We put the engines on at 9 last night during my watch…….. they’ve been on ever since!
We knew we were going to hit the ITCZ – Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone, the correct new name for the doldrums, but it has come a bit earlier than expected! It is extremely hot without a cloud in sight. The sea looks amazing as there is quite a big swell but the surface is as flat as a pancake.
Megan copes incredibly well doing her PHD (about Wild Dog faeces research I believe!), in between distractions. Nevil did a great job of splicing Rowan’s new spare anchor rope onto our spare anchor. He also made some of his very dark red tuna into a delicious ceviche supper and cooked a few pieces for our salad at lunch. Han led us girls in half an hours yoga during a gorgeous sunset on the front of the boat. The swell got a bit bumpy which was quite challenging for holding our poses. Rowan kept checking weather routers and was doing many fuel calculations! Rowan thinks our failure to give Neptune a tot of rum made Neptune claim Rowan’s second drone to the waves! Rowan sent the drone up and it stopped responding to the control box although it had plenty of charge. The girls eagle eyes spotted it so we turned the boat around and nearly caught up with it before a big swell took it!
The highlight was witnessing the biggest school of dolphins, literally hundreds and hundreds of them cavorting through the sea. Not at all interested in our bow wave, we think it must have been a feeding frenzy. Some of Megan’s photos zoomed in show fish jumping alongside the dolphins. We think we have identified them as Spinner dolphins, some were leaping a good 10-12 feet out of the air and belly flopping down into the water, some spinning. It was an incredible thing to watch as huge waves of them criss crossed in front of us, a great afternoon treat in the baking sun.
The flat waters with a gentle swell
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