s/v Sila: Photos: The Long Passage from South Georgia to the Cape Verdes

We just completed our longest passage to date: 4,911 miles from South Georgia to the Cape Verdes. We sailed 39 days and 6 hours and took an additional 45 hours on anchor at Ascension Island. Here are some photos from the trip.

February 23, 6 am and we are underway. Christopher enjoying a cup of coffee as we motor out of Cumberland Bay and make our way north.

The combination of rising sun, ice, glaciers, and snow capped mountains made for a beautiful view.

Adam on the bow, helping to choose our way through the ice

Christopher at the helm

Adam, back in the cockpit enjoying the view

Photo bomber...

One of the last times we were able to see the peaks of South Georgia behind us

This photo does not do justice to the size of this albatross. For the first week of the passage, we had many types of albatross, a variety of petrels, and a few terns circling the boat. After so many months with these avian escorts, we really missed them as we got farther north and spent days at sea without a bird in sight.

We managed to get out of the "Furious 50s" (The latitudes between 50 and 59 degrees) without too much trouble but the "Roaring 40s" delivered two gales. We were lucky that these storms were relatively short lived and took place almost entirely in daylight hours. This is the view through the doghouse glass.

Christopher on watch in the Roaring 40s.

Unfortunately, this photo does not show the building seas behind Molly. About an hour after this photo was taken, we had a few "exciting" hours of breaking seas- the biggest seas we have yet seen.

Christopher, in 40+ knots of wind, adjusts the outhaul for the 4th reef.

We were relieved and happy to get out of the roaring 40s and into the 30s without breaking ourselves or anything on the boat!

A happy Christopher enjoying the sunset in the 30s

February 28- warm enough and calm enough to have math class in the cockpit

The last dandelion leaf salad from South Georgia was the Rabbit's birthday lunch on March 2nd

The birthday boy's dessert of choice? Flourless Chocolate cake, served with real whipped cream.

Adam joined the Barnes family in his appreciation for Harry Potter by reading all 7 books while on passage so this (without the photo bomber) was a common sight.

The Rabbit working hard to trim the genoa...

...as we sailed through a small squall during his watch.

Porter took advantage of the rain to shower.

The first fish of the passage, a mahi mahi.

Adam's first mid-ocean swim in over 4000 meters of water.

Adam's family is famous for their "BBB's" or Black Bean Burritos. Adam's mom even keeps track of all the great places where they have been made. She noted, and we agree, that making BBB's in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean adds a lot of pizazz to the list. And I can tell you, they were delicious!

Porter notes the odometer as it clicks to 20,000 miles. That is how far we have come since we first moved on board at the end of June 2013.

Jack practicing with the sextant during the day

Porter taking a turn (you can read more about it on Porter's post from March 15: A Celestial Hobby).

A calm day of motoring- what better time for a haircut on the poop deck?

Adam enjoying the sunset

Porter as we approach Ascension Island

The wahoo that Porter caught.

Although it was not especially big for a wahoo, it was all we could eat anyway.

Check out those teeth!

As soon as the fish was filleted, we had a little wahoo sashimi, which was excellent, and later we enjoyed the fish pan fried with butter and lemon, served over rice. There really is nothing like fish that goes from hook to plate in under 30 minutes.