It is a beautiful night of sailing with the full moon’s reflection following us as we glide through the sea. It is nice to sail with a little light. There’s a warm wind that makes it much more comfortable to be outside during the night watches. We are 60 NM offshore so the nights can be cold and lonesome. That’s the reason 2 crew are on watch during the night.
We have been flying our spinnaker (the brightly colored sail) during the day. This type of sail is used in lighter wind conditions. When the wind calms down the waves calm down but that means we slow down. The rally we are in is about sailing without using your motor unless there is no wind. When this happens, the Grand Poobah will make an announcement over the VHF radio advising everyone to turn their engines on.
The crew today did a “man overboard” drill. There wasn’t actually anyone in the water. Kevin had the stern open and was removing kelp off the rudders when the boat hook he was using got away from him. When you need to pick something out of the water while under sail it calls for all hands on deck. That means everyone responds to help get the sails down so the boat can be turned around. With 3 large sails up this takes immediate action and coordination between crew members. Thanks to our awesome crew, the boat hook was successfully retrieved and we got back on course. It’s always good to routinely practice this drill in case anyone ever falls overboard.
Right now there is no concept of time other than we see the sun rise in the morning and set in the evening. We eat when we’re hungry and sleep when we’re tired. It is mental freedom.
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