Edelweiss - Day #19: A whale of a playdate!

Hello again from (yes, still) the Atlantic! We continue to make good progress, now with a steady, strong wind at our stern (20-25 knots) pushing us along well, with only our jib up. The waves, however, cannot seem to make up their minds where they'd like to come from: either they come from behind us on our stern in which case Edelweiss surfs up and down them (wheeeee!) or else they come on her side and we get to roll back and forth (booooooo!). Either way, we're happily watching the miles tick down.... now under 480 miles to go.

The highlight of the last 24 hours has to be the sighting of some big whales, frolicking with us. While we were surfing down some big waves yesterday afternoon, Stuart noticed them surfing right behind us. (And, by "right behind us" I mean that their spray when they breached nearly sprayed us!) They would surf down the wave, then zoom up next to Edelweiss and zip across in front of her bow, then drop back and do it again. These were (we think) minke or sperm whales, about 9 feet long and dark grey with white bellies and a dorsal fin. They amused us for nearly an hour then went off to another playground. Gorgeous!

Finally, as news is getting scarce here I'll dip into the gastronomic realm for an update. Mason initiated a Scurvy Prevention Program early on in the crossing; he and I were sharing one orange per day (then seeing who could toss the peels the furthest from the boat). As the stock of oranges dwindled, we rationed the last 2: one for the day that we dipped below 500 miles to go (today!) and the last one for that "Land Ho!" moment. So today's orange will be a highlight! And if you're wondering what is for dinner tonight? The crew has already requested Stuart's "Soon to be Famous At-Sea Nachos." New to the menu at Edelweiss Cafe, they were a big hit last week so it's time to bring them back!

xo Edelweiss