Fishing boats

8 April 2024

Light winds and fishing boats

Our journey to Ecuador has been marked by gentle southerly winds, making for slow sailing during the days and speedy motoring at night to reach Santa Lucia on schedule. Thankfully, our tents provide us with some relief from the warm, sunny weather as temperatures hover around 30 degrees Celsius, only set to rise as we draw closer to the equator. The tranquil conditions have kept the ocean swell mild, causing our ship to sway gently from port to starboard.

This afternoon, we encountered a bustling maritime rush hour, encountering a massive container vessel and a tanker passing within a mile of us. Despite their distance, the low hum of their engines resonated across our deck. How fortunate we are to glide through the ocean propelled by the whispering winds alone!

However, the most frequent sightings have been the small fishing boats. These vessels crisscross behind us tirelessly, day and night, in pursuit of their catch. At night, their bright deck lights illuminate the darkness as they continue their quest. Clearly, there must be an abundance of fish here, yet our attempts at fishing ourselves have yielded little success. Perhaps a fresh start tomorrow morning will bring better luck.