28 July 2012

Day 15: Bermuda to Maine – 28/07/12

The best thing I can say about today is that I'm not actually sick - really, that's it.

About half an hour into my night watch, Samantha, our auto pilot, goes all premenstrual on me and flips out and the problem is that she hasn't done it for so long that I don't immediately recognise the symptoms.

The sheets bang furiously on the coach roof, making enough din to wake the dead and Mike who has just got to sleep.  He comes flying out of the cabin while I am still doing my startled rabbit act.  I tell him there's something wrong (no shit Sherlock!) and then realise what has actually happened when I see the difference on the radar between our plotted course and our actual course.  Luckily Mike reacts so fast that no harm is done and he goes back to bed leaving me once again feeling pretty stupid.  I'll never get this sailing lark.

The rest of the day is pretty miserable on all fronts.  After yesterday's clear sky, today all we have is wall to wall cloud and as we are now in the Gulf Stream, the humidity has arrived.  On top of that, the seas are lumpy, uncomfortable and very confused with the swell going one way and the surface waves going another.  Mike and I spend our nap times in the stern cabin and our watch time on the sofa with the alarm clock, neither of us wanting to venture outside very much thanks to the return of the salt crust and the slimy feel of the boat - how different to yesterday.  Lying down is preferable to trying to move around as the boat lurches all over the place and as I feel slightly sick all day, it seems a good plan to me.

One good thing is that we have strong, steady winds so however revolting this part of the trip might turn out to be, we will be through it quicker.

 

Position:  37 deg 33 min N, 67 deg 49 mins W

Distance so far:  1190 miles

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