Location: Mallorca to Motril
..a Program Manager!
Firstly: it is never dull, but we’ll get to that. The day started for Watch Team One with the sunrise watch. Vela was under a canopy of stars, with Orion chasing Taurus to the eastern horizon in a celestial circuit older than the memory of mountains that formed atolls. We slid past the south-eastern cape of Formentera, Ibiza’s baby sister, close enough that false dawn revealed a view of the cliffs underneath Punta Rotja lighthouse. Mate Garrett was on deck with the sextant, trying to shoot the stars and planets, and, as we learned later once his calculations and deductions were finished, did a very fine job of determining our location. Go Garrett … we are proud of you!
With the crew straight back into the swing of watches, our afternoon was taken up by classes as normal. I kicked off the afternoon with Oceanography and a lesson on sedimentation, and the toll time takes on all of us, rocks and humans alike … over time, we all get worn down to grains of dust. Yet, these silty and muddy century-old layers of sediment are quite valuable in revealing secrets of our planet’s long gone history.
On a different note, this might have been the first full day of passage life where we didn’t have anyone curled up on the aft-deck ready to vomit their guts out from seasickness … we are making progress and becoming seasoned sailors. We are almost ready to leave the sheltered Mediterranean behind and brave the wild Atlantic.
Other noteworthy events from the day: didn’t catch any fish; the sighting of very shy whales; Sam serenaded us with an acapella ‘Twinkle-Twinkle Little Star’; a pen has been lost to the propane locker; bilge diving competition postponed due to weather; Henry has fallen in love with a praying mantis.
Over and Out
Leoni
Photo 1: Sunrise
Photo 2: Henry’s and Menty’s first kiss
Photo 3; Sunset