Glowing nights and bananas

Current location: 22°57′9″ N  19°12′22″ V 160 nm west of southern Western Sahara (yikes - that is one big place!) 22.27 UTC

Night shifts have always been my favorite shifts. They give you time for reflection and a sense of calm. Ever since we left we’ve had quite a lot of bioluminescence in the water (Mareld) created by small animals that emit the light as a protection. The result is a green glowing light that is quite strong. It lights up the sides and the aft of the boat. One of the coolest things with Mareld (the Swedish term for it) is that it will make dolphins look like torpedoes passing by. Mikael was lucky enough to have the company of a group of dolphins for more than half an hour last night. Glowing in the dark. It is such an amazing experience, and I must admit I’m a bit jealous. I’m keeping lookout for more dolphins or perhaps some whales but the ocean is big. They come by when they want to. The temperature is getting warmer at night, so we started to head west. Apparently we’re almost last in the sailing race but then again we haven’t motored nearly as much as everybody else. We also have probably half the amount of fuel so we need to plan our route wisely. Many of the other boats have been catching fish, so tomorrow we are going to give it a go! Nisse, our chef onboard, is feeling better and can now complete some tasks down below without being seasick. This is exciting news as any fish caught will taste 100% better with him cooking it. Another task for tomorrow is raising the spinnaker of the winds allow it and making banana-bread. Many sailors refuse to take bananas onboard due to the old sailors’ superstition that it brings bad luck. I am partially one of them, so the bananas were never invited inside. Perhaps it’s because of their presence that we have no or little wind. Damned be you bananas!