Across the German Bight

In June 2024, we set sail from Vlieland, bound for Norway — but the wind had other plans. Northerlies had built a long, cold swell, and the promised westerlies never came. We bore away, and under a shifting moon and heavy sea, off Norderney, we were finally able to turn north. The second night brought us to Esbjerg, Denmark.

When I got up into the cockpit to take the night watch over from my son, he showed me the most intense glowing trail Coelacanth was leaving behind in the water. Bioluminescent plankton (most likely Noctiluca scintillans, as observed on a previous journey) is mechanically activated to emit light. The chemical explanation cannot describe the spectacle of gliding through a trail of light in the dark sea.