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Edelweiss - Day #15: Diesel sailing



Today marks the start of our 3rd week of sailing across the Atlantic and we are currently making progress not with the sails but with the motor. The winds are so light and are coming from directly behind our stern, so that we cannot carry any sail without them flopping as the boat rolls on the ocean swells. Flopping makes the sail unhappy (not to mention the Captain!) so we have elected to burn some of the dinosaur juice we stocked up on in Las Palmas for its intended use: moving us through the light air. The weather reports ("gribs") indicate that the wind should fill in nicely ahead of us and, with any luck, we should have the sails up for the rest of the ride into St Lucia. FINGERS CROSSED!

In the meantime, I thought I would share with you some of the funny things that go on on Edelweiss as we cross the Atlantic. We are all working with sleep deprivation, as the 3-hr on and 3-hr off watch schedules do not let anyone get the kind of blocks of sleep we are all used to. Certainly not quality sleep! Mason recently jumped out of his bed and ran to the door up the companionway - facing us with groggy eyes, he asked, "What are you all doing up there?" then promptly turned and went back to bed. We are fairly sure he had no recollection of this event, as he was so asleep! Lyell, for his part, wins the award for being able to go from a curled up, snoring fetal position to an upright seated position and "Yes, Mom, of COURSE I'm awake!" within less than 10 seconds of my query! And I apparently am pretty silly myself as I doze off, having answered Lyell at one point, "This is the very point in the middle of the ocean where I met your father." Sleep deprivation or romance? You decide. Meanwhile, the Captain continues to tinker with the sails.

xo Edelweiss


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