They were sailing west with as much speed as they could manage without the use of magic. Everyone seemed to be wary of Serenica's suggestions concerning wind jars. She thought it to be a little bit annoying, but then she realized that everyone thought she was working way too much.
Blackbones talked with her a lot. He had, in a way, filled the boots that Gadfly had left in a way that Heike had never been able to manage. Perhaps even more competent than his predecessors, Blackbones was a hardened pirate who had a quick and dirty approach to rigging and the sails and everything else he was left in charge of. He was highly knowledgeable in the arts of optimizing the performance of a ship, and with his help, they avoided the most dreadful doldrums easily.
"Well, you are very young compared to me, even though you're grown and all that. Time to have a little fun instead of working like an animal all the time? Eh?" He was, of course, referring to the prince.