We’re more than a week into the crossing now, and the crew has settled into the normal rhythm of a passage.
There are a total of six people onboard, so the trip started with three watch teams – the owner Alejandro and his friend Francisco, the captain Gaspar together with the crew Nacha, and the two Americans (that’s us!). The 4 hour on/8 hour off rotation seemed like a real luxury to those who normally sail with a crew of just two.
After the first few days, everyone started to feel a little more comfortable (and a little less intimidated by the absolutely ginormous sails) with handling the boat. So each person has now started to stand a solo watch. That means one 2 hour watch twice a day, which also means a 10 hour break between shifts.
Just like when we’re aboard Madrone, much of the off-watch time is filled. Each watch team is responsible for cooking lunch and dinner on 2 days a week – culinary standards are high onboard, so the cooking fills most of those two days. On non-cooking days, the assignment is either interior or exterior cleaning. There is always plenty of both to keep up with, and NDS is generally kept in spotless condition.
And of course there’s the sailing. Reefing the huge mainsail can be handled by a pair of experienced sailors, but typically at least 4 folks join in to help with the various lines. And setting the even larger asymmetrical spinnaker requires a lot of attention. Once the correct sails are set, though, the sailing is a push-button affair. All winches are hydraulically powered, so adjusting a sheet is as simple as pressing the right button.
Life is good onboard, and we’re looking forward to a couple more weeks of the passage. And while we’re definitely enjoying being aboard such a fantastic boat, the real luxury is the time we get to spend at sea.
