Back on the ocean

2 June 2016

Update by Arco:
“After a couple of days on the Azores we are now heading for Rotterdam. In the past two days we travelled a distance of about 300 miles. Another 1300 miles to go. Being back on the ocean is good for everybody. First of all, we are on the ‘Oosterschelde’ for sailing. We left Horta with a light breeze. A nice way to start, especially for the people who joined us on the Azores. Unfortunately, the wind dropped and we had to use the engine to make any progress. After a day luckily the wind picked up and we are now enjoying wind speeds up to 5 Bft. We are flying! This is why we are here.
The second reason why it’s good to be back on the ocean, is our energy level. Also ashore we lived like sailor men. This means that the average day program was like this: visiting the island, having dinner together, go to the pub and have an afterparty in town or on the boat. This led to the result that there wasn’t much time left for sleeping. It is easy to imagine that some of use where a little bit tired when we left the harbour. At sea we are back on our watch schedule and are forced to sleep on time. It feels like we are recovering from being ashore.
I have been on the ‘Oosterschelde’ for two weeks. Finally, I start to understand which rope is used for which sail. I’m getting better in hoisting sails and getting used to climbing on the bowsprit. I would almost say that I even get used to the dolphins, but when they are swimming just before the bow when I’m on the bowsprit, I see that they are special animals and I have to enjoy every moment that they show up.”