Wind Surf Day 3 – Carpe Diem and Course Corrections

 “I wanted freedom, open air and adventure, I found it on the sea.”
Alain Cerbault

Wind Surf Transatlantic Sailing Day 3 

The sea has a way of reshaping time, and by the third day, we were no longer counting hours but simply flowing with the movement of the ship. Yesterday’s had given way to a quiet familiarity with the ship. All that lies ahead is space for reflection, conversation and the simple joys of each moment on board.

Morning on Wind Surf

This morning arrived shrouded in mist and fog, and with Sean already out of bed wandering the deck, I remained snug in bed. This morning I feel renewed and refreshed from an amazing sleep! The things that can happen on a beautiful sailing ship, in a cozy bed and when you don’t spend all night up looking out your porthole!

The ship was still being rocked by quite considerable waves, but it was surrounded by a blanket of soft greys and whites. This was interspersed with squalls that hurled rain in great drops at anyone intrepid enough to be out walking the decks. Regardless, Sean was up photographing, but I opted to stay in the nice, cozy, warm bed for a little longer instead.

Around 8:00 AM, I got up and we went up on deck to find Sean and to head to Verandah for some breakfast. In the morning and at lunchtime, this restaurant is set up like a buffet, and it always has many options. This morning, we both elected to try the Swiss muesli with almond slivers and fresh fruit, a freshly made detox smoothie with fruits and vegetables, and a cup of coffee. We chose to sit outside to enjoy our meal, and even though the seat cushions were rather soggy from all the rain squalls, we were joined by quite a few other passengers, as well as the Captain and first officer, who were also having their breakfast. Luckily, we just finished when the next rain squall hit, driving everyone inside or around the corner for shelter.

 
Undeterred, in fact possibly excited at the prospect, Sean walked down the deck, into the storm, to stand at the front of the ship. After years of travelling and despite the cost of some of the camera equipment he carries with him, he still continues to walk into the worst elements with delight. 

When I have critiqued him for this, he has simply responded by asking, “What is the point of having a camera if you don’t take it where the pictures are going to be? You need to spot the moment and then step into it!”

 

Enrichment Presentation 

By 10 AM, we ducked inside and made our way to the lounge, where we found Rosemarie and Pat Keough just beginning Part 2 of their talk on how to take good photos using a cell phone. It was a very interesting presentation, which blended good advice with entertainment and excellent travel photos from some of their many trips to exotic locations. We learned quite a bit about how to use my cell phone more effectively.

Wavy Morning on Deck

The sun was shining by the time the lecture was finished, so we spent the next few hours slowly circling the deck, looking for any signs of marine life and watching the waves. The sea was filled with whitecaps, and the wind was whipping the foam off each one, creating what I think of as Poseidon’s mane.

 

As the morning progressed and the weather shifted back and forth, we were continually amazed by the way the sea changes colour. Looking towards the light on one side of the ship, the water’s surface appeared a hard, shiny, slate grey, while on the far side it turned a deep, glowing, royal blue. When the sun shone, shafts of light could be seen dancing beneath the waves as they penetrated the depths below. 

Meanwhile, behind us, the ship’s soft wake was a lovely light turquoise with foamy swirls and eddies of white foam. It made us envy scuba divers, who can enjoy a fisheye view of the ocean’s surface from below. We spend quite a few hours simply mesmerized by the cloud shadows moving across the ruffled ocean surface and enjoying the colours.

Jenny the Naturalist

We didn't end up spotting any birds at all, although there were some more flying fish playing in the wake. We also met Jenny, a lovely lady from California who used to work for the US Parks Service as a marine biologist. She shared some amazing stories about living and working in St. John's in the US Virgin Islands, as well as her love of marine wildlife. 

She asked if we had seen any sea turtles in the sargasso (lines of floating seaweed, possibly also called Broad-leafed Gulfweed), and while we hadn't known to look, we will now keep a sharper watch. How cool is that, to travel with a marine biologist! It’s like having a living encyclopedia nearby full of all the topics I am interested in! That and Jenny is a pretty neat person!

