5/5/14 Wandering Dolphin POS
09 56.409 N. 088 01.429 W.
SOG 4.5kt
COG 276T
Wind: none
Temp: 87.6F
Pressure: 29.6
Sky: cloudy and hazy all around clear above. Dark clouds to the north of us.
Seas: glassy flat calm with NE swells @1-2 ft.
Current: helped at 1/2 knot to 1 knot last night as we came north but since we've turned west not noticeable yet.
Motoring 1700 RPM
Sails: main is set for stability
Good Morning,
I wish there was a way I could truly describe what I am seeing now. Beck said yesterday, "You never really think of the ocean like this when you picture it in your head." And she's right. I have seen this flat calm glassy sea many times on deliveries but you never really get used to it. It has it's own beauty that really cannot be duplicated on land. The sea is so glassy that it is like a huge mirror reflecting the sky and even the boat as it pushes through the water. The horizon is non existent, the sea just melts right into the sky in a huge circle around you. The occasional flying fish will burst from the water, frightened by the passage of the boat, and skim right over the surface with little water droplets from its fin wings making tiny circles on both sides of the fish as it flys away. As soon as the one fish darts out of the water he will usually be followed by two or three more. They are little water fairies sometimes flying in every direction away from the boat.
I know from past experience that this calm never lasts I suspect that later today, certainly by tomorrow it will start to dump rain on us and thunderstorms will march toward us in a squall line. We have the boat ready for rain, with our rain catcher/shade awning rigged in the cockpit and a cover for the salon hatch. The dingy covers the forward hatch but still lets us open it for air down below. We have been conserving water but it will be nice to catch some more and keep our tanks full. If we get enough we can even do our laundry in a bucket in the cockpit.
I am ok with this motoring for now, I know that after Clipperton, when the wind fills in strong, Wandering Dolphin will kick up her fins and fly just like her namesake. For now the motoring allows us unlimited power to play and charge our fun stuff. In another day or so I will need to shut off the engine and let the boat just make its way slowly so that we are sure we have enough fuel to run south if anything tropical develops. On a voyage of this length it takes a few days to get in the swing of just living out here, taking one day at a time.
Last night after watching, "The Office" and "Walking Dead," we sat up in the cockpit staring at the stars. I used to teach astronomy and only back in Montana on a cold winter night have I ever seen such a bright sky lit only by starlight. I pointed out a few constellations and we laughed about how some of them take such imagination to see.
Wow! Thank you guys for all the messages on the Sat phone! We have never had such fun! So many new people introduced themselves to us. Some of you apologized for going on and on about yourselves but that is really what we love. Remember, we are in a world populated only by six people right now. Our boat is a spaceship alone on a trip to another world and you are our link home. We loved to hear Jim V. tell us about his boys when they were little, or Danielle (we figured out who you were Miss VanDenAkker, it just took time) telling us about her travels, or Galia from Israel sharing her travel plans and her enthusiasm became our own. Thanks to other new people like, JD, Jen, and Ruby who are living on their own boat with their little daughter. Also thanks to our buddy Herman for giving us a heads up with weather he sees and for letting us know how deep the water is. We miss you and all of our friends back in St Thomas. And to Crazy J. Sorry, Kelly, Rebecca knew who you were as soon as she saw the name, that was my bad hahaha. Aline, your riddles are the bomb! They keep us occupied, we love the difficult ones from you balanced by the super funny but easier ones that Jim V. Sends us.
Thanks To All Of You! KEEP THEM COMING!
What we are eating: yesterday we ate,
Breakfast: Oatmeal with almonds, vanilla, brown sugar, and fresh ground nutmeg
Lunch: sandwiches with sliced chicken, Swiss or American cheese, lettuce, tomato, miracle whip, and wing sauce or mustard depending on the person, and an apple or an orange.
Supper: spaghetti with garlic and Parmesan marinara and sweet Italian sausage sauce and garlic Parmesan bread.
And... Beck handed out Jelly Belly Jelly Beans!
Have a Good One!
Captain Tofer, Rebecca, EmilyAnne, Kanyon, Kaleb, and Benny
09 56.409 N. 088 01.429 W.
