Our seventh day at sea

19 May 2016

Update George Edens:
“Last evening brought a calming of our winds and clearing of skies. Yesterday the morning watch was treated to raising the upper topsail in a downpour! We’re now running down wind with the upper and lower topsails and the big square sail called the ‘course sail’ (or the BMF sail!). Our speed has dropped substantially from over 8 to around 3 knots, but we are still ahead of schedule. The calmer seas today allowed for a great deal of small maintenance projects, like greasing the gaff claws on all three masts and replacing frayed and parted ropes.
After work today Martin gave a class on Astro Navigation that was very well received by the group. Consensus of opinion was that it was a very good presentation on a complex subject delivered in an understandable and entertaining fashion.
We just heard a cry of ‘Whales!’ and went up on deck to see 25 or more Pilot whales swimming alongside. They were about the size of porpoises but with a rounded head. It’s nice to have some company out here!
The salon is festooned with flags today in celebration of Tim’s 24^th birthday. Tim is the newest member of the crew and patiently helps us with learning such skills as rope splicing. Happy Birthday, Tim!”