Location: 02,06.61 S ; 35,48.46 W -- Near the Equator
Hello World, from Schnitzel and Lederhosen with my German folks, black and purple to my Ravens on the east coast, all the way to palms and beaches in California, we are on day 2 of being underway from Fernando de Noronha. I really don’t know because all the days seem to morph together when you’re on a boat, ah the beauty of sailing. I’m Rob, and this is my first blog post, boy am I excited. I’d love to talk about how amazing everything is when you’re out on the ocean with fluttery, sunshine-and-stars imagery, but everyone has done that so far, so I want to outline realities of boat life.
It started at 4 a.m. for me, where I woke up and listened to the motor. We have been motor sailing because the winds are low and variable due to us being in the doldrums. The doldrums are an area where there is very low wind since we are in a low-pressure zone near the equator. This is my reality, I’m really sailing towards the equator with 28 other people, and it sure is getting hot. Oh, it’s a “scoacha,” is what I thought to myself as I sat waiting to go up to watch- in my best New Jersey accent. I used my night light to navigate around my bunk as I had lost my headlamp and then proceeded to my starlit Nightwatch, which eventually turned extremely rainy and damp, but we did do some good sail handling. Afterward, I changed into my other pair of shorts and attempted to sleep in our very packed room. I am extremely thankful for my water bottle, as it kept me hydrated throughout an action-packed day in the heart of the tropics.
Head Chef Marie did a great job cooking today, allowing us to eat handmade bread twice. We ate her awesome pasta for lunch and then proceeded to have an exam in Marine Biology. Some on deck saltwater showers which feel really good- yatayatayata- and it was on to dinner! A small rip in the sail delayed the consumption of dinner, but through excellent teamwork, we took it down real quick and ate rice, tomatoes, and lots of meat. Let’s keep on keeping on. Barbados, a very famous sailing island I have always wanted to go to, is around 15 days away, really looking forward to it.
In the wise words of Aunt Jemima, “We all need a little drizzle of love in our life.”
Blog post finito.