Bought fruit, eggs and vegetables today.
Ole and the kids have been busy painting graffiti on the dock wall. I helped buying the last food ect. for the next 14 days. That's what's were expecting for the trip to Ireland. We're also expecting a little more wind than on the Atlantic. And more traffic when we get nearer Ireland.
Think everyone are looking forward to be sailing again. We might need a few days to get used to a rocking boat.
Haven't written blog the last few days. Not much to write.
Yesterday, everyone onboard went on tour. Except me. I had the whole ship to myself. And a computer with internet access. Perfect!
I was able to backup all my photos. Upload some of the best to facebook, and look on options on flying home from Ireland as scheduled.
Today we have done a little work to be shipshape again. The sail is fixed. We have done some rust work. Tonny did the hard work.
Leaving for Dublin on Friday.
Even though we got to bed late we were all up around 9:15
Kristine had to go to the Airport, so Silvia and I drove her there. Afterwards Silvia took me on a tour around the island. Went to the western, and newest volcano crater. Very special place. Still no vegetation, but it's starting to "crawl" in.
At 1pm we had to be in Horta. Five of Silvias friends were joining us on a hike near the highest spot on the island. Even though it was extremely foggy, it was a great and interesting hike. Nice to move my legs again.
Some of the hike was following rain water canals. They use the water for drinking water in Horta.
After the hike we went to a holiday house of one of Silvias friends. The location was so great. Just at the sea. We had a big paelea.
All Silvias friends are working/ studying with the sea, so have a lot of very interesting knowledge.
A long and very interesting day.
Went on couchsurfing.org to see if there was any surfers in Horta.
There is a few. I contacted a Silvia. A marine biology student.
She replied within minutes. I was very welcome. I was invited to a bbq Saturday. Awesome. I offered to bring desert. They didn't know how many who would join the party, somewhere between 8 and 30... I bought a big bag of fruit, cream and chocolate. Easy to prepare/reduce.
Silvias flatmate, Kristine, welcomed me at their flat. A Norwegian girl, also studying marine biology.
They were living in a huge flat in "central Horta". Price: 200€ per person per month. Cheap compared with Danish prices. A little expensive compared with "Horta prices".
5 friends of the flat arrived, and we went with them to a house where the bbq was. At first eyesight the place looked like a junkyard, but behind it was a very cool house at a very green/ nice spot.
We had a fantastic dinner with lots of specialities. My fruitsalat was also popular.
At midnight we walked to the place where the concert was. A Pro-rural farmer sort of thing. Cows and tractors everywhere. Two local bands played. Good fun, and cheap beers, 50 cents!
At around 3am it was over and Silvia drove us home. We did a quick stop at a big beachparty, but I think we were all to tired for more. Or at least I was really tired :-)
In bed, a real bed, at around 4:30am..
Woke up at 10am... Everyone were still sleeping. Guess it was needed.
Horta harbour is amazing. Sailors leave a little artwork before leaving. This should bring luck...
There is thousands of artworks everywhere. These, with all the sailors, makes this places very interesting.
There is always sailors chatting about their Atlantic crossing or other adventures.
We have already met lots of fellow sailors. There is plenty of Scandinavians here, also on their easy back.
Ole has worked on the engine all day. Minor fixes, but still time consuming...
We have done some other little adjustments on sails, ropes ect.
Finally land!
Saw whales on the way into Horta harbour. I shaved, to look just a little civilised.
Sailed into Horta harbour at 9:15am... Or that was what was we thought.
Bjarke won the bet, and got to choose restaurant in the evening.
After getting organised with diesel and water we got a spot in the harbour.
We went straight to town. Found Peter sport bar. Had beer, eggs and bacon.... Mmmmmmmmm.....
The rest of the day was spent on relaxation, internetting and eating.
In the evening Tonny and I was waiting at Peter Sport.
We had agreed on meeting here at seven. At some stage Tonny asked me what time it was. My phone said 6pm, Tonnys Ipad said 7pm. We asked to French sailors next to us. Their watches said 8pm and 5pm....
Truly a place for long distance sailors... The real time was 7pm, so the everyone onboard was one hour behind.
At the restaurant we we're served giant meals on huge metal plates.
We we're all to full to eat desert.
Distance: nm (arrived at 11:15am)
Midnight shift for me. Almost nice to be steering by engine again. Was able to steer with minimum use of compass. Was lining my swimmers (on the sea fence) under the northstar. And with one foot on the wheel, it was easy to steer.
We have experienced big waves the last 24 hours. We're guessing 4-5 metres... They are no problem though. They are very long, and therefore very gentle. But still impressive.
Lots of dolphins again. Those animals must have ADHD, they are always moving, fast....
Lea served a wonderful cinnamon cake for afternoon tea. This was after some of us finished cleaning the entire deck.
When we wake up, land is probably visible. Strange after 22 days without.
Distance: 104nm
Up at 4am to steer after a turbulent night in the cabin. Not much sleep
When the ship is rocking this much.
Now, at 7am we have changed sails, and it's a lot calmer. Time to catch up some sleep...