After our chat with Jenny, we did a few more circuits of the deck, stopping at the front of the ship to watch the waves breaking over the bow. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t get the hang of predicting when the biggest splashes would be, but there were some truly impressive plumes that exploded over the bow, soaking us even when we stood on the highest deck. The bridge crew had quite a laugh watching us standing in the waves and getting wet. Though it might sound horrid, in reality, it was wondrous.

 

Lunch and the Captain’s Noon Update

Thoroughly soaked and covered in a fine, gritty layer of salt, we returned to Verandah for some lunch. We opted to try a selection of different dishes, including salad, breaded eggplant, and herbed potatoes that tasted like aligot. It was another lovely meal on deck. 

As we ate, the Captain made his noon announcement, informing everyone that we were now 382 miles from St. Maarten, and we were experiencing winds of 32 knots and 3.5m seas. He also mentioned that we have now altered course, heading south to avoid the worst of the storm as it is expected to produce even larger swells in the coming days.

 

After lunch, we made a few more rounds of the deck, again pausing to watch the waves breaking on the bow. Soon, we began to feel a little sunburned and wind-whipped and decided to retreat to the shelter of our cabin. As it turned out, the gentle rocking of the ship soon put us to sleep, and we had another afternoon nap – a thing we never usually do! There really is something very relaxing about being out on the sea, with the warm breezes and gentle rocking motion of the waves.

 

Dinner with The Explorers Club

In the late afternoon, we had showers, got dressed for dinner, and went up to the Compass Rose bar to watch the sun set off the back of the ship. It was rather hot, but there was lovely live piano music being played, and we enjoyed some pleasant conversations with our fellow passengers as well as the crew.

One gentleman on board had heard that we were headed to Spain to hike and told us that, as “young people we needed to keep travelling as often as possible. Stay out there, explore more and things will figure out in due time. It is in realizing our dreams that we become happier and better people.” Sound advice.

Around 7:00 PM, we headed down to the lounge and met Pat and Rosemarie Keough for dinner. Prior to boarding Wind Surf, I had talked with Rosemarie, who nominated me for membership in the renowned Explorer’s Club for our hiking expedition on the 28,000 km Trans Canada Trail and our recent work with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, building a classroom StoryMap of the experience to share the country through photographs and storytelling with youth and Canadians.

Tonight, they shared some truly amazing stories about their lives, how they met, and the journey of risk and reward they embarked on by publishing their photography books, which were designed to be truly unique works of art in every sense. They were very successful in their careers and generous in their advice, but it is difficult to know whether the strategies that got them where they are today would work in the present, where achievement is often met with judgment rather than curiosity and support. In any case, it was a wonderful dinner and we appreciated their taking the time to speak with us.

Trivia and an Evening up on Star Deck

After the meal, we stopped in the lounge to listen to Matt O doing music trivia, which was a surprisingly popular event and also highly entertaining. From there, we headed back up to the Compass Rose, where we sat outside, listening to the live music and enjoying the warm breezes. 

The waves were calmer than they had been so far on the trip, and the stars were shining brightly overhead. Many people were singing and dancing, and it was a very pleasant evening. Towards the end, we met Susan and Michael, a couple from Texas who have been travelling on Windstar ships for the past twelve years. Michael is a divorce lawyer who is getting ready to retire in a month. He reminded us a lot of Tom and Linton, two lawyers we met while walking to Santiago de Compostela on the Camino Primitivo in Spain. It was a lovely evening full of conversations that left us with lots to think about.

With each passing day, the Atlantic seemed a little less intimidating and more like an old friend that we had not visited in some time. Tomorrow would bring yet another chapter, written in salt spray and starlight.

Read about Day 4 of our Transatlantic Crossing on Wind Surf →