I woke up this morning as if in a different world. Gray wicked skies, lumpy and confused seas and howling winds were replaced with a cloudless warm sky and calm. The seas had subsided to a light swell and while I don’t usually get excited to motor, sliding along under power is a welcome respite. Slower, yes; more noisy, indeed; but I haven’t worn a t-shirt outdoors for a couple months, as Seattle this time of year is hardly tropical, and my skin and lungs are thankful.
There is a distinct increase in animation amongst the crew as well, a sign that sea legs are donning. We even had the energy to deploy a couple fishing lines, though I won’t be disappointed if we don’t catch anything as the only knives we have aboard are a bread knife and my pocketknife- tools not really well suited to filleting. The list for needed materials for Discovery is quickly becoming as vast as our horizon!
We’ve had three long dolphin visits- a pod of about a dozen and a half playing in our bow wakes, spending in total over several hours. They seem to have a similar schedule to our own. Play for a couple hours, then off to get a bite to eat, then return. Tim has never seen dolphins in the wild and even though I’ve seen them hundreds of times, I think our smiles were equal. In fact seeing his smile was justification enough that we are embarking on an amazing journey, one that already eclipses the last year of effort and struggle making The Best Odyssey a reality.
We’re just 250 miles from Gibraltar and our exodus from the Med after an incredibly fast three days. Discovery is a joy to sail- and for that matter, to motor. Stable, quick, responsive, easy to single hand. We’ve found a gem for the expedition.
