[Edit+ pics 12-oct-14]
Air and water temperature 30 deg C. Tropical! Depth 5000 m. Rain
After the usual excellent buffet breakfast we assembled for Peter’s daily talk & position update.
Next was talk by naval historian Bill Cougar on the Columbian exchange. Very interesting.
That night was a gala show put on by the crew and passengers.
We arrive Barbados Sunday and disembark. We’ve been doing brief posts while at sea we because it has been a very slow and unreliable connect (when we could connect at all). We should be able to add some “meat” to the posts in Barbados and maybe even some photos!
Depth 3500 m air 28 deg water 30 deg 214 nm last 24 hrs 8.6 knots avg
Since Las Palmas 2080 nm
To Bridgetown 639 nm
We’ve been unable to connect for a few days but are back in (slow) contact again.
Yesterday’s position 16 deg 31′ N 41 deg 3′ W
Sunday 03 Nov – eclipse 17 deg 00′ N 37 deg 92′ W and yes, through skill of ship’s captain, we did see the eclipse. More on this when we have a better connection.
We get to Barbados Sun 10 Nov. 2 nights there, one night in Miami visiting family, and then WHOO HOO home.
We awoke the morning of 3-Nov aboard the Star Flyer anticipating the total eclipse of the sun at about 10:30am. The problem was that the sky was cloudy with a few patches of blue sky here and there. We reached the center of the eclipse path at 17’00’00N / 37’11’9W but then Captain Yuriy Slastenin started maneuvering the ship to try to get under one of the cloud openings.
The eclipse began at9:13a (First Contact) and all eyes were skyward. The early part is hardly noticeable, but the overall light was beginning to dim. At about 10:25a the clouds started opening up and we had a view of the sun with the moon as the only obstruction. As the eclipse approached totality the sky darkened with just the small ring of light showing. Then it started brightening again as the moon & sun began to separate.
As the daylight emerged everyone on board headed to the main deck for champagne drinks and a party of very happy voyagers. And the Star Flyer unfurled her sails and turned once again towards Barbados.
Daybreak 3-Nov-13
30 Oct 2013 22 deg 57 min N, 26 deg 35 min W
We crossed the Tropic of Cancer at 1 am this morning – we are now officially in the tropics. 4600 m depth. 540 nm to African coast, Mauritania. 700 nm since Cadiz, 1500 to Barbados 700 to eclipse.
Under sails only – 7 to 7.5 knots. 165 nm in last 24 hours. Air temp 25 deg C, water 28 deg. Wind 5/4 E, swells 1.5 m.
Talks today: Alan Dyer – The night sky; Bob Rowland – Law of the Sea especially extensions of coastal shelf.
Yesterday: Climbing rigging (John); Tyler Nordgren – The sun; Mike Guler – Navigation; Small seabird (storm petral?) dropped in for dinner; Peter Kissner – Clipper ships
From Peter Kissner’s morning briefing: we are currently completely under sail but are only doing 5.5 knots roughly south-westerly and will shift to engine later today to ensure our intersection with the path of the eclipse. We have done 511 nms since Las Palmas, 1894 remaining. Depth is 4880 m. 319 miles from Mauritania (African coast) off Cape Bojodor. Directly north of Cape Verde Islands which are 430 nautical miles south.
In the morning the crew had an emergency drill with full fire gear and stationing at evacuation stations. That afternoon the passengers, including John, were allowed to climb the rigging to the crows nest.
At night we gathered on the stern deck with the deck lights extinguished for our first astronomical viewing without city light pollution. The Milky Way was clearly apparent!
It’s feels good to be at sea again! We are getting used to the gentle pitch and roll of the ship, providing a very restful sleep. This could also be attributed to the total lack of responsibility beyond getting to the dining room for more delicious food.
Soon after clearing the port of Las Palmas most of the sails were set and the engines turned off. We have been making between 7 and 10 knots since then, in a mostly southernly direction to take advantage of the trade winds and to better position us for the viewing of the eclipse. The peaks of the Canary Islands were visible off the stern through the first part of the day but disappeared over the horizon by the afternoon.
Arrived in Las Palmas yesterday evening. We got off the ship to wander the town, visit a pharmacy, and have a (delicious) bite to eat.
The Canary Islands were called the islands of the dogs by the Romans for reasons that are lost in history. The canary birds are native to the islands and are named after the islands.
Today we got an overview of this island Gran Canaria, visited the Bandam crater, walked the old town, visited the local museum located in the house where Columbus had stayed on his first voyage of discovery, and had tapas.
On the Go with John and Jessie 