Even with around 13 on, the round-sail did not perform as praised by the inventor and seller. Not enough speed and not enough course stability.

Thus, we used again the genoa to run west. Finally we tested the 20 m2 jibsail in a butterfly configuration. It brought an increase in speed. Thus, we want to use it during the night.

Tomorrow, we want to use the gennaker from early sunlight, and if possible until sunset, to gain speed.

Sunset is from now on straight ahead of us; we are sailing W. G, B and R were lying at the bow, watching the huge thermonuclear fire, called sun, descending behind the horizon. The warm red-orange light of the sun illuminated the first clouds we saw since our departure, hanging at the sky far away from us. Will they stay there or come closer?

The sea appears now dark at the horizon and then the colors of the sky changes from dark grey just above the distant water at the horizon via warm orange into yellow to finally transit into a metallic blue.

Night comes down on MaRe and her crew. Soon the sky will turn black decorated with millions of stars. On which one is live similar to live on our planet, which we need to treat better, is always an interesting question to me.

A sunny morning, with 22 degC. Since yesterday night we reached the trade wind zone. The last weather report for 6 weather models of this morning confirmed our assumption. But a weather model is sometimes not correct; only when 6 models show the same, the chance that the weather forecast is correct, is pretty high.

We changed sails. The main is now fully down and even it’s sail bag is closed. As I’m writing these lines, we run with the genoa, opened more with a barber hauler, an additional line attached to the clew of the genoa. STW (speed through water) fluctuates between 2.8 and 4.8 kn. Not fast but our “hunter for fishes” is active and asked for the that speed too increase his chance for another catch. It can be considered as highly probable that the crew even expects another excellent fish dinner. Let’s see what the catch of the day will be!

Another trial of the round-sail could also be done…

During the night the wind increased a bit. For safety reasons we reduced the sails a bit long before we reached the limit. MaRe sails now through the night with 5 – 6 kn heading steadily W.

From the last weather report we learned that we the can sail already now a W course. Keep fingers crossed that the wind condition remains.

With big expectations we started our first trial of the round-sail. To start with the conclusion of the first trial: the wind was with with 9 – 10 kn not strong enough to pull MaRe with more than 2.5 kn forwards. According to the specs of the sail it can be used between 10 – 40 kn winds. So we were on the lower edge of the needed wind and decided to retrieve the round-sail and use the gennaker to make good STW (speed through water).

However we got terribly “disturbed”! Already before breakfast we saw a huge group of dolphins obviously hunting in a distance of about a nautical mile ahead of us. A while later this huge group of dolphins came to MaRe. For all of us an incredible experience! Some times there were almost 20 dolphins swimming around MaRe’s bows and also many enjoyed MaRe’s sterns. How many played under MaRe we don’t know. A few of them jumped and made somersaults, other slapped with their tail fins on the water to just splash water; if they would have done it directly in front of the bows, we got wet. B called the scenario “it’s like looking in a huge aquarium”; a pretty good description of what we saw. At a certain point in time they got enough of us and just disappeared the way they appeared. The Atlantic Ocean is still pretty big.

We then were able to set the gennaker and MaRe started sailing with around 5 kn in winds of with a TWS (true wind speed) of 10 kn.

Meal of the day: self-caught fried dolphinfish with potato salad. Excellent. No left overs.

Immediately after the sunset we got the gennaker in, set main and genoa and we’re prepared for the night.

Rasmus, the good of the seas, finally accepted the B’s offering and brought us nice wind around 13 kn with a stable NE direction. MaRe runs around 5 kn on a course of around 200. This is now a bit too much S.

Therefore, once all crew members are out of their beds we will make the initial setting of the round-sail. With this sail we should run a perfect downwind course without autopilot. This means, a NE wind will blow is on the comfortable and needed SE downwind course.

Let’s see!

Since the last comment the biggest change on board is the date. Year, month, and day numbers changed, but the wind remains the same. Around 10 kn only. It even changed more to N, forcing us to head currently more to S. Still we are lucky because we could avoid to get trapped in the calm area more west of our position.

At the turn off the year we all gathered in the cockpit for a toast to the new year. 5 people in the Atlantic, a about 200 NM erst of the African coast. An unusual gathering for all of us accompanied by a bottle of champagne G discovered “deep down in bilges” of MaRe just in time to cool it for the midnight event.

A definitely fascinating view is the nightly dark sea and the flourescence of the plankton in the water. The traces of MaRe in the sea are looking whitetish with additional brought white spots. Simply fascinating.

We all wait for a bit more wind from a bit more easterly directions. At daylight we most likely set the gennaker or might test fly the new round-sail.

Let’s see…

For most of the day we had a nice sailing wind. Not as fast as in the morning but still ok. A bunch of activities of things were done. But there was also time to relax.

Just when G got his next delicious dinner on the table, the wind started changing directions and force. It seems that the offering B gave to Rasmus, the god of the seas, did not satisfy him yesterday.

We furled the genoa, fixed the main sail in center position, started the engines, and enjoyed G’s menu of the day.

A bit after dinner the wind stablized in direction. Not very strong but enough to sail with an AWA of about 130 deg and heading SE. Of it stays like this until the new year wind starts blowing we will be very happy.

Now, G is with A on cockpit, R writes these lines on the salon sofa before he falls asleep…

After a bigger part of the night running with only the genoa for safety reasons going speeds of around 3 knots, we hoisted the main with reef 1….
…. and MaRe runs around 8 kn at 60 deg AWA and around 14 kn TWS. A NW swell of more than 100 m length and a hight of mostly likely a bit more than 2 m lifts MaRe gently up. Sometimes it creates a comfortable feeling in the stomach. But she also shakes bit in the wind waves coming ESE where the wind builds up another swell. This easterly swell should accompany us from tomorrow on when we are south of the windless high pressure area.

Breakfast was great, like everyday. Lots of talk, jokes and laughter. Today we had additionally a shy guest. A seagull came twice close by looked at us, regarded us in her own way and decided not to join us for breakfast.

A great start into day 3. Let’s see what’s coming up.

Running with engines and the genoa to provide a like bit more pull. But the AWS (apparent wind speed) is below 10 kn. The effect is there but not enough to only sail.
It’s a nice wind for a gennaker, but for security reasons, we don’t fly the gennaker at night. Hope for better wind is always on board. Let’s keep fingers crossed that we stay in the corridor, which has some wind until we reach the next WPT, about 250 nm NW of the Cape Verde islands.

In the afternoon, a group of dolphins came from starboard towards MaRe and played for a quarter of an hour around MaRe’s bows. These animals are fascinating.

About one and half an hour ago we put the gennaker down. Not even for that sail we had
enough wind. Running with the engines we go more S hoping to stay in the small corridor which provides wind for the night and tomorrow.
For the night we will only use the genoa to get a bit more speed. For sailing with main and genoa b the wind is too weak.

G is “torturing” the whole crew with the excellent smell of catch of the day currently getting hot in the frying pan. Why does it still take more time until we can enjoy the delicious meal.

In the meantime we had a gorgeous dinner. Fried dolphinfsh, potato salad and a green salad. G please keep going like that¡