SOG 4.5kt
COG 276T
Wind: none
Temp: 87.6F
Pressure: 29.6
Sky: cloudy and hazy all around clear above. Dark clouds to the north of us.
Seas: glassy flat calm with NE swells @1-2 ft.
Current: helped at 1/2 knot to 1 knot last night as we came north but since we've turned west not noticeable yet.
Motoring 1700 RPM
Sails: main is set for stability
Good Morning,
I wish there was a way I could truly describe what I am seeing now. Beck said yesterday, "You never really think of the ocean like this when you picture it in your head." And she's right. I have seen this flat calm glassy sea many times on deliveries but you never really get used to it. It has it's own beauty that really cannot be duplicated on land. The sea is so glassy that it is like a huge mirror reflecting the sky and even the boat as it pushes through the water. The horizon is non existent, the sea just melts right into the sky in a huge circle around you. The occasional flying fish will burst from the water, frightened by the passage of the boat, and skim right over the surface with little water droplets from its fin wings making tiny circles on both sides of the fish as it flys away. As soon as the one fish darts out of the water he will usually be followed by two or three more. They are little water fairies sometimes flying in every direction away from the boat.
I know from past experience that this calm never lasts I suspect that later today, certainly by tomorrow it will start to dump rain on us and thunderstorms will march toward us in a squall line. We have the boat ready for rain, with our rain catcher/shade awning rigged in the cockpit and a cover for the salon hatch. The dingy covers the forward hatch but still lets us open it for air down below. We have been conserving water but it will be nice to catch some more and keep our tanks full. If we get enough we can even do our laundry in a bucket in the cockpit.
I am ok with this motoring for now, I know that after Clipperton, when the wind fills in strong, Wandering Dolphin will kick up her fins and fly just like her namesake. For now the motoring allows us unlimited power to play and charge our fun stuff. In another day or so I will need to shut off the engine and let the boat just make its way slowly so that we are sure we have enough fuel to run south if anything tropical develops. On a voyage of this length it takes a few days to get in the swing of just living out here, taking one day at a time.
Last night after watching, "The Office" and "Walking Dead," we sat up in the cockpit staring at the stars. I used to teach astronomy and only back in Montana on a cold winter night have I ever seen such a bright sky lit only by starlight. I pointed out a few constellations and we laughed about how some of them take such imagination to see.
Wow! Thank you guys for all the messages on the Sat phone! We have never had such fun! So many new people introduced themselves to us. Some of you apologized for going on and on about yourselves but that is really what we love. Remember, we are in a world populated only by six people right now. Our boat is a spaceship alone on a trip to another world and you are our link home. We loved to hear Jim V. tell us about his boys when they were little, or Danielle (we figured out who you were Miss VanDenAkker, it just took time) telling us about her travels, or Galia from Israel sharing her travel plans and her enthusiasm became our own. Thanks to other new people like, JD, Jen, and Ruby who are living on their own boat with their little daughter. Also thanks to our buddy Herman for giving us a heads up with weather he sees and for letting us know how deep the water is. We miss you and all of our friends back in St Thomas. And to Crazy J. Sorry, Kelly, Rebecca knew who you were as soon as she saw the name, that was my bad hahaha. Aline, your riddles are the bomb! They keep us occupied, we love the difficult ones from you balanced by the super funny but easier ones that Jim V. Sends us.
Thanks To All Of You! KEEP THEM COMING!
What we are eating: yesterday we ate,
Breakfast: Oatmeal with almonds, vanilla, brown sugar, and fresh ground nutmeg
Lunch: sandwiches with sliced chicken, Swiss or American cheese, lettuce, tomato, miracle whip, and wing sauce or mustard depending on the person, and an apple or an orange.
Supper: spaghetti with garlic and Parmesan marinara and sweet Italian sausage sauce and garlic Parmesan bread.
And... Beck handed out Jelly Belly Jelly Beans!
Have a Good One!
Captain Tofer, Rebecca, EmilyAnne, Kanyon, Kaleb, and Benny
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