And so I did. Got up at 11:24am
First important question: how fast are we sailing?
Next important thing, apart from coffee, how far? 114nm, cool!
So, what have I done today.
Well...
A freshwater shower
A soduko
Reading
Eating
Cockpit Jeopardy
Watching dolphins
Been Fishing
Taken the dishes
Smaltalks
Steering
At 10pm we had to start the engine, no wind...
Changed all clocks onboard with +1 hour. Third timezone we cross on the Atlantic. Now only one hour behind Danish timezone
Distance: 114nm
At lunchtime, the 24 hour measurement was ready: 124nm
Very fine distance. Horta is now under 300nm away.
I war steering from 8 to 10am. Five minutes to ten the wind disappeared and changed direction within seconds. We went from 5 knots in the right direction to 2.5 knots 50 degrees of the curse.
We changed sail setting, and after one hour we were back on track.
For lunch Lea made her famous bread. Soooo nice to have fresh bread.
Often, when relaxing in the cabin, I hear some of the crew yell "dolphins", "a ship" ect. 30 seconds later, I'm on the deck as well.
We have seen dolphins twice today, and one ship.
The toilet broke today, but luckily, the skipper, Ole, fixed it very quick. He is a pro handyman, and have brought "u name it" tools and spareparts.
Distance: 124nm
Great 24 hour distance. New record!
Woke up at 10:30... Earplugs, eyecover, and a 2 to 6am night shift had made me sleep through three kids waking up ect.
10:07, 11:07 and at the moment 12:07 is a very important time. This is where we measure how far we have sailed the last 24 hours. Everyone make a guess, and hope for something above 100
Today (Meaning from lunchtime yesterday until lunch today) the number was 103. Only with sails, Great!
The first twelve hours today, we have done 5+ knots, so the good result in distance is thanks to lots of good wind for sailing.
We create a little garbage onboard. Glass, metal and paper (without plastic cover) is thrown overboard.
The picture is 20 days of garbage (mostly plastic), including the black bucket.
Distance: 103nm
Happy birthday Bjarke!
Had the 6 to 8am shift. Saw dolphins. Nice to see wild animals without a bunch of photo hunters (including myself)... The playful animals followed the ship for about ten minutes.
At around 9am two ships appeared. A big cargo ship and a big sailship. The sailship contacted us. They were in a 52 feet ship, named "mango3", four bathrooms, three people onboard.
The skipper offered us water or diesel if needed. Very friendly guy. They are also heading for Horta, so hopefully we'll meet them there.
Before lunch Bjarke got his first present, a sixpack of coca cola. He was a good boy, and shared with the crew. Good to taste again, but honestly, very sweet, and nothing I crave anymore. Think a cold beer is number one when we arrive in Horta. Well, beer and wifi access.
Just walking will be great to do again.
Bjarke also received a canned cheese burger. Everyone had a bite...
Distance: 104nm
3 litre freshwater shower - check
Clean undies - check
Shave - check
New t-shirt, no, the one I'm wearing is only three days old, so that would be to much...
The Azores are getting closer now, only 650nm away...
Today we're really racing ahead, well, have said this before, and then the wind have died during the night...
But until now we have done very fine.
The speed is fine, but the ship rolling all night isn't the best. Looking forward to a calm harbour in Horta. None of the crew get seasick though.
The crew have spotted lots of animals today. Dolphins, turtles and whales. We still see birds every day.
I helped with cooking dinner today. It has become pretty easy to cook while the whole kitchen is moving from side to side, and up and down.
Also on ships as on land, It's in the kitchen most accidents happens. We are very careful handling boiling water ect.
Distance: 94nm
My first shift was from 4 to 6 in the morning. I'm pretty sure I saw a shark cruising by. Saw the fin and the tip of the tail.
Went to bed at 6:30. Tonny woke me up at 7:30. The wind was very strong, and the front sail needed to be changed to a smaller one. That was my job while Tonny was steering.
After ten minutes I was finally ready with the new sail. The wind was calm again. I was soaked. Tonnys comment was "back to other one"...
Hmmmmm... Well, guess it was good practice...
The wind disappeared at 4pm, so for the first time in 8 days we turned on the engine.
After dinner a big school of dolphins came around and pulled of a show around the ship.
Distance: 97nm
When I was a little boy I loved playing in the garden in rainy weather. I collected rainwater and dug canals.
This morning I had the 8 to 10 steering shift. It rained all the time, so I was alone in the cockpit. The ship was behaving great in the wind/ waves, so I had time to collect water from the sail.
Back in the dry saloon Lea made popcorn. So now I'm watching the next steerman in line, Tonny, in the rain. He's wearing super quality rainwear, so we're not sorry for him...
Which weekday is it today?
I had no clue, so asked the crew... No one knew, and what difference does it make. It's Wednesday, but who gives a s...
The Azores is 8 days away now as long as we do 100nm per day.
In the evening Bjarke made his own homemade Soduko. Pretty cool.
