27.11. - Midnight Express

Surreal feeling, during the Thursday-Friday night, the wind was good. 8-13 m/s.

The boat sailed on average speed of 9-10 knots. Somehow we managed to catch a route where wind had just developed, but waves not yet. All night long the boat felt like a locomotive, a racing locomotive. Spinnaker showing in the moonlight, wind swizzled and Monomotapa made more than 100 miles in one night. When back in bed, I felt strange. The boat did not go up and down, left and right. It was our Caribbean Midnight Express.

Pasi



Sailing in the darkness of the central Atlantic is truly different from the Baltic Sea. When the moon is not sharing its light, it is really dark.

The waves are long and high. You have to develop a sense for the waves, you have to feel them coming from behind, feel when they are catching the boat and react at the right time to catch them. At the same time, you have to follow the instruments to make sure you're not losing the correct course while you are playing catch up with the waves. It feels like playing a computer game, at high winds when the boat is running through the sea, you can almost imagine how it feels to steer a Volvo Ocean Race boat through the waves.

Today we caught our first fish, we have dragged a Rapala lure behind us every day, and today it paid off. We caught a small tuna of which Capo prepared a delicious sushi salad. We also learned a new trick, how to kill a fish. Andrea took a mouthful of rum and poured it into the fish’s mouth. Instant death, no pain. Amazing, I wonder if that would work for a shark....

Sailingwise a beautiful day, cloudless sky, moderate waves, 2-3 metres. The wind could have been a bit stronger. 7-10 m/s is not quite enough for Monomotapa. Nevertheless, we managed to clock 178 miles in our 5th 24-hour period.

Hannu