The sun is shining almost everyday now, and we are becoming increasingly dependant on the small snatches of shade from the sails and mast.
Sunrise at sea
Dad and Christian continue to use the popular phrase day in day out; “COMMMMEEEE ONNNNN FISH!”. Sill no sign of fish to be seen, since our handsome catch on the 24th. But we still have a chicken in the freezer… jut waiting to be roasted with crisp potatoes in the oven! But we have decided to save that heavenly meal for when we pass the 60 degrees marking… just under a week to go!
I can’t believe how fast the weeks have rolled into one another. We have seen the sea in so many different phases, I never noticed that before. How one day the sky is grey,the sea black and mountainous, the next the sky is blue, and the sea even more colorful. Every night we watch the sun set, watched the bright colors spill over the horizon line… right in the direction of Martinique. As the sky darkens, so does the sea, a reflection of the night swimming by us. Plankton shine with each splash of a wave, looking like little bulbs lighting up in the sea. And then in the early hours of the morning, on your watch, I see the dark sky start to fade along with the stars, as if someone is standing above the earth painting over the sky with yellow, pink, orange, brushes of paint. And then all of a sudden, it’s daytime, and it’s time to start organizing breakfast for everyone.
Fresh vegetables are down to about zero, with the last of the tomatoes for lunch today. Looks like we might have to start opening those packets of biscuits, chips, and panettone soon!
Our current position is 16°29’N 47°16’W. Just after the 50 degree mark of longitude, we will be deploying our drifter buoy that has been gifted to us from The Atlantic Odyssey, that will collect valuable data on sea weather and climate. With global climate change, drifter buoys are an important tool for monitoring ocean temperature and circulation and the movements of marine species. We are excited to be able to track down it’s location wherever it is in the world!!
To anyone who doesn’t know and is interested – here is some information on the drifter buoy:
Drifter Buoys –
1. measure sea surface temperature, that is the cause of hurricane intensity.
2. help forecast the path of approaching hurricanes
3. predict the movement of pollutants that spill in the sea
4. measure salinity – important in understanding the oceans chemical make up. Marine species (eg, coral, kelp, phytoplankton) are affected by changes in Salinity. Also, salinity affects water density, which in turn, affects ocean circulation patterns that transport heat.
5. Measure ocean current velocity (speed and direction of currents). Certain currents carry more amounts of a substance then others. For example, The Gulf Streams, carries vast amounts of heat and salt up the Atlantic Ocean, affecting migration with Marine species, whose migration is shaped around seasonal temperature change and ocean currents.
6. are used to compare actual sea surface temperatures to the temperature measured from a satellite in space. This way, we ensure that the measurements are accurate.
Om crew receives their drifter buoy from Jimmy Cornell
So it looks like the last days few days at sea will be pleasantly calm and relaxing. Dad and Christian enjoy a quiet beer at the front of the boat, during the day, philosophying on life…
Clothes hang above the cockpit, drying in the warm shade of our little “hippie deck”. A calm speed of 6 knots, with the Parasailor back up, after the adrenaline rush last night. Connor, reading away, lost in the world of 17th century England, and sitting above the ocean, 800 miles from the Caribbean. Tosca and Indra,finishing off with the last page of Indra’s math work, and then running off to play or sit in the shade, and me typing away. A beautiful day at sea.
Anita (15)
