GPS Position: 17°48.2N // 33°20.9W
21-12-2022 15:30 Ship Time
569 NM of 2200 NM completed
Hello everyone,
We’ve been underway from Sal for a few days now. We departed on Sunday evening at 19:00 local time, bound for Martinique. Once we reached open sea, we quickly set sail and are now running under full sail (including gaff topsails), with the exception of the inner jib. Our current course is 290°, which isn’t quite ideal—at this pace we won’t reach the equator. However, tomorrow we plan to do a “storm round” and then tack, as gybing is not something we do on the Eendracht.
The weather is beautiful—warm (27°C for those back home), sunny, with a steady breeze of around 20 knots. We’ve been sailing hard, maintaining speeds between 10 and 12 knots. The ocean swell has had us rolling considerably, occasionally tilting up to 20°, which makes standing and sleeping tricky, and seasickness is always a possibility. Night watches are spectacular, with countless shooting stars and still very comfortable temperatures. Captain Hein is giving impromptu astronavigation lessons to anyone interested.
Everyone has now found their rhythm onboard, and the last of the seasick have recovered. We’re working with fixed five-day watches for this part of the journey, and in two days we’ll rotate. As we continue westward, we’ve also adjusted the clock back one hour, which we’ll do two more times during the trip. Ship time is currently UTC-3. Onboard, bets are ongoing about our arrival date in Martinique, with predictions ranging from December 26 to January 2, 2023.
Slowly, Christmas is approaching. Today we decorated the common area to get into the festive spirit, and cooks Yvonne and Bea are already hard at work preparing for the Christmas dinner. To everyone back home: we wish you very happy holidays, and just remember—going to the moon and back is a lot farther than crossing the ocean…
Some personal messages:
- The Dooren family sends their regards to Loes, Teijl, and Remi (and Paula says hi to Koos as well)
- Yvonne wishes her entire family a Merry Christmas and says see you soon!
- Wilma and Johan send greetings to all family in Smilde and Leusden
- Paul apologizes for missing the traditional Christmas dinner this year—he promises to make the dessert next year!
- I unfortunately miss this year’s traditional oliebollen baking day—please save plenty in the freezer for my return.
- Lize is feeling better, so mom, don’t worry too much; we’re keeping a close eye on her!
Warm regards,
Jeroen
Quartermaster, Red Watch