Beaufort To Bermuda | Day 1

May 4

It’s been quite a delightful first day! We departed Beaufort, NC, around 5 pm yesterday. I always get nervous when we start out, but once the sails are set and we're on course, we settle right in.

After a quick dinner, we began the first of our night watches. With just the two of us aboard, we rotate our watches in 3-hour shifts. Here is how we break ours down:

6 am–9 am — Ken

9 am–12 pm — Chrystie

12 pm–3 pm — Ken

3 pm–6 pm — Chrystie

6 pm–9 pm — Ken

9 pm–12 am — Chrystie

12 am–3 am — Ken

3 am–6 am — Chrystie

At night, whoever is not on watch goes below to sleep. I usually spend my watches listening to podcasts or music, or just staring out into the vast black nothingness surrounding us. I avoid reading or watching anything during night watches so I can keep my eyes free to spot anything concerning.

Last night, around 10:15 pm, while on my first watch of the evening, I experienced something for the first time. Everything was dark when a faint glow appeared on the horizon. I am always watching for other ships, so I kept my eyes fixed on it. Slowly, it grew brighter and spread wider, until I realized I was watching the moon rise — a brilliant orange, like a sunset over the water but in reverse. I tried to capture a few photos, but they do not do it justice.

The wind died around midnight, so we had to motorsail for a while. Thankfully, it filled back in a little earlier than expected, and the engine was back off by 6 am. So far, we have been sailing upwind between 30 and 60 degrees. Sometimes this can make for a spicy, uncomfortable sail, as the bow of your boat bashes into the waves. But the seas have been relatively settled, so it has been nice thus far. We have been averaging between 6 and 7 knots, with bursts over 8. Overall, it's been a great first day.

All is well.

Day One Stats
Nautical Miles Sailed In The Last 24 Hours 155nm

Average Boat Speed 6.4 kts

Max Boat Speed 8.8kts

GPS Coordinates as of 5 pm 34 19.010N 73 46.668W