Leaving the doldrums has been a bit of a shock to the system. Gone are the weeks of flat trade wind spinnaker flying and the 60hours of motoring through the classy surface of the doldrums. Now it’s life at 40degrees where the boat becomes a climbing frame, and everything is an exercise in stability and strength. It is nice to be sailing again. Without the noise and heat from the engine, the boat is a little bit cooler and much more peaceful. Just the rushing of the water past the hull and the sound of the wind on the sails. The sun is shining, the sea is flat. And the wind is blowing. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
As we continue our journey south, the crew are constantly learning new skills. The latest how to sail without any of the really useful wind information. This is because during one of the incredible thunder and lightning storms we sailed though in the doldrums, our wind instruments decided to stop working. A new challenge to undertake, hopeful they will be better helms for the loss of the number as I’m always telling them to stop looking at them and to look at the bow of the boat, feel the wind on their face and the heal of the boat through their feet. Now they have no choice!