Well, the first few days were certainly upwind sailing!
With the winds from the North/North East, and a high pressure making its way slowly south, we wanted to make as much North as possible before the High comes over us. That meant heeling over at 20 degrees, waves crashing over the bow and into the cockpit, and heads in buckets for most. (Yes that includes me, Mo…). We were blessed with clear nights and the Milky Way to keep us distracted from feeling rubbish, and the occasional pod of dolphins and even some pilot whales were a happy sight.
Its now Sunday, and everyone is feeling so much better! We’re nearing the high, at 29 degrees North, and the wind is slowly coming further east.. The buckets are disappearing, and the crew are looking more human. Sea Dragon is also grateful for less choppy conditions, as she can now be looked after below decks with a wipe down and mop every morning. And with the wind slowing down, we finally unfurled the yankee and unreeled the main to full canvas! With about 10 knots of true wind, we are zooming along at 7 knots and everyone is settling into their watch routines.
The fishing line went in today too, and after only a few hours we caught a Mahi Mahi!! Everyone watched as Anna and Marisa cleaned it and filleted it, and we decided to wait till tomorrow to enjoy it.
On this trip, all onboard have been very lucky to see numerous colorful sunrises and sunsets (which is more than we had on the way to Hawaii from Ensenada!). The clouds are clearing and the sun is shining, and honestly we’re all glad to see the buckets disappear!
