Log Entry - Sunday, Jan 22, 2006

Sailboat | Crew | Log | Route | Track

The night sky Mike Ellison Rib Man Ted Kinkel Galley God Pat Reading beside the broken table top Navigation is both deterministic and probabilistic. We know with certainty the direction we need to go; we can only estimate what the winds will do. During our first three hundred miles, we took advantage of our ability to sail easterly, just in case the wind changed direction. At 0600 Monday, we were at longitude 62 41 and had over shot the longitude of St. Martin (63 05) by 24 nm, no big deal with 500 miles to go. We are now on a straight line course for St. Martin. Did you know that one nautical mile equals one minute of latitude. It also equals one minute of longitude, but only at the equator. With 60 miles per degree, and 360 degrees in a circle, the diameter of the earth is 21,600 nm (360x60). Here's a thought, why not do away with statute miles and use nautical miles, at least they correspond to something real. The wind, the sea, and the sky, that is our universe. The night sky has its own ability to mesmerize. Our azure blue skies of day have continued into night to present the jewels of the sky. As the sun sets, the first star to emerge is Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. It shows its brilliance thirty degrees off our port side, about forty degrees above the horizon. Right behind Sirius to emerge are the solders of Orion: Betelgeuse, Rigel, and Bellatrix. Orion is the brightest, most distinctive constellation in the sky, and its three solders are the important navigation stars, well known to mariners before the age of GPS. Orion is the great hunter of the night, and he is followed by his faith dog whose eye is Sirius. Near by Orion are his twin lovers: Pollux, and Castor, which make up the constellation Gemini. His two scouts are Aldebaran and Procyan. Aldebaran guards the forward, while Procyan watches the rear. Together, these stars and constellations are the crown jewels of the night sky. To our rear is Polaris, the North Star. At our latitude, it is approximately, thirty degrees above the horizon. Polaris is flanked by the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. At midnight, the cup of the Big Dipper is to the east and Cassiopeia is to the west. Connecting them forms a line passing through Polaris. We didn't finish the table repair since Full Circle was bucking to much. We may wait until we get into port. We'll see. From the photo you can see that the table top has been tied in place. It should be covering all those shelves behind it. It is supposed to hinge from the bottom shelf and fold down. We sighted our first ship today. Desperate for contact with other humans, we called them on the VHF radio, but they weren't interested in chatting, no response. It must be a stealth operation. Ted continues to make gourmet lunches and dinners. We have had BBQ chicken, pork chops, and rice Creole with ham. Our salads are garnished with sesame seeds and diced onions. Full Circle continues to rock and roll. We continue to sleep and read, and read and sleep. Auto does most of the sailing. We have been on a port tack since leaving Bermuda. The wind direction has held constant between 110 and 130 degrees. The wind speed has varied from 13 to 24 knots. Conditions remain ideal. Full Circle does her duty by keeping us safe and dry while romping along at a steady six knots. Who knew sailing could be so easy. At this moment in time and space, on this spot of the ocean, life is good. Previous | Next