Bermuda to Azores – Day 4

Time: 05/24/2008 1200 UTC

Lat: 34 deg 57' N

Lon: 57 deg 58' W

Heading: 70 M

Speed: 6 kt

Wind: SW 8 kt

Seas: 8-10 ft

Weather:  Foggy and damp early, clearing to Sunny and 65

 

Our satellite data connection has failed, so we no longer have functioning e-mail or weather.  This is problematic, as we were relying on weather data to make informed routing decisions.  With the nasty front moving through from the southwest, it'd be nice to know what we're in for.

 

The ARC weather report suggests making as much eastern progress as possible, as the front will dissipate in the SE as it builds in the NE.  As we've chosen to pursue the northern route, it will build on us if we head east.  We've decided instead to run north, and hope it passes beneath us.  All the data we have suggests this is possible, but ARC is calling the front "unavoidable."  We'll see who's right…

 

Last night, Kelly was on watch when two fishing vessels started circling like a couple of hoodlums.  You feel pretty vulnerable in a boat that moves at half the speed of ships twice as large.  He held them off with idle threats, and by daybreak they had sobered and returned to work.

 

This morning, a small pod of dolphins approached from the port stern.  They were smaller than the bottlenose dolphins so common in Florida, and far more apprehensive.  The pod dwelled 50 feet abeam, while one at a time each swam up to the bow, shot into the bow wake, paused briefly and threw a glance skyward, then peeled off and returned to the pod.  They appeared dark on top, light grey on the bottom, with a mottled transition on their sides. 

 

Later today, Kelly spotted two sea turtles floundering on the surface.  One submerged, while the other flapped about and craned his neck high above the sea level to size up Severance.

 

Wohoo!  The hamburger goes back in the icebox.  Kelly landed a 20lb blackfin tuna, just a few hours after changing the lure.   I can see where the term, "chicken of the sea" comes from.  This fish looks like tube meat with gills.  It's fat and round, just how you'd design an efficient foodsource.  I see four or five meals here.

 

I'm thinking sashimi tuna with ginger-wasabi-soy marinade, and plain rice.  Or some nice tuna steaks, seared rare, with plump slices of avocado and mango.  Today was "Severance: Sea World," complete with free samples.