Laughter and joy in the cockpit! Selfies on the bow! Youngsters will be posting pics soon! All this because we finally had a break in the weather. Winds have moderated to 26 knots, seas have subsided, massively, and by comparison we feel like we are in Nantucket Sound. FINALLY some favorable current. Now doing a very comfortable 10 knots speed over ground. Still double reef in the main. Last night was work. Every good port is earned, and we did some earning. Winds stayed in the high 20s and low thirties until about noon, with highest observed wind speed at 37.7 knots. Squalls passed late night and morning, rain and distant lightning. We all felt safe and secure, but the hand steering is a workout and the auto pilot just cannot steer through the high seas. We are so delighted to have slightly settled conditions, if only for a while.
We pulled 6 casseroles out of the Yeti cooler and packed them in the ship’s freezer, having made room. Last night we had Jackie’s wonderful Kale, Chicken and couscous. Lunch today was turkey and avocado sandwiches. Matt is at the helm, singing “hooked on a feeling”. Liz gave our very first Ted talk, on the origin of the earth and it’s crust. Well prepared and well delivered. Happy Sunday to all, keep the comments coming!
MJ
St. Martin -> Newport 
Ted talks!! Love that, what a fantastic idea!! Glad to hear things are calming down at sea.
We were high above the sea this morning, flying to San Diego, future home of MJ and Jackie. Happy to be back in this beautiful city!!
These blog posts are wonderful, reading them is a treat each day. I check my email frequently until I see the newest one. Continued safe travels!!
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How wonderful the weather cleared. I will be humming now that old BJ Thomas song all afternoon, thinking with a smile of Matt singing at full volume. During church today, all eight of you were prayed for by name, which did me a world of good! xoxo
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Forgot to ask, what was the temp in the yeti when you moved the casseroles?
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37 degrees, but they are still frozen
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Don’t know if you have any good music aboard, but heard this song today, and thought of you all and the freedom you all must be feeling! This song goes out to you all! Enjoy! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw9gLjEGJrw
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Absolutely Love these posts! Thanks so much for your efforts in keeping them coming! … sounds like the wind has been a bit much … and you’ve all been handling things impressively! Glad the wind eased …hope you’re able to rest up a bit! Continued safe travels … thinking of you all with much care and love! Xo
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Love the music components being shared, both on and off shore! xo
Music fills the soul, as much as wind fills the sails! … will look forward to when there may be some dancing on the boat. 🙂
xo
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Sounds like you’re on a cruise ship. Musical performances, TED talks, gourmet cuisine. OK, there may be a few differences… Glad the weather is cooperating again.
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Friend of Cam’s parents here and am eagerly following this voyage! Love the photos, especially the cruising one with the deck dipping down to the gorgeous blue water, under the shade of the sail (feels like I’m there!). Glad you are having such great weather though it sounds a bit puffy for me. 😲 Oh, and I love the sly reference to the song that (I assume) inspired the boat’s name!
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^^^Andrea 😉
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You will certainly appreciate this. I wanted to name the boat Into the Mystic, after my favorite sailing song. But my family is a democracy of sorts and wanted a name that reminded us of our first Swan, Blue Moon. So what album did Into the Mystic come out on? Moondance, by Van Morrison.
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Ted Talk by Liz on “Earth’s Origin?” So for those sharing a most amazing experience together, Let me tell you about Liz’s love for the earth. This is, of course, at the risk of her rolling eyes and apologizing for her embarrassing mom. It began with a teacher in grade 3, age 8, that struck up her curiosity about Plate tectonics. Mrs Gilrein is following this journey. So Liz had to watch every Discovery Channel coverage of earth science from then on, covering her head when tsunamis happened, as she fully understood the threat for coastal communities, especially Cape Cod. She said then that she wanted to see the “Atlantic Ridge.” Well thanks to the Moondance 2015 transatlantic journey she will do that, from the surface (Phew). And apparently, the Moondance 2015 crew is learning about the earth. What an amazing crew! Love the posts and hearing from all!
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I’m curious, what is everyone’s favorite moment so far?
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Did Liz tell you she talked us out of naming our new sailboat Moondancer? Also was to be in referrnce to the catchy and favorite Van Morrison tune. Well considering this lifetime adventure I now know why she wanted us to think up something else. There is only one Moondance for her! So we will Christen on Friday. “At Last” can you name the artist?
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What an adventure! Love reading about your voyage and being able to look at your awesome photos. Thank you for sharing!
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Looks like an Amazing day!! 😎
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