Distance covered so far: 2959 nautical miles
Last 24 hours: 133 nautical miles (5.54 knots average)
To Martinique: 446 nautical miles
Final days of our crossing! On the one hand, we are really looking forward to land, the various Caribbean islands, beautiful anchorages and snorkeling spots that we will explore over the next few months and the people we will meet along the way. On the other hand, we have come to appreciate life on the infinite blue and are looking forward to the next longer offshore passage. Fun Fact: Did you know that many of the animals that live in the open ocean never come into contact with the shore, the sea floor or the water surface? For people like us that are so adapted to land, this is almost unimaginable. We have often asked ourselves which creatures swim within a kilometer of our boat. But the mysterious underwater world unfortunately remains hidden under the water surface while sailing. I try to satisfy my thirst for knowledge about marine biology and oceanography through scientific books and podcasts. Newly learned facts are then gladly shared with the entire crew. We also notice that exercise and moving on board is very restricted. You only walk a few steps at a time, sit and lie most of the time and spend little time standing. You only become very physically active during sailing manoeuvres. Basically, the abdominal and back muscles are particularly stressed because the body subconsciously constantly compensates for the rocking movement. Papa and I do little workouts and stretching exercises during our night watches to help us stay awake and fit. During the day you try to stand as much as possible to put weight on your feet and legs. Since we cook and eat very well every day, nobody has really lost any weight. You also have to keep reminding yourself to drink enough water, because strangely enough you are not very thirsty at sea. Yesterday my bait was successful and we caught another big mahi mahi. The fish was such a brave fighter that we lost our gaff, with which we normally pull fish on board, in the depths of the Atlantic. However, we successfully got the 80-90 cm long fish on board. After gutting, the fillets are immediately washed off with fresh water and cooled in the fridge. The meat will last for several days and will give us 2-3 full meals. We only fish when the last pieces have been consumed so that we don’t have to waste any fish uselessly. This afternoon we expect the wind to turn a bit more to the east. After a jibe we can go on course towards Martinique. At the moment we are aiming for the northern Leeward Islands, where we want to drop off Papa not before the at the end of January.
Por Que No Sailing 