Palm Pleasure 2

Our video:

Monday, May 11

We’ve now been at sea for five days. The whole crew has, more or less quickly, shifted from the rhythm of life ashore to that of the ocean. For me, the first two days were a bit difficult; I put on the Scopoderm patch for seasickness a little too late, and it took me nearly 48 hours to get my motion sickness under control. But eventually, the body adapts. And then there’s that little magical ritual that changes everything: my morning coffee, one-on-one with the Atlantic Ocean.

Life on board revolves around simple things: lunches, dinners, night watches to keep a constant eye on the catamaran. Every now and then, when the sea is calm and the timing is right, we also take showers from the aft platforms.

One lunchtime, while we were eating, dolphins appeared alongside Punch. There must have been around ten of them, and they stayed with us for quite a while, playing in the bow wave and between the hulls. Everyone left their plates to share that magical moment with them. Moments like these break through the routine on board and remind us just how alive the ocean can be.

Fishing is also starting to become part of our daily routine, whether successful or not. We caught our first two mahi-mahi - small ones, but deeply satisfying after days of watching the lines trail behind the two hulls. And then there are the disappointments too: six fish lost, and several lines cleanly snapped.

The weather is becoming warmer and more pleasant. The days are now very sunny, with the occasional passing cloud, and when the wind drops, the engines take over to maintain a steady speed of around 7 to 8 knots.