The Night of December 6-7, 2023

Back to Normal

With the mainsail in the third reef, we sailed into the night. After the exciting squalls of the past few days, we all longed for calmer watches. Indeed, this night was relatively normal, without the usual squalls and storm fronts. What a welcome change.Everyone on board was relieved that the ocean had calmed down, allowing us to return to our usual rhythm.

Only 400 Miles to Go

Yes – we are getting closer to our destination, and the anticipation for St. Lucia and having solid ground under our feet again is growing.

The day began with a wonderful sunrise. If that isn’t motivating, I don’t know what is. The sky was clear, with only a squall to our left. It looked like we would only brush it lightly, and that’s exactly what happened.

After breakfast, it was clear that it would likely be a normal sailing day. This meant we could raise the mainsail and jib again and replace them with the Wingaker. The prospect alone lifted everyone’s spirits, as sailing with the Wingaker feels like flying over the waves.

In the past two weeks, we have been truly spoiled, with the Wingaker in use for more than three-quarters of the time.

As beautiful as the day’s outlook was, the efforts of the past few days had brought us to our limits and left their mark.

Living in close quarters is challenging, especially in such demanding situations as we’ve had recently. We’re already planning how to spend the first few days in St. Lucia and how to take a break from each other. We’ll certainly spend a few days in the harbor, regaining normalcy, seeing friends, and celebrating this milestone of our journey.

Truly no storms in sight… Cooking is fun again. It was quite an adventure at times, worrying about everything flying around. The Thermomix has proven itself invaluable in such moments and in all other instances, making life in the galley much easier.

The sailing day brought joy back to everyone. We even treated ourselves to an hour of sunbathing on the foredeck, enjoying the return to normalcy.

By late afternoon, squalls appeared again to our left. As a precaution, we lowered the Wingaker and prepared for the night with the mainsail in the third reef and the jib.

To lift the spirits on board further, I prepared our favorite mashed potatoes with the last of our potatoes, paired with our freshly caught Mahi Mahi – a treat.

While the physical challenges of squalls, storms, and rain keep things interesting, keep us on our toes, and push us to our limits, we hope for the remaining days to be calmer.

We can’t wait to reach St. Lucia and successfully complete our adventure. Excitement is building!