I never imagined that the ocean would greet me so easily and calmly. It seemed like it would always be like this, and I was already starting to worry about whether we would have enough fuel for the remaining 700 miles.

We had a satellite phone that we connected to our boat laptop and could receive GRIB weather files. According to the forecast, a westerly wind of 25 knots was waiting for us, and we decided to meet it halfway in order to start sailing faster and at a more advantageous angle. The wind came as scheduled, but twice as strong, with gusts of up to 55 knots and a stable force of 35 to 45. At the same time, the sky remained clear, and we were walking on the third reef at a speed of at least 9 knots. The waves were much more comfortable than in the Mediterranean, there was no visible traffic at all, and in general, under such conditions, everything seemed much more comfortable than expected. By the end of day five, we had reached the Canary Islands and that stage was over. I still felt unsafe and that it was going to get worse. I was constantly spinning in my head everything I could remember from my conversations with my older friends, and the most important point was 23/23, the intersection of latitude 23 north and 23 west longitude. The point is halfway between the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands, a place where, according to the elders, there are already established trade winds and you can safely walk only with favorable winds to the Caribbean Islands, but if anything, at this point you can change your mind and go down to Cabo Verde very comfortably.

After spending several days in the Canary Islands, we filled up our provisions and arranged for a exit from the country, in which, as it turns out, we were not stamped on our passports, but only our crew list. Course for 23/23! By sunset, we were off the islands, with an open ocean ahead of us. We walked with a good favorable run, but at the same time with moderate headwinds. From time to time, rising in waves to the top of the world, then falling into the abyss between them. It was that evening that I realized that there was no turning back, and we were really leaving our usual shores. There was only open water ahead, and there was no point in thinking about how far we should go, much less make predictions about our arrival in the new world. Of course, we didn't do anything new like Columbus did, but we were following in his footsteps, and I, like him, had no idea what was in store for us across the river.

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