March 22, 2005
May the Wind Always be at Your Back
Posted by chis at 11:20 PM | Comments (0)
Good-looking Legs
Posted by chis at 11:18 PM | Comments (1)
March 20, 2005
Nearing Land
We knew that we were getting closer to land (we were about 330 Nautical miles from St. Lucia) because we saw a flock of shore birds. Seeing them was beautiful, but hearing their songs was delicious! Not long after that, we saw another sperm whale about 50 metres from Platina.
Posted by chis at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
March 19, 2005
Beautiful Sunset
Posted by chis at 11:16 PM | Comments (0)
Chis Driving
Posted by chis at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)
Last Fresh Food
This red pepper is not a raisin. After 20 days at sea, we have reached the (bitter) end of our fresh food supplies. We enjoyed every last morsel in a stew.
Posted by chis at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2005
Meteorite
The stars at night are like nothing you’ve seen on land: they are brighter, you can see millions more, and they seem closer. Tonight, Chis saw a meteorite. It was a brilliant white ball streaking across the sky. It was so bright, that it lit up the sails. Dave claims that it was so bright that he could see its reflection in Chis’ forehead.
Posted by chis at 11:07 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2005
New Day, Same Shirt
Posted by chis at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2005
Chis Reading While Off Watch
 - Mar 16 2005.jpg)
Posted by chis at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)
March 14, 2005
Slow Winds: A Time to Ration
Dave downloaded a weather file from the internet, via the very slow satellite phone, yawn, that showed that the wind would drop for the next four days. Based on the amount of remaining diesel and butane (fuel for the stove) we started rationing. No more hot tea or coffee, and meals would have to be done in the microwave, until the wind picked up.
Posted by chis at 11:05 PM | Comments (0)
March 11, 2005
Whale Spotting
Oh, la vache! We spotted a pod of whales off the port beam, about 200 metres from the boat. Chis and Dave were on watch, and Ed and Sam had gone to snooze. We called them up to see them, and Sam noticed another pod just off the bow. We were on a collision course, so we changed course to avoid hitting them. Hearts pounding, we were so mesmerized that the best we did was to get some video footage, so no still photos to share with you. They were so close we could almost touch them! There were 3 adults, and a baby. One of the adults raised its head and looked at us. It remained calm, and considered us no threat at all. Off they went, and we had 10 or 15 minutes with them. A truly inspiring moment.
Posted by dave at 12:12 PM | Comments (0)
March 09, 2005
Swim Day
In the Canary Islands, we bought a Disneyland inflatable swimming pool. The idea was to fill it with rain water, put it on the aft deck, let it warm up in the sun, and lounge in the late afternoon sun. Trouble was, we never had rain, and water is too precious to use. So, we threw it in the water and floated in it. Platina’s tender, the pool is not.
Posted by chis at 11:04 PM | Comments (0)
Swim Day in the Atlantic
According to the British Admiralty Charts, the probability of calm seas in the Atlantic Ocean, at this time of year, is extremely low. We decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity to go for a swim. The water was 27c. Although the wind speed was zero, the North Atlantic Current moves the boat at 0.5 knots. This photo of Chis going for a swim suggests that he has mixed emotions: he’s happy to go for a swim in the middle of the Atlantic, but he’s not too comfortable with the prospect of the boat floating away from him. From the water, 0.5 knots seems like a lot, especially when you see Platina moving away as you swim towards her.
Posted by chis at 11:02 PM | Comments (1)
March 03, 2005
Sunrise & Warm Layers
We moved to the luxury of 4-hour watches and Chis and Dave moved to the same watch for the first time, since we left France on February 15th. The comfort of shorts and t-shirts on the Canary Islands didn’t last, and we soon donned our warmer layers again. This photo was taken at sunrise.
Posted by chis at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)
March 02, 2005
If It Wasn’t So Terrifying, It Would be Funny.
On the Atlantic Ocean crossing between Lanzarote, Canary Islands and Saint Lucia, we awoke one morning (or night?) warm under the duvet, for our 3-hour watch. We could hear the pitter-patter of the rain on the deck above us. It was a cozy feeling, and we were very happy to be alive. Chis heard Sam, our First Mate, tell Ed, our Skipper, that she had seen lightening. Lightening is not a good thing when you are the only thing for hundreds of miles, with 2 masts saying “I just dare you”. On his way to the cockpit to offer some help, Chis found that it was raining in the galley, through the open companion way. The water was everywhere. All over the chart table, the log book, everything. He caught a glimpse of lightening out of the corner of his eye, and looked up at Sam in the cockpit. She was drenched from head to toe. She made Chis think of Little Red Riding Hood with her foul weather gear, with a duck beak hood. She was trying to steer the boat, in very rough seas, through the windshield that was solid rain. Trying to figure out if the lightening was getting closer, the entire crew began to shut off all of the electronic equipment. Sam started to steer by the compass. We survived the ordeal with no damage to Platina or her crew.
Except that we did discover that the latch that keeps the microwave door from opening in heavy seas really does nothing at all. The eggs, that we had so cleverly stored there, came flying out and scrambled on the floor during the storm.
Posted by chis at 10:59 PM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2005
Dolphins
It was a delight to be on the sunrise watch because that’s when the dolphins came to swim in the wake of the bow. Several pods kept us company for days. According to Skipper Ed, dolphins are the only other mammal that masters their bait, if you know what I mean, and they need the wake of the bow to do it. First Mate, Sam, says the dolphins are angels of the sea.
Posted by chis at 10:57 PM | Comments (1)
February 16, 2005
Dave in Bay of Biscay
Posted by dave at 05:03 PM | Comments (0)
February 15, 2005
Chis with Skipper Ed and First Mate Sam leaving La Rochelle
Posted by dave at 05:00 PM | Comments (0)