SailBlog

I am just staying north enough to continue to enjoy tradewinds across the Atlantic. Annother gorgeous day making 5+kts going slightly NE to stay above the Azore high system. It is working.

But I dare say that I don't have enough fishing gear if I don't figure out a better rig for fishing. I have an awesome reel but was not able to find the heavy line I am used to having. I have 50lb test instead. I have been rigging the reel to a bungy chord to absorb the shock of the 'hit' and hope to preevent me from losing the lure and fish. But it hasn't worked yet. This time I lefft a bit more slack in the bungy tether hoping it will have more give. I also set more line on the spool hoping that the next time I get a hit, I have time to get up on deck and tend to it before it speels off all the line and snaps. Between the bungy set up preventing the line from speeling off and also taking the shock....I sure hope I catch a fish. I am planning fish in my provisioning...Can't afford to keep losing gear. But I dare say I am getting hits, just not fish.

Today was an incredible Ocean Mammal day. A phenomenal pod of dolphins played off the bow all morning. What fun it was. I tried to get the gopro over the side to photo them in the water...I didn't quite have it aimed right but, next time I will do better. It was just fun. I played a few tunes to them on my Irish whistle as I always do. Then this afternoon I had a whale siteing, close enough to see the blow and the large body mass brown on the surface but not close enough to get wet. Exciting. This is the first time I have seen a whale in the Atlantic this far east. I enjoyed a pod of minke whales just north of the Gulf STream on my trip back to RI from Bermuda...It was if the size of the mammals made me want to fear, but I just couldn't. My heart just beat away in awe as they spent hours swimming under and around the boat. I figured that I must have looked like a small whale to them. A small stormy petrel has been circling all day...Otherwise, lots of lines needing whipping got tidied up and I spent an hour getting a good noon site. I did better today. Closer than before. Hopefully this routine will get easier. It takes quite a bit of time to get an accurate noon site. I am trying a technique where i get a sunsite 1/2 hour before anticipated noon. I recored the height on the sextant. Then I take sites near noon and try to get the highest height. the time though is very hard because the sun lingers a bit at the top before descending and that long timeframe can really set off a fix by 10s of miles. So then I start checking sites again a 1/2 hour after 'noon' and watch until the height I recorded earlier returns when the sun is on its way down. During these time frames the sun is moving more quicky through the horizon so it is easier to get a good time. Then you average the time for the 'noon' time. This way you get a height as well as a more accurate time. It worked. I was able to get closer than I have been, but it is nothing like the pinpoint accuracy of the Halsey Herroshoffs who create little triangles with a mile or less accuracy. I am glad my ocean is big.

Today I had a good meditation time with the ocean in the wee mornin hours. It has become my writing time or I should say dictation time. Today, we spoke of the incredible creative energy in every new moment and the endless possibilities that offer themselves to us each day when we look up from our tasks long enoug to look. I am enoying being able to look up myself. I even wrote a short morning salutation chant per sae...It is nice to see the whimsical me have an opportunity to express my self.

Keepin On Sailin On a Dream....Each new day is a new creation, unique...anything can happen. Everything will change. Presence allows us to manifest the life we have to live today. Fresh...

fairest of winds and the love of the ocean only Gratitude, Donna