Position Update N23:06.48 W58:30.6

PASSEPARTOUT
Christopher & Nirit Slaney
Fri 27 Apr 2012 21:11
From Nirit.
 
It's now Thursday night and I am on watch. It's a good time to put some thoughts into writing for the blog. We slipped our lines at St Maarten on Tuesday and have made 300 miles since the. Ever so slowly everyone is becoming accustomed to the routine on board.
 
Yaely realises that she does not suffer from sea sickness after all, which is a relief to the rest of us and an end to her worries. Her body is adjusting to the motions of Atlantic swell but she still prefers to sleep in the cockpit. In this way she feels the wind and sees the stars from the moment she opens her eyes.
 
Shmulik, after fighting a losing battle with a Marlin, has become more relaxed about fishing. This suits Chris who doesn't want to added headache or lines and lures dragging behind us in high seas and lively winds. He's promised Shmulik fishing can resume as soon as we shake out the reefs.
 
In general Chris is finally calming down after a very hectic couple of weeks spent preparing Passepartout for this voyage. So many on board systems collapsed and had to be replaced that it was as if the boat refused the idea that the time had come to cross back over the pond and head for home.
 
And me, sitting on deck at night under a red moon hiding behind clouds and the big oceanic sky I enjoy so much. I spent a lot of time wondering what this part of the voyage was going to be like. Would the weather gods be kind to us? Will Passepartout take good care of us again? We surely did our best getting her ready for the trip.
 
So far all is going well. We are sailing close hauled NNE and unable to follow the rhumb line to the Azores; but this was to be expected. We hope not to get pushed so far northwest that we have to put into Bermuda for fuel and water. By not fighting against the trade winds we hope to be able to head east once their effect diminishes as we get into northern latitudes. As I write, the wind is firmly in the SE and forecasted to stay that way for a few days. 
 
By the time we get back into the Mediterranean it will be two years since we started out on our adventure. Two years crammed with excitement, problems, solutions, ups and owns and lots of special moments. We have crossed oceans, made new friends, called in on some old ones, explored the whole east coast of the USA and had two wonderful seasons in the islands. We have invited new sailing friends to come and visit us at home, it will be interesting to see who comes.
 
And of course I am also wondering what my life will look like in a few months time. I have become so used to living in nature, leading a simple life, exploring new places and seeing mostly a sea horizon, will I be able to adjust to city life again?
 
The wind is picking up. Time to rouse Chris from his bunk and put another reef in the mainsail. Yaely will likely wake up from all the racket and it will soon be Shmulik's time to start his watch. Action on board Passepartout! I shall save the rest of my thoughts for another quiet night.