Distance: 97nm
Great calm day with sunny weather and an alright wind. Also perfect conditions for drying wet rainwear and wet teatowels.
Very big yellowfin tunas has followed our ship for hours, but none of them wants our bait. Good fun to watch them though.
Lea made chocolate cake for afternoon tea. Yummy! Still with tunas around the ship. A little provoking on the fishermen...
After dinner a huge school of dolphins gave us a five minutes show. One of them even went airborne. Cool show. Hope to see them tomorrow.
Distance: 108nm
One hour sleep before getting up at 6 to steer the ship. Rough night. Uneven waves made the ship dance, and the crew jumping.
But doing a fine speed though...
The windmill is spinning like crazy all day, creating power for all light, and gadgets onboard.
We experienced a big rainshower today. Great opportunity to collect rainwater and take a freshwater shower.
Distance: 122nm
Halfway paaaaaaarty!
Meant ryebread for lunch, surprises, games and goodies all day.
Nice sunny weather with 8m/s wind, and some interesting waves. Few splashes in the cockpit. Henning got a big one for breakfast.
At lunchtime we spotted a big ship. Ole called them on the radio, and asked for a weather report. They called us back with a 4 day report, and a fine one. Excellent, and thanks to the ship, Seatrade.
We're still doing a good speed, around five knots.
Now, at 11:15pm I'm finally in bed. Helped with rigging the "stormfog"...
The speed was getting close to 7 knots. With the stormfog and the big sail tied in second rope, the 12 ton boat is still doing 5.5 knots. Not that nice at night time when people have to sleep.
My bed is still moving quite a bit, so I've rolled a "blanket roll" to prevent me falling out of the bed. It's probably time for a boring sound book...
Distance: 122nm
Slept like a baby, well until 4am when Lea was shaking my arm. Time for two hours steering.
I'm getting familiar and confident with sailing with sails. Watching the compass, the wind index, and watching for other ships.
Last night Tonny had to change curse to avoid collision with a big ship. No drama, but still crazy after two days without seeing any ships at all.
Henning and I have a window in the roof of our cabin. We can open it, but it's risky. We risk a big slash of salt water in our beds. Has happened twice already, so the window is permanently closed now. At least until we reach calmer seas.
Luckily the temperature is dropping at night - this night we had 24 degrees in the saloon. The coldest in a long time.
Racing forward all day. Between 5 and 6 knots all day. The waves are getting bigger as we are about to leave the Saragasso sea.
At 5pm Bjarke and I changed the front sail to a smaller one. We were doing close to 7 knots, and it was a little to quick for sailing at night.
A little action packed manoeuvre with splashes on deck and wind in the sails. Good fun.
Distance: 95nm
Now doing between 4 and 5 knots only with sails. Perfect. Only 170 nm from the halfway mark.
We tried to sail with a "wind steer" but it need some adjustment. A project for tomorrow.
Our nets with fresh fruit are empty now. There is still some vegetables left.
Today we drank our last five litre waterbottle with tapwater from Guadeloupe. Now drinking clean mineralwater bought on Antigua. Nice with water without the taste of chlorine...
Still Portuguese goblets in the water, so still not fishing.
I'm struggling a little with sleeping. Don't get much sleep during the night. Trying to get used to my bed jumping up and down, and being on an angle making me fall out of my bed.
But no worries, I relax during the day.
Distance: 68nm
Have been sailing with sails for more than 24 hours now.
This morning we had headwind. The reason is we still want to head north to reach an area with westerly winds.
We are sailing with three sails today. An extra jib-sail is up.
Three sails up, alright wind, but in a poor direction = our speed 2 knots.
Walking would be quicker... :-)
A better wind made us do around 4 knots at night time.
We have 120 litres of freshwater in the tank. We use this water for cooking, brushing teeth.
For dishwashing and washing hands we use saltwater.
The lunch menu today was 50 pancakes. Rasmus, Lea and I was chefs. Hot work with 32 degrees in the saloon.
The menu was very popular, and all pancakes were gone in the end.
We have changed our clocks today with +1 hour.
Distance: 62nm
Woke up with the sound of silence. Strange, no engine.
The ship had sailed with sails from 5am, and was doing an alright speed. The speed went down during the morning, and at 10 we were doing the "usual" 3 knots. Maximum.
But then at lunchtime, the magical thing happened. The "real" wind came, and we were sailing with sails all day. Finally!
Distance: 87nm
Still no wind... Getting interesting now, but everyone are still in a good mood.
Great to play cards in the cockpit doing approx 4km/h knowing there is still around 1800 km to go. No wind was blowing away our cards, so we were relaxing, and enjoying the sound of the ocean and the sails flapping.
(later)
Right now I'm in my cabin while some of the crew are trying to catch some wind with different sails. I think they just managed to turn the ship completely around towards the Caribbean. I guess the engine will sound within minutes again...
We have seen lots of Portuguese goblets today. Very dangerous, so no fishing today. If you get stung it's very painful, and can cause death.
They look quite funny though with their "sails". Guess they are trying to catch wind as well.
