Land of the Midnight Sun 

     Yesterday, Far and Away officially crossed the Arctic Circle. This was momentous for several reasons. First of all, I'm amazed we've sailed so far north. Secondly, this steadfast sailboat has taken Nico and me from the Tropic of Cancer at 23 degrees 43 minutes, all the way up here at 66 degrees 33 minutes. Along the way, Nico says we have logged over 10,000 miles. 

     

     Another fact is that now we are in a part of the world where the sun never sets. We all enjoy the long days of summer, but it is hard to wrap one's mind around the concept of it being light for 24 hours. Conversely, I think of what it is like here in the winter when it is dark the entire day. Why does this happen? Pardon the fifth-grade teacher coming out, but in case you forgot, the Earth is tilted on its axis at an angle of about 23.5 degrees. This tilt means that at the Arctic Circle, the sun never goes below the horizon on the longest day of the year. The further north you go, the longer the period lasts.

     It is weird. Nico and I have put covers on the hatch and portlights in our forward cabin. Still, I wake up in the middle of the night, think it is morning, and I see that it is 1:00 AM. Right now, it is 9:00 PM and the sun is shining like it is 4:00 in the afternoon. I feel like a kid in summer who has to go to bed when it is still light.  It reminds us of when we lived in Alaska. In the summer, we got up really early and went to bed really late, but in the winter, we would sleep until midmorning and go to bed soon after dinner.

 Here is a video that Nico took at 1:30 AM. Listen to the birds. When do they get a chance to rest?

These were taken just before I went to bed.