Hello outside world! Phoebe here, 1st Mate onboard SV Sea Dragon.
It’s our third day of sailing all together as a crew and folks are settling in nicely to the pace of life at sea. The excitement of the ARC start is still buzzing within all of us as we watch the fleet separate out on the tracker and take on the open Atlantic. Nothing can describe the pure energy of being in Las Palmas for the start of such a momentous moment in all of our lives. The friends you meet, the boats you get invited on for a tour, the conversations over dinner at the lovely restaurants along the marina and the various ARC social events that are put on. This Sea Dragon trip was particularly special for me because we had so much time to bond as a crew before setting off on a crossing together. We were lucky to spend a week getting to know each other, exploring the new surroundings, attending all the ARC events, and getting used to living on board together. By the time we slipped lines at 1030hrs LT on Sunday Nov 23rd, I was thoroughly excited to go to sea with the crew we had spent the last few days getting to know.
The start of the ARC was exhilarating. Hundreds of boats all jockeying for the best position on the start line. We watched the multihull fleet race ahead first, and then the racing fleet- waving off dear friends we had made that days ago were mere strangers. Then the cruising fleet was put into sequence and the realization finally hit me: we’re about to cross an ocean! Not to mention the committee boat was part of the Spanish Armada, just to make things more exciting. The gun went off and we were off! But going nowhere in a hurry because Neptune did not exactly favor our start with strong winds. And our eco-friendly guests all came to a consensus that we wanted to do this crossing in the purist sense- using our engine as little as safely possible. So after all the excitement of the start, we settled into a relaxed pace of 3kts and the racers onboard learned to sit with discomfort and be present with the conditions that were being handed to us 😉
Overnight, we got some increases in wind speed as the land breeze came down off the south of Gran Canaria. The following day brought more light winds but we got the gennaker out and got her flying happily in the afternoon! This helped us move closer to the rest of the fleet, many of whom opted to use engines at the start, and we established ourselves back into the middle of the pack.
On board, morale remained high and folks took their turns trying their hand at cooking underway. Notable meals included a delicious harissa couscous meal cooked by Terry on the first night, a delicious beanie mac and cheese with a fancy twist made by Justin, and a delicious veggie curry made by Russ. Food is really at the heart of morale onboard Sea Dragon and the guests have been stepping up and helping keep the good vibes flowing! The sound of soft conversation, laughter, and bonding can be heard up on deck from down below, one of my favorite sounds in the world. I feel so privileged to be in a position to watch such beautiful human relationships form so quickly in such a unique environment. Friendships are being forged moment to moment and memories that will last us the rest of our lives.
Skipper Dan is happy with our progress and we’re following half of the fleet to the north in anticipation of stronger winds building this evening. Hopefully by tomorrow afternoon we’ll be able to gybe south and establish ourselves in the legendary trade winds!
Our Scientific Mission Lead, Dr. Rhian Ford, has been doing an extraordinary job taking water samples for SeaLabs and the guests have enjoyed helping her out and taking part in this important citizen science project!
A final note, I have always had an affinity for the mushy-gushy especially on more impactful and momentous passages such as an ocean crossing. So at the beginning of the trip, we invited guests to think of one word they wanted to focus on to help them reflect as we made progress across the Atlantic. Some words included: unbound, mindful, grateful, growth, praise, content, excited, equanimity, lucky. If you’re thinking about joining for a trip onboard Sea Dragon, you can get a head start on what you may want your word to be. We slipped lines after a reading of Mary Oliver’s poem “The Journey” to fill us with the self-actualizing adventure mindset of the kind of bravery it requires to come on a trip like this and take a chance on fulfilling your wildest dreams. We’re out here doing exactly that, as one crew, living many individual dreams that have converged into one collective Atlantic crossing. And we’re ready and open to all the experiences that are yet to come! Stay tuned.
First Mate Phoebe
Photo credits @panexplore @phoebe @carribbeancompass
