Day 5 After The Bay Of Biscay Comes The Dolphin Reward

More news from the crew on Challenger 3 as they sail from Portsmouth to Cran Canaria. We start this blog with all details the skipper and mate send at noon each day. Always a marvel when you think about how the early sailors would not communicate with their loved ones for years on end.

Following Lindsey’s summary and observations there is a great piece by Adam featuring dolphins!

Date : 06TH November 2018
Time : 12:00 UT
Position : 39.39 N 009.22. W
Destination : Cascais, Portugal
ETA : 06 November 2018
DTF : Approx. 70 NM
COG :190
SOG : 8.5 kts
Fuel : 3 full, 1 in use
Water : 1 full, 1 in use, 2 empty
Gas : 4 full, 1 in use

In Time For A Pint?

What can I say??? This voyage is one for the memory book for all concerned. We are at a critical level at present on the boat AKA code RED. Will we make last orders tonight or not??? That’s a big concern for all right now.

At present we believe we will and are doing everything to make it happen. Not sure the crew have ever worked so hard with their helming to not be off course. Pint penalties may occur if we don’t J

Doing a timesheet too for arrival. Whoever gets closest time will get a reward. Skipper and mate will not be able to claim reward as obviously we will just win J

On a good note, dolphins are a plenty and for the first time we had the lovely chance to watch a very young dolphin be taught to jump through the waves and play with a boat. We think it’s parents were the teachers but it was a sight to remember forever and possibly never to be repeated.
Best wishes

Lindsey Cattell
Mate, Challenger 3

Day 5 Blog – After The Bay Of Biscay Comes The Reward

After serving the last gruelling night watch in the Bay of Biscay I climbed into my bunk just after 7am glad to know we would see the back of it, turning the corner at fenestra, ,hopefully for a change to better conditions.

And so it did in some noticeable ways;

The wind started to shift to the rear, giving a less confused sea state and allowing for a much more comfortable passage. The wind was on the starboard quarter. Poking my head out on deck during the morning I was welcomed to the sight of impressive and stately following seas rather than the confused and belligerent seas of the Biscay we had become all too familiar with.
Another change. The port watch on deck had their mobile phones on with good signal! Off the port side the mountains of the Spanish mainland were clearly visible. We had connection with the rest of the world again for a while.

Be Like The Dolphin – Live For The Moment

 
Up on deck for the afternoon watch the retiring watch spoke of a whale sighting just meters from the boat. After an hour or so our watch was joined by a squadron of Dolphins. Breaking out the sides of the large following waves they converged on either side of the boat darting across the bows, dropping back and making numerous runs towards the boat. I took a camera and tried to photograph them.

It was after the 50th failed attempt I realised it was futile to try to capture them as an image. To enjoy the company of dolphins you have to think like them and live for moment. I made my way to the bow and watched them frolic across the bows.

Pretty soon I could recognise different individuals by their size and marks on their backs as they darted across the bows or barrel rolled alongside. Smaller dolphins with their parents, perhaps learning the tricks of the trade in riding the bow wave.

The dolphins stayed with us the whole watch. Was this our reward for enduring the Biscay conditions? It certain made it all worthwhile.

Adam

More blogs about this Atlantic Adventure can be read here: Portsmouth to Gran Canaria