SATURDAY 18THof June 2022,  12.00 Ships time = Gmt. 

“STILL SAILING” 

Contouring the High pressure system 

22 days Out from Ascension 

35°-28'N : 037°-08'W   

Course= -050° -Sailing Close Hauled SB tack, standard + flying jib, Speed around 7 kts. 

Wind =SEbyS  4+ Bfrt, Seawater 22,6° Celsius,Barometer 1028,4hPa and rising 

We had a great sail the last 24 hrs but we did press every knot out of the wind we were given. 

Especially with the forecast of headwinds for the coming days it was important to make as much progress as possible.
So we are proud of the 187 Nautical Miles we made the last 24 hrs. 

After many days with long strings of Sargassum weed we sailed now in an area with thousands of Velella-velella, maybe the name doesn’t ring a bell but he or she are also known under the name “By the Wind Sailor” or “Little Sailor”. With only a length of 7 cm, they are a lot smaller then there big brothers the “Portuguese Man o War” (30cm) but both look like floating Jellyfish with a little sail that drives them over the ocean.  

The reality is that thy are not Jellyfish at all but that every little sail has a hydroid colonyunderneath its shield with the sail. 

The little sailor has only tentacles of a couple of cm long, while the “Portuguese Man o War” his tentacles that can be 10 meters long. These tentacles are weaponed with venin which kills plankton or little fish to feed them.  If you are hit by one of the long tentacles it will be very painful. So we just enjoy the reflecting low sunlight on all these little sailors around usand stay on deck. 

Done  24 hrs  =187M  in 039° =  7,8 kts  Average, 

Done 553 hrs = 3.358,5M =   6,1 kts  Average,   

Horta:  448M in Bearing 066° 

Alles Wel 

Klaas