FRIDAY 3rd of June 2022  12.00 Ships time = Gmt.

In the DOLDRUMS, 8 days Out from Ascension
05-29N : 026-46W    COG = Variable trying to get North
Wind Variable- from South to NE 0 to 4 Bfrt,
Tropical showers sometimes with thunder.

Yesterday afternoon the God of the Sea visited our decks with his whole shebang, which is always a guarantee for a colourful  and smelly performance.
But all the Pollywogs confessed their sins and showed repent to his majesties court.
So punishments went fast and justful as usual.
As you know we are talking here about a closed and highlyconfidential session of the court, so I say no more.

The final result was that all of them including the shipsdog received a beautiful and highly validated certificate with their new Sea names,which is the proof that they are now officially Shelback’s and should be treated with respect by all greenhands, pollywogs and landlubbers.
I can give you one little clue, Boreas his Sea-name = Commerson’s dolphin and if you look up this species you will know why.
After this ceremony we ran straight into the Doldrums so the showers really helped to cleanse the decks of all the Pollywog remnants.

This morning with little variable winds we found ourself in the midst of large trails of Sargassum weed. The last 10 years this free floating and multiplying weed is flourishing enormously and scientist think they know a few reasons but there is not one that all of them agree on.
The famous sentence, “more study is necessary “ is found all around.  

In these trails made by the North Equatorial Counter Current we noticed a lot of small plastic parts it looks that they are caught by the weed and stay hooked in. 
Also little fish larvae and small turtles are using the Sargassum weed to hide from there predators.
The negative side you will find on the beaches in the Caribbean and Florida.
A lot  of the weed is ending their lives on the beaches with layers of 1 meter thick.
The smell is sick making.

In the meantime this special Equatorial Counter Current is pushing us generously to windward.

Done  24 hrs 90M  = 3,8 kts Average
Done 193 hrs 1.164,5M = 6,0 kts  Average,

Alles Wel
Klaas