LACHLAN
The wind on the right side of our faces died as we entered another dusk on Rose Emily. The sun plummets below the horizon to our backs. Within half an hour, light is lost and we are into another night shift.
A thin coating of cloud has been making the nights particularly dark. The silhouettes of waves can only just be made out, like marching soldiers on their way to some far away battle.
We were in for a treat on the night shift of 15/04. Explosions of bioluminescence erupted from each oar stroke, coating the oars like a lightsaber. I’ve never seen anything like it. My mind turned to the vast creatures that might be below. Do they look up and see the small explosions from our oar strokes? After an hour of darkness, a distant glow began to form on the horizon off our stern. The moon was joining the night shift. I’ve never felt more fond of the moon than in the middle of an ocean.
The 16th opened with a 0700 TV interview with the BBC. Interviews at sea are a new thing — thanks to Mr Musk’s Starlink. In many ways, they’re easier. The usual anxiety of coming across a certain way is put into perspective by our beautiful and hostile environment.
We spoke with another ocean rowing boat, Team Seas The Day, two amazing girls, Mims and Jess, that we got to know well in La Punta, Peru. They are also embarking on the same crossing to Australia, departing from the same yacht club. Yacht Club Peruano (by total coincidence). 30 nautical miles North of us, they are on para anchor waiting for a rescue boat to tow them back to shore after a snapped rudder. We offered to redirect our course to offer help, but it’s beyond our modest tool kit — they need a new rudder.
Two bird sightings: one looked very much like a gannet. The other is a small brown bird. It has a light brown body, the wings are darker on the tips, and a small tail similar to an arctic tern. Maybe the Captain’s Catch could help us identify?
Song of the day (well, actually, song of the night shift): The River At Night, Beluga Lagoon (currently top artist pick).