Post 16

Dancing Tuna, Conquering Squalls, and Entertainment.

In this update, I will delve into witnessing tuna leaping out of the water right next to the boat, navigating through squalls, and exploring the importance of bringing the right things with you for such a long voyage.

The Tuna's Spectacular Dance: Imagine standing on the deck of your sailing vessel, captivated by the mesmerizing sight of tuna jumping totally out of the water within a mere 10 yards of your boat. This happened last night before sunset. And no, I did not have the fishing rod in the water! Ugh. 

I have only seen tuna do this one other time a few years ago when I was sailing with Captain Myles in his 50 foot Beneteau “Amelia” taking the boat up to Maine for the summer. About 60 miles off the coast of Boston right before sunset the tuna did the same thing behind the sailboat, coming completely out of the water multiple times. It’s truly amazing to see it when it happens.

As we sail across the Atlantic, the ocean teems with life, and these agile fish perform their acrobatic leaps, while feeding on scores of bait fish. The sheer proximity of such a vibrant marine spectacle is a privilege only a few fortunate sailors get to experience. It serves as a reminder of the immense biodiversity of the open seas and the wonders that await intrepid adventurers.

Navigating Through Squalls: Squalls, those swift and intense weather phenomena, are adding excitement to our Transatlantic Crossing. Especially in the black darkness of the night. These short-lived but powerful storms appear all around us but so far we have used them to our advantage and not had to alter course. We are using the intermittent boosts in speed that is created courtesy of the winds they generate. As rain from the squalls reaches the ocean's surface, it creates a cooling effect on the water surface (which is now 83 degrees Fahrenheit) causing the air to rush downwards. This descending air, known as downdrafts, generates gusts of wind in front of the storm across the water surface (like a huge ripple in the pond when you drop a stone in) that propel your sails and propel you forward. Mastering the art of navigating through squalls becomes a thrilling skill to acquire, while sailing across vast stretches of ocean. Fortunate for us, Captain Anthony has a masters in applied meteorology. His message in short, “Watch for what is coming from behind us, not what’s in front of us. The storms will come from the east and we are sailing west. If we stay on a port tack, we should be just fine.” And so it has been. At times these winds are reaching 25 mph apparent wind speed, which is very helpful and manageable.

Essential Checklist for a Transatlantic Crossing: Undertaking a Transatlantic Crossing requires thorough preparation and a keen eye for detail. If you want to know what kind of equipment and detail that you need to worry about, you can easily find many lists on the Internet. What I want to share is the importance of bringing good books and music on the trip.  

I don’t think people talk enough about the need to bring entertainment with you on a long trip like this. They talk a lot about food preparation and the excitement of the trip, but what about entertainment?! I mean think about it, we are out here on a sailboat for 45 to 60 days. Streaming videos every day is not a cost effective option. If you have state if state of the art Skylink equipment, streaming is possible but it gets very expensive very quickly. And you cannot watch videos while on a watch. But you still must have something as a form of entertainment. So why not a good audio book?

Oh sure you might be thinking that dolphin watching and dancing tuna is plenty of entertainment. And while it’s nice once in a while, it’s not happening all the time. So for me, part of the answer was books. I brought lots of books to read but quickly realized I should download the audio versions.

100 years of solitude, by Gabriel, Garcia Marquez. (Thanks Carlos!)

Sooley by John Grisham. (Thanks Doris!)

The boys in the boat by Daniel James Brown. (Thanks again Doris!)

Chesapeake by James Michener.

Stalin’s War by Sean McMeekin. (Thanks Bill!)

Now you’re probably thinking, “but that’s only five books and that won’t last for 45 to 60 days.” Another spoiler alert. Chesapeake and Stalin’s’s War are so big that they are like reading or listening to five books in each.

Thanks to audiobooks, I was able to download some of these before my trip and while in Madeira so that I can “listen” to them throughout the trip. 

For any avid readers or anyone that gave me a book to read on the trip, so far I have “listened” to:

Chesapeake.

Stalin‘s War. (Still in process Bill! But a good book.)

Ben Macintrye’s Operation Mincemeat.

Tom Clancy‘s Dead or Alive.

Once we get to the USVI for fuel and repairs (620  nm to go), I hope to download the rest of the books that I brought so I can listen to them throughout the last 1400 miles, after I finish Stalin’s War. It is huge!!

But books are not my only source of audio entertainment. I also created a playlist of music for the transatlantic crossing. While it’s a fairly large playlist of songs from many genre, there are a few that I would definitely recommend you listen to when you get a chance.

I know; these first two are typical, right?!):

“Sailing” by Christopher Cross.

“Breezin” by George Benson.

You may not know this third one by Leanna Crawford. But it definitely fits the vibe out here. It is:

“How can you not” by Leanna Crawford.

She has a wonderful voice and all positive music. Check out her music. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Oh I almost forgot. Some of you have been asking about the tomatoes. We are down to our last kilo. So it will be time to recruit some more in the USVI for the final leg of our trip. 

Cheers,

Paul

P.S. Remember, you can click on this tracker link to follow us across the Atlantic on an interactive map via Iridium Go - thanks to Captain Anthony.