Testarossa Daily Message: Sunrise, Sunset, The Green Flash, and and and.../ Monday 23 May 2016//

As of 1632L hours on 23 May 2016, our position is: 37*01.082'N / 41*49.990'W. We are steaming 077* COG making 6.1 Kts SOG, under main and motor, approximately 632 NM's from the Azores.

Dolphins!

Lots and lots of Dolphins!

Today has been a near continuous parade of Dolphins! So much so, that David has taken to calling this, "The Day of the Dolphin!" With numerous sightings, numerous attempts to capture them on film riding our bow wave has been attempted. Let's all hope some of these efforts have paid off and we can feature some of these in our next Testarossa film: "Bene Testarossa, Bermuda to the Azores."

BTW, the type of dolphin most commonly seen today is believed to be the "Common Atlantic Dolphin." Not so common to those of us use to sailing in the Gulf as these guys are rather smallish. After seeing numerous such Dolphins jumping completely out of the water, I would estimate their length to be approximately 3' long. Some larger dolphins are also spotted - but these do not tend to leap into the air. Also, these are not to be confused with the Miami Dolphins, as we are well outside those territorial waters!

Last night featured a glorious sunset. In fact, this has to go down as one of the prettiest sunsets yet observed by all aboard. Clear skies, turning brilliantly orange, a few puffy clouds here and there, showcased a large brightly luminous glowing orange sun. Oh the orange! All hands were mesmerized watching the sun as it made its final descent into tomorrow.

And the Green Flash?

As all agree, conditions for the observance of a green flash last evening were very promising. We had all the right ingrediants: Bright sun, clear skies, no obstructions, a sea surface. But what foiled us - can anyone guess? The seas! Right there at the end, the boat gently rocking up and down on the large ground swells, we knew our chances were limited at best. And, as luck would have it, we sank deep into a trough, while the sun sank beneath the distant horizon leaving only an orange glow where once the sun had been. As I once heard exclaimed in Key West at sunset pier: "Don't worry folks - the Sun will be back tomorrow!"

And so we too wonder if tonight will give us a glimpse of that elusive green flash...The conditions today also appear to be promising, with the additional caveat that the seas have laid down quite a bit, and our chances of observing the sun actually set are better than before. We shall see...we shall see...

Night watch, was...well night watch. Once again. To fully appreciate spending an evening on night watch on a sailboat, I recommend the following: Simply stay up all night tonight, then go to work tomorrow. Repeat, and you get the idea. Of note however on last evenings watch, was the complete loss of wind at about midnight. With that, we started our engine and have since been motoring. Drats!

Sunrise, was most spectacular as well. A dim lightening of the skies, followed by bright orange sky line again, and the sudden appearance of the sun's rim peaking through a hole in the clouds. As I watched the sun rise, the brilliance of this glowing orange orb we call the sun is truly magnificent.

Today has been pretty casual, as far as life at sea can be. Lots of reading, contemplating, dolphin watching, music listening, and ship's work. Cheese Happy Hour just finished. Fishing lines are set, but no bites as of yet. Still no luck on our water maker, although parts are on order. Babalou took a salt water deck shower, but the rest of use were tentatively waiting to see if we could recharge our water maker. There may be more takers tomorrow.

Personal Messages from the Crew:
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Captain George: Too much time to think!!! Already planning the Azores!
Ms. Lorrie: JBS ~ Culebra 8/16? Lets do it!
Babalou: Hi Sweetie!! All is well aboard. 3 beautiful days of weather. Scratched out scratched out scratched out. Please call Derrick to clean Partager's bottom and arrange to pay Derrick. #850.384.9539 Thanks, your cabana boy (Editor's note: No crank calls please to Derrick claiming to be "the cabana boy.")
Felipe: 4CJ - Baby! Miss you! Hang in there kiddo! Be in touch soon! Always remember, AML4U! xxx wink emoticon
Mr. David, Esq: Loved the Dolphin action today was great - Mum and Dad - I am, though, cursing the decision that you made to take me to the wonderful hot climates of Bahrain as a youngster - as I am feeling the cold! The fleeces are paying off though, lots of layerssss! Franapolis - I wish we could fly you on to the boat for today and tomorrow - the swells have gone and you would have loved the dolphin action! Jealous you have been getting some waves, sounds like it has been nice having the Berg around... One crazy thing that we have seen even more that dolphins is Portuguese Man of War jellyfish - they are literally everywhere! So I especially don't want to go overboard now! Look forward to having a good chat soon, Dp xxx
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Take care all, and Cheers from the salty red head, Testarossa! Azores bound,

(Salt Encrusted) Testarossa Sends,
USA 143



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