Weather and oceans abate.

A rough night. A day under better conditions. While the sea and winds abate, the sailing eases down. The wind steadies from the northwest in the high 20s to low 30s of knots while the sky clears up.

The following swell and winds, blowing more constantly with fewer gusts and squalls, make it possible to set more sail and brace the yards squarer. Downwind we roll our way to Cape Horn. A first destination that today we find 855 nautical miles ahead of us, after having sailed 193 nm since yesterday, of which 189 were in a straight line.

An improvement over the blustery conditions brought better weather, increased visibility and made our time on deck during lookouts and steering more comfortable. Though we were rolling and water was splashing over decks, the blue sky and less gusty winds brought more and better sightings of the birdlife around us.

The Europa and the albatrosses and petrels:

Spread the sails, trim them, set the rig in a proper setting to make best use of the wind for our progress.

Large specialised wings to master dynamic soaring over the oceanic swells. A technique that allows them long-distance travel with low muscle-energy use.

Barometer and wind meter

Tubular nostrils that contain highly sensitive pressure receptors capable of detecting and measuring the slightest changes in air pressure, speed, wind shear, and the shifts in the wind fields running over the oceanic surface, for aerodynamic flight control.

Use of the engines and mechanical/chemical energy in case winds are not favourable. A thing to avoid during this trip, aiming for a traditional Cape Horn rounding purely under sail.

Use of extra bodily energy if they have to flap their wings. As much as possible, a thing to stay clear of.

Water-maker using an osmosis plant, running all day to fill up our fresh water tanks

Supraorbital salt gland. A desalination organ for a life at sea that actively catches the salt ions from the bloodstream. Microscopic capillaries run alongside counter-flowing secretory tubes capable of pulling out the excess sodium and chloride. Then highly saline water drips through their tubular nostrils.

Magnetic compass

The detection and following of Earth’s magnetic fields.

The operation of an internal sun compass (combining the position of the sun and its movements across the sky during the day with an internal circadian body clock to determine direction).

Use of both paper and digital charts on which to plan a route and plot the ship’s position from a location given by satellite navigation through GPS.

Now and then, when the sun shines, sextants are sometimes seen on deck. Always interesting to try traditional navigation and positioning again without the aid of computers.

Scent tracking and olfactory mapping.

Advanced olfactory capabilities that are used for finding their way, locating food and identifying their mates.

Oceans contain different environments, from coastlines to the calm and not very productive centres of their gyres, passing through nutrient-rich areas and upwellings, different currents and water masses, distinct and characteristic areas in the seas that present these birds with an olfactory “landscape”. Through their nostrils they can detect the smallest concentrations and variations of dimethyl sulphide, a chemical released by phytoplankton when it is disturbed or grazed upon.

Detection of this chemical, together with the wind direction measured by the use of their tubular nostrils, allows them to create an “olfactory map”.

Radar

The use of characteristic sound waves of different oceanic and coastal areas created by different sorts of swells.

Lookouts to detect floating objects, wildlife or any other interference with navigation on a given course

Exceptional eyesight and good memories. Skills used to find food and recognise familiar landmarks.

Captain’s and mates’ skills to navigate the Seven Seas by the use of mechanical and/or electronic aids, their learned knowledge and their skills to set sail, douse canvas, trim it, brace one way or the other, and take advantage of the winds.

Sailors checking, seeing, watching the sails. All after good trim, a proper setting. Looking for any damage. If any is found, sewing, stitching what needs mending.

A purely biological set of skills for navigation, wayfinding, foraging, extensive feather maintenance and oiling, and use of the wind and weather.

A whole pool of innate abilities for a life at sea.

Ship’s mechanical and technological aids for navigation and routing an oceanic passage.

Biological organs with comparable capabilities incorporated into their bodies.

The ship and the seabirds.

The South Pacific, the home range of tubenoses like albatrosses and petrels. We see them every day. Passing by, elegantly soaring in the strong winds over the large swells, joining the ship for a while, disappearing into the oceanic horizon.

They can fly over entire oceans, they can find their way back to their nests, many of which are located on remote tiny islands.

They spend years at sea before reaching breeding age, then return to their breeding grounds.

Every few days they find foraging areas in the open ocean and can return straight to their mates and chicks.

After their nesting season they spread over the ocean for months before starting a new cycle again.

No matter if we are close to the remotest and most isolated location in the oceans, Point Nemo, or if we are just a few hundred nautical miles from Cape Horn, or sailing in coastal waters.

Every day we see some.

More often when the wind blows hard and we ride along with the West Wind Drift current, a richer marine environment. Fewer of them or even just a handful when we find ourselves a bit further north, still under the influence of the centre of the South Pacific Gyre. An area lower in nutrients and considered a sort of oceanic desert.

Lots of them fly around when the wind is strong, fewer when just a breeze blows. Then they have already looked for windier areas or just decide to sit and wait… Surely the wind will come back and will offer them a new chance to ride over the stream of low-pressure systems that keep passing by at those latitudinal ranges.