Location: Spanish Coast
It was a calm, cool morning in the dark when I made my coffee at 6:45 am in the salon. Our final morning in Spain! There was no wind, which was a nice change after yesterday when it blew steadily at 30 knots for the whole day! As a skipper today, I started the morning by playing the song ‘Aue Aue’ from the movie Moana because it is passage day (and yes, I love Moana). Following this, I played some song requests, including ‘Man after Midnight’ by Abba (requested by Talia), ‘August’ by Taylor Swift (Eliza), rap songs (Theo), and then some Queen, Dr Dre, Paul Simon, and the Fugees. Since Halloween is approaching, I bought and put some fake big spiders in random parts of the boat. I managed to startle James when he saw a large black spider on the floor (sorry, James). The other spider was originally placed in front of Luke’s bunk in the salon, but somehow, that was later found in Chloe’s, Amy’s, and Cat’s cabin. The spiders are now circulating around Vela, and I wonder where I will find one next.
Everyone woke up to the smell of pancakes cooked by Grace C., Smash, and Mac R. Grace C. even hand-whipped the cream, which was delicious. Topped with dollops of fruit yogurt and fresh pineapple, it was my favorite breakfast of our voyage so far. After clean-up, we began passage prep, and the shipmates swiftly went through all of the tasks efficiently and collaboratively. Chloe and Jesse led the chore of taking sail covers off, which is a bigger job than one would think! James, Watson, Brendan, Dan, and Grace C. attached halyards to the sails, which is a really fun task. Eliza, Dan, Brendan, Emma, Ben, and I ran the jib sheets. Claire and Grace C. checked the steering to ensure proper functioning. Mac L. prepared the engine room and chart house, checking all machinery and electronics. Luke ensured that the salon and galley were 40/40, which means that nothing would fly out at 40 knots of wind or be heeled over at 40 degrees. On passage, we have already had some pretty swell days. Things can fly across from port to starboard, so this is an important task! Tom and Smash cleared us out of customs, and Lukas put everything away in the storage locker at the stern (the lazarette).
After passage prep, we had a sandwich buffet lunch made by the Galley Team, which I think none of us will ever get bored of, especially considering the good quality meats, cheeses, and vegetables in Europe. With full, happy bellies, the shipmates settled into the salon for Marine Biology with Ben, who taught about invertebrates, including snails, worms, and octopuses. Once class was dismissed, we met on deck with our PFDs, ready to get off the dock.
Like passage prep, leaving the dock was smooth and swift. Mac L. was at the helm, and Chloe, Grace C., and Mac R. handled the dock lines perfectly! Theo and Grace N. handled the roving fenders, which is important for protecting Vela from damage as she turns away from the dock. Everyone helped with taking in the other fenders, deflating them, and bringing them to the anchor locker. Boston, Cat, and Grace C. braved the tasks in the anchor locker, a water-tight storage compartment at the bow of the boat. This consists of tying knots onto storage rods of heavy dock lines and fenders in a tight, uncomfortable, tiny space, and today, there was a big swell. it is naturally a seasickness-breeding space. I am always impressed by the shipmates who volunteer to do this job because all of us know it is one of the most uncomfortable tasks onboard! They did very well!
We then enjoyed the surroundings as we cruised the coast along the jagged mountains of Spain. We began our watch team shifts, and the shipmates gathered in the salon for the Navigation class taught by Mac L. and Claire. Watch Team 3 (Smash, Grace N., Max, Amy, Elis, Jesse, Lukas, Brendan, Eduardo, and I) had dog watch from 6 to 8 pm, with some good chats and laughs, as always.
Dinner was the yummiest curry we had! It was served with amazing bread made by Max. This is the best galley day so far thank you, Galley Team. My squeeze question was a warm, fuzzy one. I asked everyone to name one word to describe what they liked about the person on their right. The answers included calming presence (Liam), drive (Audrey), positivity (Eduardo), sweetness (Elis), outgoingness (Lillian), self-motivation (Jesse), and humor (Ruby). We ended squeeze with cheering HUZZAH, HUZZAH, HUZZAH!
The day ended with another stunning sunset: water colours, wispy clouds, and sunlit highlights of orange, red, pink. My watch team starts at 3:45 am, so it’s time to sleep and later wake up under a blanket of stars. Good night!
Mich
PS. Hi Mom, Tom, Grandma, Dad, Kat, and Vika, all my uncles, aunts, and cousins! Mom go Vikings/SKOL! Sending all of you my love. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
PPS. Hi to my friends scattered around the world and in Africa. I can’t wait to adventure with you all again soon.
I miss you all so much. EEveryone’sdaily supportive messages mean the world – I can feel the love no matter where I am!