For me it’s one of many nights I sailed in the wide Pacific Ocean.

My OBM sailed some nights with me in the Mediterranean and Caribbeans and one in the Marquesas.

For Ruslana it’s the first. The sea is very friendly, not too bumpy, and not rough at all. I asked her how she feels about this first night. “Overall it’s a positive experience!” she replied. I like this answer.

About 1715 I suddenly “smelled” an wind increased caused by squall E of us. We got the main sail down from reef 1 to reef 2 in a pretty short time. With the genoa fully unfurled and main with reef 2 the squall came closer but didn’t really hit us. With TWS of 17 – 19 KN MaRe accelerated to almost 10 KN. This was nice and fast sailing. Unfortunately the winds from the squalls never last long. The “Kartoffelacker”-sea which follows a squall, was not too bad.
(Kartoffelacker-sea is literally translated a “potato field – sea”. It means, no structure in the waves, only bumps, like a potato field after the potatoes have been harvested.)

Currently we have 4 Bft wind and MaRe makes good progress through the night.

For Ruslana I prepared a cheat-sheet with a few parameters and their limits. She also got a first introduction on how to use the radar system. Once there is a parameter our of the given range or there is something on the radar screen, she will wake me up

In nights like this, I’m always laying down on the sofa in the salon, fully dressed so I can be up and functioning within a second.

Questions will come – that’s normal – and I have to wake up to give answers or do something.

How often this night…