Yesterday the 24th, after a fantastic pizza lunch all together in the sun on deck we decided to gibe.
We where sailing 50 miles west of Santo Antao and did 195* over ground. I said to Adam and his port side watch: you organize, I will run around, pull some ropes and our cook Soraia is at the helm. And there we went: Gaff top sail down, brace square, get the main in the middle, get the bob's, flying and outer jib to the other side, give a new course to steer to Soraia, brace again and fine tune everything. Set the gaff topsail and after that Jeroen, Laura and me could continue with preparing to set the stun sails. One hour later we where sailing with the stun sails up, the rum banner under the course, all square sails, flying and outer jib, upper bob, mainstay, main and gaff topsail. Whiehaaa 6.8 knots again: new course: 250: straight to Barbados!
Around 5 o clock we did see the first movement in the water: there where around 8 whales coming from the North, joining us for 20 minutes and after that the ocean was full of dolphins. And when I say full, I mean really full: around 60 dolphins where playing around the Tres Hombres. Both watches where watching them, climbing in the mast, climbing under the bowsprit, making photos, making sounds. This is now already one of the best Christmas we ever had. Today we have a big lunch altogether in the sun, all sails up, I already smell some chocolate cake from the galley.
all the best from a happy captain
Wiebe