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Southward Bound

Well, we've finally made that long-awaited turn south! No more heading towards New York for us – smooth sailing (literally) towards the Canaries. Dry feet are definitely back on the agenda, much to the relief of our increasingly damp socks.

The northerly wind is picking up just as predicted, clocking in at 15-20 knots. While it pushes us nicely in the right direction, the good kind of push also comes with the not-so-good kind of chill. Yesterday, a realization dawned on us – the engines need a 200-hour service as part of the warranty, and they only had about 25 hours on them at the time.

So, here we are, juggling a bit of engine time with sail power. We're alternating between running one engine at a time for 6 hours while using just the headsail. This should get us closer to that magic 200-hour mark. Not the most exciting solution, but hey, preventative maintenance is key, right?

Speaking of excitement, yesterday did bring a brush with a navy patrol boat. Thankfully, we didn't seem to raise any red flags – they just cruised on by. Our wildlife sightings, however, have been a bit more…mammal-heavy (thankfully, not the orca variety!). Just one lone bird yesterday broke the streak of dolphins.

Maybe tomorrow will bring some more diverse encounters? Or maybe just some sunshine to dry out these perpetually damp socks. Here's to uneventful progress and (fingers crossed) a slightly warmer forecast!

One thing that's been messing with my sleep rhythm is the extended daylight. I spent too long in the tropics where the sun sets at 5:45 pm and it's pitch black by 6 pm. Here, with full darkness barely coming before 10 pm and a distant glow lingering towards midnight, my body is a little confused. Maybe a good night's sleep (whenever that comes) will sort things out!

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