Time is flying and so is Kinship.
The butter is starting to melt and it is time for us to turn right. There is a saying that when you are sailing from the Canaries to the Caribbean, you head south until the butter melts and then turn right. We have had a few hazy days which I have been enjoying, very pleasant temperature. Last night I could see the stars bright and clear and understood it would be a clear day with sun. With the clear sky came the temperature, the butter started to melt and we are down at 18° 30' N, about the latitude of where we will make landfall. Time to turn right.
For almost three days we had the staysail out on the pole and the reefed main the other side, this morning it was time to gybe and we decided the best combination for the condition would be the big reacher poled out with the main boom. And we are flying, about 7-10 kt downwind, surfing the waves. Andrew's speed record from day 1 (he saw 13.4 kt) might be in danger today, as we already saw 12.4 kt!
Tim and I had a discussion what the haze came from, I thought it was just clouds but Tim had an idea it might be a sand storm from Africa that is causing the haze. Without a couple of different encyclopedias on the bookshelf or Google in your pocket, there is not really any way to know, just speculations. That is one of the things I enjoy most on the boat, not being connected. We do have boat email but no way we can check Internet out here. Can lead into very interesting discussions without any real fact answers!
Dennis and I was talking yesterday and he mentioned that he only has been drinking water and coffee on this trip. At home, on land, he normally drinks some soda and also a few beers. What the boys don't know is that I put a bottle of Coke in the fridge last night and will serve it as we hit the 1 week mark, I think they will enjoy it :) I bought a few surprises in Las Palmas and hid them from the boys, nothing is better than surprises along the way.
Yesterday we had a quick attempt to fish, but Tim realized that the line might be tangled in the Watt & Sea if we catch any and that was the end of it. One day when it is calm we can pull it out of the water and fish, I am very excited to catch something, especially since we have all kind of sushi supply on the boat, wasabi, soy, seaweed paper etc!
Thursday was shower day and as it is getting warmer shower day will come more often. The watermaker is pumping water and as I said in the last blog, it is amazing not to have to run the engine to make water, the Watt & Sea and Duo Gen is keeping up with the power. The difference between this boat and our own Arcturus is pretty big though. To take a shower there, we had to harness on the side deck, grab bucket of water out of the cold North Atlantic and manage not to fall in. Then we rinsed off with a small pot of fresh water. On this boat, we have a shower hose in the cockpit and it could not be any easier :)
When me and Andy sailed with Tim before, we often joked that he misspelled the boat when he bought it, instead of Kinship, it should be "Kingship" :). When we showered Tim offered to run the engine for 30 min to get hot water, what a guy! The water is warm enough though and a not-so-hot shower actually feels good. Andrew cooked dinner last night, a delicious curry meal, and Tim cooked the two nights before that. I am close to putting the nick name "Princessship" on the boat instead!
Life on Kinship is continuing going well. Many might wonder what we do all day long, but time seam to fly at the moment, Dennis is taking a nap, Tim on watch in the cockpit and Andrew was just down in the cockpit locker to look at the repair we did in Las Palmas. When I am done with the computer, I will start think about dinner and see what I can prepare and pull out of the freezer. So the days goes on.
I talked to mum today on the sat phone, they have -23C at home in Sweden, we have about a 60 degree C temperature difference.
Have a great time and stay warm!
-Mia
and the crew on Kinship; Tim, Dennis and Andrew
