Ronnies blog - Completely surrounded by water

S/Y Pelerin
Colin Speedie & Louise Johnson
Sun 23 Dec 2012 16:45
Completely surrounded by water, my current life as crew on Pelerin is summed up by two statements; Where we’re going, and Where we’ve been! Where we’re going is defined by speculative waypoints to our destination, yet to be finally decided. Where we’ve been is marked by our foamy wake, now trailing hundreds of miles behind us. Once the moon has set (and the competition reduced?) this wake is illuminated by clusterbombs of phosphorescence from tiny specks to splashes up to 6 feet long (which we can only assume to be jellyfish). This, combined with the star-filled sky, make night watches the most enjoyable.

At night there is no one else on deck which gives much time for reflection, thinking about friends and family, but mainly thinking how fortunate we are to be out here enjoying life to the full. Last night I was following the Southern Cross while on watch. I counted six shooting stars in the last hour and endless constellations – almost as beautiful as a frosty Scottish winter night!

Days have been relatively quiet in comparison. We have had several whale sightings, including a (probable) humpback that cleared completely out of the water; today a flight of half a dozen Tropic Birds, and, constantly, squadrons of skittering flying fish.

We have been visited by dolphins several times; always at night! The first you know about it is when you hear the sound of their breathing. Occasionally, you see the back hump out of the water and, if you are lucky, the streaks of phosphorescence as they zoom in towards the bow.

I wasn’t sure how I would cope with so many days and nights at sea, but the company’s good, the food’s great (while it lasts :-) ), and it’s working out just fine.

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