“The first 36 hours’ sailing from the island of Contadora in the Perlas Islands were in variable winds; the Atlantic crossing was a long time ago, with its stable, continuous trade winds. Nadine was able to observe a couple of whales, hardly 200 meters from the boat; lots of dolphins came to race Bonobo’s bows, and amaze us with their acrobatics. We were happy to be two-up for this big adventure, but it wasn’t exactly restful, a four hour watch at night is long, an additional crew member would have allowed us to sleep for 6 hours and be on watch for just 3. But it is above all the sail-handling maneuvers which pose a problem, the other person has to be woken, and 95% of the physical work falls on the captain’s shoulders! It was above all at these moments that an additional pair of hands would have been welcome.
One night, we saw the Southern Cross for the first time, the sky bid us welcome – a magical and remarkable moment! The days passed, we would be crossing the mythical Line during the night; we would finally be able to see if water spins in the opposite direction in the sink and the toilet bowl and if we walk on our heads; we should therefore be able fish for birds, cool the wine in the attic, keep the ice in the oven, roast the chicken in the fridge, sail in the clouds, swap port for starboard, watch the rain rising up into the sky, eat with our feet... But what happens then on the other side?”
Nadine and Marc aboard Bonobo
