Had the watch last night 1800-0000. It was a beautiful calm night. With not enough wind to sail after a brief attempt earlier in the day, we steamed slowly – just over six knots – passing Portland to the south.

As the sun sank towards the horizon, obscuring our view of the island, the sunlight danced in the glassy sea beneath. Desperate to see something on this quiet evening, the watch tentatively looked out for the cardinal marks we knew were off our starboard bow. This was perhaps the most exciting few moments of the watch – until nightfall.

As the light bled from the sky, the stars appeared above. Alongside, bioluminescent algae (we think) danced in our wake. From a navigational standpoint, the watch was uneventful, but the natural beauty occupied us well.

We resumed the watch at 1230 today with the sails up and a strong wind heeling Tenacious over for the first time, accompanied a touch of rain. As befitting of our previous watches, the wind shortly died and the rain stopped. At 1330 and with Tenacious now doing a steady 0.3 knots aft, the engines were once again fired up and the sails dropped to bring us towards Dartmouth, where a pilot will board to bring us in. The watch will last until 1600, by which time we will be alongside.