At sea, en route to Cape Verde
We move steadily north today. The ship’s engines drone on tirelessly throughout the passing hours. We can relax and enjoy our time between Ascension Island and Cape Verde because of its mechanized stamina. Modern vessels and their crews no longer dread this part of the ocean, the doldrums.
In a time not too long ago, when the seas were traversed only under the power of sail, a crew might languish here for weeks before mustering enough sail and directional winds to continue their journeys. They’d suffer from boredom and worry as the hours dragged on to days and then to weeks. If they were lucky, the hot, muggy conditions would be broken almost daily by rain storms that would offer a brief respite from the heat but do nothing to hurry ships and their crew on their way.
This band of low pressure circles the globe in an undulating pattern within the equatorial latitudes, its movement giving rise to the majority of the earth’s cyclones when conditions are just right. Its path also defines the wet and dry seasons of equatorial lands. We could see and feel the clouds’ heavy burden throughout the day as they slowly drifted east leaving intermittent showers on our deck in their wake.
None of this really bothers us, however. Whereas sailors of a century ago would have lamented the lack of wind and the random motion of the sea, we could simply appreciate the welcome showers for their cooling effect upon our tiny ship. After days under the blazing sun, the rains of the low-pressure cells here are a comfort and a reminder of our continuing progress. The doldrums no longer strike a pall of gloom over this ship at least, for we remain on course and Atlantic Ocean slides past the hull at a steady speed.
We move steadily north today. The ship’s engines drone on tirelessly throughout the passing hours. We can relax and enjoy our time between Ascension Island and Cape Verde because of its mechanized stamina. Modern vessels and their crews no longer dread this part of the ocean, the doldrums.
In a time not too long ago, when the seas were traversed only under the power of sail, a crew might languish here for weeks before mustering enough sail and directional winds to continue their journeys. They’d suffer from boredom and worry as the hours dragged on to days and then to weeks. If they were lucky, the hot, muggy conditions would be broken almost daily by rain storms that would offer a brief respite from the heat but do nothing to hurry ships and their crew on their way.
This band of low pressure circles the globe in an undulating pattern within the equatorial latitudes, its movement giving rise to the majority of the earth’s cyclones when conditions are just right. Its path also defines the wet and dry seasons of equatorial lands. We could see and feel the clouds’ heavy burden throughout the day as they slowly drifted east leaving intermittent showers on our deck in their wake.
None of this really bothers us, however. Whereas sailors of a century ago would have lamented the lack of wind and the random motion of the sea, we could simply appreciate the welcome showers for their cooling effect upon our tiny ship. After days under the blazing sun, the rains of the low-pressure cells here are a comfort and a reminder of our continuing progress. The doldrums no longer strike a pall of gloom over this ship at least, for we remain on course and Atlantic Ocean slides past the hull at a steady speed.
