First mate Ben Soofer on ISBJORN’s foredeck. Photo by James Austrums.
Hello from 35 19 N, 071 06 W!
Isbjörn is on a merry beat across the north Atlantic with the wind on her nose and a healthy crew. It’s been an upwind slogfest since lifting anchor outside of Maryland’s Solomon Islands, where we rafted up with Icebear on the 4th of July. We’ve traded the blistering heat and ridiculous humidity of the Chesapeake Bay summer for salty air and a cool offshore breeze - coming straight off of Bermuda, of course. But we’re thankful!
The original forecast called for almost two whole days of motoring! Instead, the wind has defied our original GRiB weather files. We have had a constant, healthy breeze on which to sail upon! Spirits are high despite the constant 20-30 degree angle, which has been making it hard to rest and to put on our pants. The watch routine that we started at 11PM on the 5th has become a comfortable rhythm; four hours on deck, eight hours off, with a dinnertime dog-watch to make things interesting. The crew has been occupying itself: tucking and shaking reefs, doing chart work, focusing on advanced sail handling and learning how to bend a whipping!
We’re finally on a good lay-line to Bermuda, a feat that’s required eleven tacks since leaving the Chesapeake Bay (yes, I counted). Our general strategy involved riding the Gulf Stream East-North-East for a bit - trying to stay as south as possible but squeezing the SOG advantage as hard as we could. Next, we turned south to find an agreeable wind angle to take us to Bermuda. We were slowed in this direction by a stiff 15 knots coming directly from the direction in which we wished to travel, true to form. Finally, the wind started clocking! In the past ten hours we’ve managed to hold a South-Easterly course over ground, tracking well towards Bermuda on a close haul/reach.
According to our YB comms with Icebear, it seems that they followed pretty much the same path. Icebear managed to get further south and east of us. They usually go further and faster, thanks to that eleven extra feet (and the natural skill of Skipper, Mate and Crew, obviously)! That being said, Isbjörn’s rally skipper Vinny and I are still expecting a near photo-finish ;)
To fair seas and westerly winds!
// Ben Soofer First Mate S/V ISBJORN
