November 15, 2020
*This is more of a journal than a technical log*
*Below was written from memory, after the moment*
We left Fort Lauderdale about 3pm, I drove us out to sea. I feel like there is a poem there but I’m not sure what it is yet. I was on shift from 3pm to 7pm but I got relieved a bit early because Brady got sick. He later braved going below to help cook and got sick some more, returned to work, and then eventually came up and ask if he could swap me.
So I went below and he took over the helm.
He had already done the cutting so I seasoned and then cooked the potatoes. Captain cooked steaks and veggie kabobs on the grill. I bet you can guess which one was for me. after dinner we all set around, relaxed, and put our harnesses on.
About 7:40pm I said I was going to go try to get some sleep. I slept off and on for, maybe, 4hours total. I woke up a little after 2am and laid around before deciding to get up and come relieve Captain from duty only he wasn’t on watch. It was Brady. I guess he has been on watch since he took over for me. Captain laid down after I did, in the cockpit, and would get up for them to put up a sail or adjust something but for the most part slept the whole time!
When I poked my head out about 2:50am it was Brady who greeted me and had a few requests – jackets, for me to grab a snack, his pillow, that sort of thing. When I was officially up there he planned to lay down and sleep, in the cockpit.
*Below here was written in the moment – night shift*
Also we are motor sailing there isn’t much wind and we are trying to make sure we are ahead of a low pressure system that will be behind us, we want to stay in front of it. So, motor sailing for probably two days. The autopilot or steering wheel has developed a most annoying squeak.
It’s more than a squeak.
Captain just got up and came to check on things. He also adjusted the autopilot responsiveness so it’s less responsive and now not squeaking, except occasionally. It’s so much better. I’m tired, but I’m going to do my full 3am-7am shift. It’s now 5:30 and first light. There was a crazy “star” I thought it was a ships tall light and that they were super close to us but it wasn’t it was actually Venus rising. Which is very cool. Captain said “oh, Venus is up, it must be almost morning.” So I guess she is an indicator for morning. Well, I’m seeing first light now, well, I have been seeing it.
I can see how people romanticise the sea.
It’s peaceful out here. And the sea is so vast. And the sky so vast. They both just expand until they touch and there is nothing else but you and the stars and the waves. And some other ships but they are not apart of you. So you don’t feel there presence, you just see them as you pass in the night. And then the sun starts to wake and the stars go to sleep. They sleep during the day, while the sun is awake.
It’s majestic.
I don’t mind it. I am sure I may feel different if I was in a storm and everything was going haywire but right now. It’s peaceful except that word doesn’t quite feel like enough. I’ll think of a better word. I love sunrise. I’m just never awake for them. I want to share this moment with Brady but he needs to sleep and it feels intruded upon with captain here, even though he has gone back to bed. So instead I’ll have this moment alone, all to myself.
And yet, somehow I feel connected to all the other people and animals watching this same sunrise.
In this same moment somewhere else. It is beautiful. “Birds flying high, you know how I feel” those song lyrics just came to me, in this moment. I wish I was hand writing this instead of typing it out on my phone. Brady just woke up. I think he got about 3 hours of really good sleep, really good as in uninterrupted. At this point, he has almost had as much as me, except mine was broken up. But I was at least laying down for a lot longer. Daylight is getting brighter and we are just puttering along.
My face is either sunburnt or wind chapped. It sure is cool, I’m wishing I had my sweatpants on but it’s nearly 6 now so I’ll probably just go lay down and sleep when my shift ends and it’s cosy and warm down there! Brady woke up, so I went pee – wind chap and not burnt but also not very bad. I saw 4 shooting stars and some flying fish during my night shift!
