Wind Surf Day 9 – It’s the Journey, not the Destination

 "Going slow allows the world to unfold in its own time."

Wind Surf Transatlantic Sailing Day 9


After more than a week at sea, the voyage had eased into something deeper, a meditative rhythm that made each day feel both timeless and precious. The journey was no longer merely a crossing; it seemed to be showing us a way of being.


Morning Photography


Sean's day began, as usual, out on deck photographing the stunning sunrise, well before I had an interest in leaving bed. While he was up there, the Captain came out for a chat and warned him to make sure everything was well secured later this afternoon and evening, as they are anticipating that we will be sailing into stormier seas. 


My day began slightly later, with a lovely breakfast on deck outside Veranda. The sky was clear blue, the seas were calm, and once again, the sails were unfurled. Today was exciting, because unlike yesterday, the sails were angled to catch the wind, and they were actually being used to give us extra speed. We were still sailing!



As we walked around the decks after breakfast, we took a look at some of the work being done on the ship. Since we came aboard, there has been constant maintenance, with crew washing, removing rust and painting, sanding, and doing many other jobs we don't fully understand. Today, we watched as the crew began to replace some of the wooden teak panels of the deck. It looks like once water gets through the rubberized seals and collects underneath the panels, it stays and begins to rot the wood. Replacement looked quite labour-intensive, but was a fascinating process to watch.

Enrichment Talk


At 9:15 AM, we went downstairs to Pat and Rosemarie Keough’s enrichment talk on travel photography. Today's topic was Light and Shadows, and as usual, it was a very interesting presentation. For one thing, despite years of photographing and documenting trails, we learned that the word photography comes from the words 'photo' and 'graphy', which literally translates as 'drawing with light.' We also enjoyed seeing Pat and Rosemarie's photographs, and they did a great job of explaining complex concepts in a wonderfully accessible, simple way.


After the presentation, we went up to sit at the back of the ship outside Compass Rose to work out the specific details of how to proceed after we disembark.
 

Altering Plans, Changing Reservations


Thankfully, the crew of Wind Surf have given us access to free WiFi for 24 hours, which enables us to alter our original plans and reservations in Lisbon and on the Camino Norte. This was a project which is not particularly challenging, but which did require the ability to communicate to alter train tickets, cancel accommodations and shift the date of our return trip.


While everyone on board has been offered a range of possibilities from being taken on a bus to Lisbon or Faro, or Malaga, we have opted to stay in Cadiz. Rather than taking a bus from Lisbon back to Seville to start the Via de la Plata in a week, we spent today investigating a lesser-known Camino pilgrimage route, the Via Augusta. This means that we would walk from Cadiz to Seville and from Seville to Santiago de Compostela over an estimated 45 days.


 Given that Cadiz is where the ship will drop us off, it seems to make the most sense simply to start from there. It also seems to be what the world is telling us to do, and sometimes things work out better when we just go with the flow.
 

Captain’s Noon Update


The Captain's noon announcement informed us that we had travelled 305 miles since yesterday, and we have approximately 800 miles to go before reaching Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. The closest land to us is Cape Verde, and the ocean floor beneath us is at a depth of 5.5 thousand meters. 


The weather is, at the moment, calm with temperatures of 72 F or 22 C on deck. Given these conditions, Wind Surf has her sails up and running at a speed of 13.7 knots, hoping to take advantage of the strong winds and swells from the southwest. Concluding by adding that he and the bridge crew hoped that we were having a good day on board and enjoyed the afternoon weather.


Afternoon Relaxation on Wind Surf


For Lunch, we joined friends at Veranda and had a small salad and noodles. 


In addition to which, we enjoyed a small glass of fruit juice (and a cookie or three), which we snacked on while walking the promenade deck. Today, we are apparently in the midst of a marine protected area, and so we hoped to see marine life. Ultimately, though spotting a couple of whale spouts on the distant horizon, our biggest sighting was of several Cory’s Shearwater as they skimmed and played along the tops of the waves.


Regardless, the afternoon was glorious. The sails were out, the skies were blue, and the ocean was still calm. With only the skies, seas and time, it feels as though sailing allows you to step into a rhythm dictated by the wind and natural currents of the world rather than living at the best of a clock.


Time at sea can feel as though each moment is slowed down and everything can be observed in detail with intention. It is an almost meditative way of travelling that we are both enjoying.

Random Trivia with Matt O


Unfortunately, we could not spend all day outside and on deck. The need to continue altering our hiking plans meant that some time online was again necessary. Needless to say, it did not take long to become mentally exhausted with changing so many reservations – and being hit with far too many processing and cancellation fees, we took the latter part of the afternoon to disconnect and simply enjoy several rounds of Trivia with Matt O.

While this might not sound exciting, it was precisely what we needed – Matt’s humour and optimism reminded us of how much was wonderful in the moment. He is a true gem on board Wind Surf.

After the first trivia session and cozy in our lounge seats, we stayed to watch the engaging fruit carving demonstration. Next, we enjoyed an hour of stretching our legs while walking the deck. By then, it was 4:30 PM, and we returned to the lounge to play Majority Rules Trivia with what seemed like most of the passengers and again led by Matt O.


After which we took another stroll on deck and enjoyed a glass of wine at Compass Rose overlooking the aft of the ship before returning to our room to change and get ready for dinner.

Dinner in Amphora


Refreshed for the evening, we were immediately seated in Amphora, the forward interior dining room on board Wind Surf at 7 PM.  As we crossed the main lounge, we were quickly entranced by the piano playing, which has been amazing throughout the entire voyage, and so took an extra half an hour to enjoy the music before eating.  


Instead of joining others this evening, we were given a table for two and were fortunate to even get a window seat so that we could enjoy the sunset outside. 


Tonight we were served by the wonderful Lissette, whom we chat with each morning at the Yacht Club. As always, the service was terrific and the staff who we have come to know stepped over to quickly chat, tell a joke and generally make the evening terrific. Amid all of this, the Captain stopped by our table, as did several passengers we now regularly talk with and know on board.


For dinner, we went with the vegetarian selections and, not feeling overly hungry, opted for smaller portions. We started with a Market Salad, which included sliced avocado and a wonderful dill lemon dressing.


For our main course, we had a small serving of Shiitake Mushroom-Cheese Fritters.


For dessert, I tried a Caramelized Pineapple Tarte Tatin with ice cream.

As usual, everything was terrific!

Evening in Compass Rose


With our evening meal done, we strolled the deck under the stars and once again enjoyed the cool breeze off the Atlantic that swept over the waters.


Night closed in around us and Wind Surf softly, wrapping the ship in darkness and stars. Tomorrow promised not only another day of sailing but also the awareness that land, though unseen, was drawing nearer.


Read about Day 10 at Sea on Wind Surf →

Location: Cabo Verde

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