Crossing the Bay of Biscay

At 11 am we're off, the mainsail hoisted in the harbor. Just about an hour of calm, then a good strong breeze blows in. We take in two reefs; that's about half the mainsail. Then we roll in the genoa, our big jib. And we're still doing over 6 to 7 knots. "Babette's" top speed. We sail due south, the wind more or less abeam, westerly. "Lille Per", our wind-vane, is busy steering. A few dolphins circling us below and Gannets above see us off.

At night we follow the Milky Way, the North Star lighting our wake. The seas are calm, no moon on the dark water.