At Sea, South Atlantic Ocean
Another day at sea, our second from St. Helena and last before arrival to Ascension Island. Our bearing is 314o and we are very far from any major continent. Africa is about 900 nautical miles (nm) away and South America is even farther. Yes, some could maybe wonder what do you do for many days at sea? Actually, we onboard do not really find this a problem. The days run by too fast!
Today was really the first very hot day! The temperature in the early afternoon peaked at about 34oC (94oF) and visits to our pool onboard became a frequent event! In the afternoon, the galley had prepared and served nice ice-cream with an option of milk shakes by the pool. How can anyone resist this offer? Welcome to the real tropics!
During the day, we also were able to squeeze in three different lectures to distract from the leisurely outdoor activities. David Cothran talked about marine biogeography, and Richard White and Tom Ritchie prepared us for the next stop with information about the fauna and flora at Ascension. One endemic sea bird is on our list today, the Ascension frigatebird! We look forward to seeing green sea turtles tomorrow evening coming ashore for egg-laying! More delights lay ahead!
We are now in the Southeast Trade winds and are following much the same lane used by the famous East India sailing ships. The trade between Europe and China was huge for almost 150 years. Several European countries established East India trading companies during 17th century. St. Helena was one of the most important stopovers to re-supply their ships on the way back to Europe. Luckily, we are not depending on the sails! Our ship conveniently powered by two MAK MA 582 AK (2x1600 BHP) 4-stroke, single acting engines. Actually, the engine specifics are: 8 cylinders, 580 mm stroke, 385 diameter, 300 rpm. These engines, together, consume about 9 metric tons of fuel every 24 hours.
If it was hot on deck today, it was even hotter in the engine room! Our second engineer Randolf Ibayon is on duty to ensure that all cylinders are operating smoothly, but could also report that temperature in the engine room reaches 47oC (117oF)!
These engines have been running more or less constantly, since March 3 as we cast the lines near the southern tip of South America at Punta Arenas, and have now carried us 4890 nm. Our position is tonight S09.44/W12.33, right after a beautiful deck dinner arranged on the pool deck by our excellent galley crew. Still we have about 2300 nm and many more busy days at sea until we reach Las Palmas! Of course, tomorrow will be a big day at Ascension Island.
Another day at sea, our second from St. Helena and last before arrival to Ascension Island. Our bearing is 314o and we are very far from any major continent. Africa is about 900 nautical miles (nm) away and South America is even farther. Yes, some could maybe wonder what do you do for many days at sea? Actually, we onboard do not really find this a problem. The days run by too fast!
Today was really the first very hot day! The temperature in the early afternoon peaked at about 34oC (94oF) and visits to our pool onboard became a frequent event! In the afternoon, the galley had prepared and served nice ice-cream with an option of milk shakes by the pool. How can anyone resist this offer? Welcome to the real tropics!
During the day, we also were able to squeeze in three different lectures to distract from the leisurely outdoor activities. David Cothran talked about marine biogeography, and Richard White and Tom Ritchie prepared us for the next stop with information about the fauna and flora at Ascension. One endemic sea bird is on our list today, the Ascension frigatebird! We look forward to seeing green sea turtles tomorrow evening coming ashore for egg-laying! More delights lay ahead!
We are now in the Southeast Trade winds and are following much the same lane used by the famous East India sailing ships. The trade between Europe and China was huge for almost 150 years. Several European countries established East India trading companies during 17th century. St. Helena was one of the most important stopovers to re-supply their ships on the way back to Europe. Luckily, we are not depending on the sails! Our ship conveniently powered by two MAK MA 582 AK (2x1600 BHP) 4-stroke, single acting engines. Actually, the engine specifics are: 8 cylinders, 580 mm stroke, 385 diameter, 300 rpm. These engines, together, consume about 9 metric tons of fuel every 24 hours.
If it was hot on deck today, it was even hotter in the engine room! Our second engineer Randolf Ibayon is on duty to ensure that all cylinders are operating smoothly, but could also report that temperature in the engine room reaches 47oC (117oF)!
These engines have been running more or less constantly, since March 3 as we cast the lines near the southern tip of South America at Punta Arenas, and have now carried us 4890 nm. Our position is tonight S09.44/W12.33, right after a beautiful deck dinner arranged on the pool deck by our excellent galley crew. Still we have about 2300 nm and many more busy days at sea until we reach Las Palmas! Of course, tomorrow will be a big day at Ascension Island.
