eXXpedition crew members Eleanor Church and Michelle Byle (Watch Crew 1) settle into life on board Sea Dragon:
“We’re sitting in the moonlight as the wind is dying off a bit. It’s been a wild night of squals and fast sailing – Sea Dragon cut through the waves at fourty knots at one point. We’re realising this is our new normal, being out at sea, shifting around our schedules in watch groups, sleeping in between. We’ve been leaning at a hard 45 degree angle for the last couple of days, making it especially challenging to manoeuvre below deck. Making tea while rocking back and forth is particularly challenging.
Yesterday we lucked out with sunrise (4am-8am) and sunset (4pm-6pm) shifts. Today we’ve started the day at midnight and will continue watch until 4am. Figuring out our sleep schedules has been a priority, lying down in between shifts to catch as much shut eye as possible.
Sea sickness was rampant the first day as we’re all getting used to this new normal. Some of us have come out the other side and worked through feeling ill, while others have not been quite as lucky.
On this early morning watch we’ve witnessed birds flying around our mast and a shooting star as the moonlight illuminated our path. It’s genuinely exhilerating to take the helm in this wild weather. There’s a feeling of great strength and confidence that comes with steering the boat through the night. Life at sea is full of ups and downs.”
This update from Sea Dragon is made possible by Iridium Communications, the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe.
The North Pacific Crew will be sending us daily updates from Sea Dragon, which will be posted here on the eXXpedition website. You will also be able to see updates from the crew and ground team throughout North Pacific on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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