Transatlantic: Day 16

We are moving! Our old record of 80’s got shattered and we almost made it into the 100s club. After almost a week of sitting, we are now scooting along covering 90 nautical miles in a 24 hour period.

One of the cooler parts of crossing an ocean is you get to see magical sunrises and sunsets. When I’m on land, I try and avoid watching the sunrise, as this means I had to get up that early. On watch, sunrise signifies that you are soon finishing your watch and will get some sleep in a moment!

In the Westerlies, you will also need to keep an eye out for cloud formations that are going to warn you of upcoming weather far better than any Weather Fax would. 

This cloud is warning us that there is instability in the air around us and squalls can be upon us overnight.  

It pays to keep a weather eye on the clouds as changes in their shape can tell you how to prepare your sailplan before it strikes! 

Last Watch of the Night

My favorite watch schedule to be on is the last one of the night. This means that your watch usually ends at around dawn, and you get to watch the sun rise up from over the horizon. The colors at that time of morning are so intense and the blues never seem bluer!

Everything seems still and calm while still in full motion of the sea. The sleepiness I was beginning to experience just fades away as the sun rushes in and wakes me up. This will have me up as early as possible (usually around 4am) so that I get to enjoy the entire day and feel tired by the time sunset comes around. I get to reef down and let someone else take first watch. As I lay down during the dark hours of the night, I know that tomorrow I will once again get to enjoy the majestic wonder of dawn.