Date: Nov 9th 2025
Time: 0800
Latitude: 37° 59.7 24N
Longitude: 10° 14.9 20W
Average speed last 24h: 6.1 kts
Total distance this voyage: 148 nm
Total distance to destination: 298 nm
Temperature: 16.5° C
Sea state: Wave 0 Swell 3
Wind: 3 kts
Sailing status: under engine
Log Keeper: Sydnie
Hello friends and family,
Our Atlantic adventure continues! We’ve just passed Lisbon and are now making our way toward Morocco. Sailing conditions weren’t in our favor today (no wind!), so we’ve been motoring along instead. What we have had is lots of sun, and everyone is happy to be shedding a layer or two and getting their tan action on! For the first time, I even heard a watch leader remind floaties to put sunscreen on before heading up the rigging, a sure sign that we’ve finally reached warmer days. Our once seasick folk are also bouncing back and regaining colour in their cheeks. With nearly everyone feeling better today, this has been a record recovery compared to our last two voyages. It seems they’ve truly earned their sea legs (or perhaps sea stomachs).
As for the swell, it’s been big, and has been rolling us all day; the kind of rhythm that makes you time the opening and closing of heavy doors just right to catch the heel. The waves have also brought us more dolphin visits! They’ve been dancing near the bow, leaping as if celebrating alongside us. Some floaties ventured out to the bowsprit at sunset and watched them up close, proof that magic still happens, even when the sails are down. With swell this big, packing sails on the Gross Unter Mars adds a certain thrill (low-key terrifying, if I’m honest), but I’m continually impressed by your incredible teenagers that are fearlessly up there with me. Their courage, teamwork, and growing confidence amaze me every single day.
If I could share what my eyes see in a day, it would be a tapestry of courage and compassion. I wish you could see it for yourself. I think you’d all be brought to tears. I see bravery in floaties climbing confidently to new heights, and in others who keep pushing themselves until they finally conquer their fear (today was a milestone rigging day for Matthew, for example). I see compassion in the quiet care offered to seasick companions, the water runs, the bread rounds, the gentle back rubs as someone leans over a bucket. I see accountability in the soft apologies for being late to watch, and in the growing understanding of how each action shapes the community around them. I see kindness in small but meaningful moments, a shared piece of chocolate in class or a handwritten poem at Colours. I see resilience in the tired faces who rise for the 0–2 or 2–4 shifts under a sky of stars, or for a backschaft shift at 6 am. I see curiosity as floaties interact with the newest German crew, or actively choose to talk to those onboard they might know a little less. And above all, I see love, the deep, steady kind that grows between people who live, work, and laugh together through the hard stuff. It’s all pretty precious and I’m being careful to savour it every day.
The ship is still rolling tonight, so none of us are expecting much uninterrupted sleep. But that’s part of the rhythm of life out here, unpredictable, humbling, and endlessly beautiful. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
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