Can't Keep a Good (cough, cough) Man Down

Jarl took a body blow in round one. He missed the second round, but the judges in this match are forgiving, and when the third round sounded, Jarl was there, answering the bell.

That was last night. Aside: "Last night." What does that mean at this latitude in early July? We wake up for a watch and it doesn't matters what time it is, the gear is the same. Sunglasses at midnight. Cold-weather gear at high noon. Hour of day is irrelevant at 68 degrees north latitude on 7 July.

Anyway, that was last night. Jarl, Camilla and I tackled the 2-6pm watch, which featured greatly diminished wind and seas, but still plenty of power to sail rather than motor. We came off watch at dinnertime, which meant we were assigned to dishwashing duty. Jarl missed that extracurricular -- no surprise since it takes place belowdecks -- but here he is, at the helm to start our 12-3am watch. The fourth round, as it were.

I just took a photo of the featureless horizon to the north. It's the same for 360 degrees, but north is where the sun is now (more or less) and the sky in that direction features a very diffuse glow filtering through the low marine layer overhead. The slate-gray sea is really only a few shades darker than the white-gray clouds, with just the sharp line of horizon -- with the glow of the hidden sun -- dividing the two. And if not for the rumble of the generator, it would be quite peaceful.