SV Eleonora - 41:07.119N 27:40.461W

41:07.119N 27:40.461W

SV Eleonora

Michael A. Andronov

Wed 4 Jul 2018 08:41

UTC & Local time -- 0301...

July 4th... ( Time is flying... )

It has been relatively quite day, The major task for the day -- to be north from 41N degree latitude -- has been accomplished... With the dying and light winds -- we managed to 'cross the line'...

As predicted -- the wind vanished for a couple of hours, and at this point -- thery are reappearing from the West, slowly picking up... Right now -- about 6-7 kts, projected to be ~20 kts in the morning... We will see...

But at this point -- we are rather 'drifting' then sailing, at a speed of ~3 kts...

The next challenge -- to stay between 41N and 42N latitudes till Friday... It should be the belt of winds inside that corridor... and no wind out... Since the corridor is not wide, there are no too much options rather then to sails NEE...

I wanted to write how I was sailing for 2 days having only 1 leg functioning,,, and how in a rush to respond to the wind change -- I jumped to the cocpit, and intuitevely touched my glasses and my eye with a hand, which I was using to chop hot hot pepper to the salad... And here I've been -- tacking the boat, nearly blinded from the pepper in a eye, on one leg... A real pirate captain !! ;-) ( By the way, I'm fine now, both legs ( it has been stupid muscels spasm... probably have to drink more water), both eyes, everything is OK! )... I wanted to write that as a funny story...

But then I stepped out on the deck...

The view of the Ocean -- made me speechless... It is always amazing how quickly it is capable to change... Just 2 or 3 hours ago -- none friendly, careless waves were passing by... The swell has been changing all day long -- a couple of up and down feet in hight, direction, wave lengh... As if the Ocean has been demonstrating its endless muscels and the power, his ability to do whatever hi wants...

I'm more then a hundred mies away from the nearest land... But there are plenty of birds around... They are flying between the waves.. sometimes -- may be just a feet or two above the water... They are doing it so naturaly, so gracefully, and so routinely, ( all definitons should be used at the same time in order to get the picture...) As if they were saying -- 'We are here because we live here... What are you doing here ? What is the story ? "

I stepped into the cockpit. Less then two hours later... The Ocean is calm... The waves, which seemed to be endless -- gone...

The Ocean is wearing his night dress -- dark, nearly black, velvet cover... Very long, and low swell... There is still wind... actually, the same wind as before... ok, a couple of knots less... But the water, the surface -- is so different, so peacefull... The Moon raised above the broken set of clouds, and the 'moon path' appeared... going from the boat, straight to the sky, to the Moon...

The Ocean still looks incrediably powerful, but now, it is so peaceful, so quite, extremely powerful -- you are feeling that with the swell, which you do not see and only horizon line moves are indicating you are lifting and going a bit down again, -- so gentle, at the same time...

I'm hypnotised by that picture... I can stay and watch it forever... It seems that if I stay and watch a tiny bit longer -- I would be able to understand and to see something big and important... The magic of the night in the Atlantic...

The wind is picking up as promissed, and we slowly starting to gain the speed... Not a great speed, but we are glading gracefully through that endless black velvet, decorated with reflection of clouds asd stars...

Within a couple of hours -- the Sun will take its turn, and a new day will start... The Ocean will change completely again, and our adventure would continue...

Talk soon,