Position Midday:     N 32 36', W 16 55' Position Midnight:   N 32 14', W 18 31' Progress last 24h:    100.4 Nautical miles

We all woke up at our own pace, enjoying a last free morning outside crusing schedule. After a "yacht shower" (that is a short get-wet-soap-rinse shower) and some breakfast, we sailed down to the marina gas station, for the final fueling before departure. And though the fuel gauge was running up, it certainly felt as a countdown... And as planned, on November the 27th 2007 at 11:11 we set out from Madeira into the great wide Atlantic Ocean.
The wind had been quite strong the days before departure, but had dropped off to a good level, and with winds from the North, we decided to head straight West, following something close to Columbus' original path, though we will later drop to more Southern hemnispheres to catch the trade winds. We could not have gotten a more spectacular start along the Madeiran coast! Within the first hour, a great school of large dolphins joined us, happily jumping in front of the bow in the glittering sunshine and blue water. And af is that wasn't enough, ten minutes later a small pod of kascelot whales passed us, spraying water into the air. What an excellent start to a great adventure. We had some good sandwiches for lunch, and to avoid the "wind shadow" of Madeira, we motored South-East, until the winds picked up again, and then headed out into the ocean. On my first watch from 16-18, we lost sight of land. The pace was good, and after another enjoyable dinner, I sat out to give Ole company on his watch. However, the ocean air wears you delightfully, and given that my next shift was 04-06 at night, I decided to check into my bunk. I have so far not been prone to seasickness, apart from the "usual rumbling of your stomach", as Ole puts it. And the "Ocean noises" are also slowly coming to a point, where I filter them out. So part from the ocational "bang" on deck, I had a good nights sleep.