Daytime aboard is definitely not boring. If anything, it’s quite relaxing and for filling. During the day, we don’t have a specific watch schedule and instead opt for a free flowing process where one person, and usually more, is always on deck. Sailing-wise, if the wind is up it’s usually coming from a predictable direction so we set Our Dreamtime’s sails, trim accordingly and let the autopilot do the driving for us.
While sailing (or motoring when there’s no wind), typical activities include navigation, route planning, filming, photography, fishing, reading, researching, editing, listening to music, watching dolphins play on the bow, and taking in beautiful sunrises and sunsets.
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| Reading is a great pastime |
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| Rob trims the sails |
There are always boat chores to be done, some of these can be achieved underway. Lots of things need to be done in the galley and these range from, baking bread and making yogurt everything we have onboard is normally made from scratch so if we want a biscuit with our morning tea cuppa, yep you got it, it needs to be made first. However in saying that we have found some Indonesian treats that are very yummy.
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| Editing the next YouTube episode |
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| Baking bread |
While on night watch, Karen and I love reveling in amazing star shows and watching glowing phosphorescence glide by in Our Dreamtime’s wake, but we also pass the time by listening to podcasts and music. Besides trimming sails and keeping the boat moving in the right direction, the key duty of the on-watch crew is keeping a lookout for lights nearby or on the horizon, paying attention to the AIS system and watching the radar for unidentifiable objects that we can’t see in the dark.
A night watch can quickly go from serene to intense when the wind and seas kick up unexpectedly or when spotting and tracking fishing vessels of various sizes or commercial shipping traffic. Along with those obstacles, we might also encounter other sailboats and if we are near shore, lighted buoys and lights on land need to be properly identified. Our Dreamtime is equipped with AIS (Automatic Identification System) and radar, so we are able to track, avoid and be in contact with some of the vessels that we may encounter, but not all of them.
Along the coasts of Indonesia, we frequently come across small open fishing boats that have no electronics except for a single light. These are the most concerning because they can be hard to spot and track, they are normally made of timber which doesn’t show on radar and their course isn’t as consistent as commercial vessels.
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| Ham, egg and cheese toasted tortilla cups |
But it’s not all about sailing. Over the years and many miles, Karen has become incredibly proficient at getting the boat provisioned and we are never lacking in food for meals and snacks. Mealtimes are regular, even when the seas are bumpy Karen always has something for us to eat. We’ve dialed in several meals that we like for passages including tacos, breakfast burritos, chicken pesto pasta and toasted sandwiches. We also make sure to consume LOTS of water to keep us hydrated, especially in the tropics, and we don’t drink alcohol on passage — that’s what celebrating landfall at anchor or ashore is for!
If you would like too see what Karen cooks up in the galley, click on over to Our Galley where she invites you into the galley to try out her recipes. If you like the recipes you can find many of them on this page or in one of the many recipe books she has published.
If you would like to see a typical day sailing you can catch one of our YouTube Episodes
Cheers R&K
