I think we set a record by passing the Dolldrums this time. In only two days we sailed through it without using the engine! With an average boat speed of about 8 knots we blasted through one of the most squalliest places we’ve been in the past. Not a single squall hit us, not a single down pour. Just once a little rain for 10 minutes. Not even enough to clean the boat. We definitely did something right in our plannings.
Today was a beautiful day for sailing out on the ocean. We had winds from 17-20 knots in the morning, slowly dropping to 12 knots in the evening.
At about 9 am I recognized an AIS signal from a fishing boat on the chart plotter. He was 8 miles north east of us but slowly turned around. Finally we could see the ship. A good sized fishing boat with a helicopter on the bow. We contacted them to ask, if there might be a problem passing their stern. A very friendly voice answered and took our concerns. It was not a hassle passing close by. What a highlight!
But not the last highlight of the day…
At 9:30 pm we decided to drop the main and furl in the genoa to set the spinnaker instead. The main sail was flapping with every wave pushing ZERO from left to right. Now with the spinnaker it’s way nicer.
We werer just about to go back from foredeck to the cockpit when Christian recognized a noice.
Wait…that’s a dolphin! 4-5 dolphins, probably spinner dolphins, started to play next to the bow. On top we had a little of the phosphorizing algae around us and every move from the dolphins started to glow blue ish. That truly is magic! We haven’t seen dolphins in that special conditions for a long time.
What a beautiful day! I hope you have a similar mind blowing situation in your day, too.
Fay

Sent from the ocean