Another day at sea, another day (relatively) uneventful. The weather and waves haven't changed much, although I should clarify – it's not so much "warmer" as it is "less cold." Baby steps, right? We've only caught occasional glimpses of blue sky, which is not what I expected in the northern hemisphere in June. One silver lining (or perhaps, a lack of silver altogether) to the cooler weather is the absence of flying fish. Let me tell you, being smacked in the face by a rogue fish at 2 am while on watch is an experience I'd rather not repeat. So, while sunshine would be nice, I'll take the chill over surprise airborne fish any day.
Another surprise has been the amount of shipping traffic. We weren't expecting this much activity out here in the Atlantic. Our AIS is buzzing, sometimes picking up as many as 7 ships within a 10-nautical-mile radius. That translates to potentially hundreds of vessels in our vicinity, which is a bit of an eye-opener.
We thought these might be ships rerouted from the Red Sea, seeking refuge from errant missiles or drone attacks in the Red Sea. Whatever the reason, it's a stark reminder of the global nature of maritime traffic, and how events in one part of the world can ripple outwards.
On a lighter note, all this shipping activity does make you wonder about the cargo these vessels carry. Sometimes it feels like the world runs on a constant stream of "stuff" – things we might not necessarily need, but things that keep the wheels of commerce turning. Maybe that's a philosophical rabbit hole for another day.
For now, we'll keep enjoying our (slightly less chilly) Atlantic adventure, dodging virtual traffic jams on our AIS, and pondering the ever-turning gears of the global economy. Until tomorrow, fair winds and following seas (and hopefully a little less "stuff" on the horizon)!
