You know the expression, “there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep”? Well that was nothing like a good night’s sleep! It takes me well over two hours to actually drop off then I sleep fitfully during the morning. As long as this isn’t the beginning of a pattern it’ll be OK.
Just as it starts to get light we start to drift too far north of the rhumb line. Mike had told me that our sails would allow us to go 20 degrees either side of the set course so I take us 10 degrees to port and half an hour later, when that has made no difference, I add another 10 degrees to port. Still no difference. I go down to get him as I realise the sails must need altering and gently but firmly try to wake him up. No response. He is so dead to the world that even rubbing his calf really hard and squeezing his foot has no effect. Maybe squeezing other bodily parts hard would have better results (and be more fun) but calf and foot are all I can reach from the bottom of the bed and with the height difference (the bed is about five feet up) so I leave him to sleep figuring he obviously needs it. Anyway, he will be up in an hour or so and there’s only so far we can drift off course.
Immediately he gets up he alters the sails, moving both the genoas to one side and straight away we pick up speed. I wish I understood those flappy things but whenever he tries to explain it to me, it just goes “whoosh” straight over my head. Maybe if every wind and sail combination was drawn for me I would get it but Mike and drawing – I don’t think so!
Photo: A tanker passes close enough to read its name
Late in the afternoon Mike decides to get the main sail out again. We furl up the genoas and start the hauling process. Turning into the wind is not pleasant in these conditions as the sea is still heaving us around and salt spray is everywhere. I figure that getting salt spray on me is easier to wash off than from my clothes so I don’t bother getting dressed and soon I am covered with salt and goose bumps in the somewhat brisk wind. The main goes up, straight through the lazy jacks for once then gets stuck. It takes a few minutes to work out what has happened but it turns out that the main halyard has got caught around one of the blocks on the mast and mo amount of raising and lowering the bloody main will shift it. We will have to rely on the wind and sea to release it for us. In the meantime, it’s down with the main and back out with the genoas.
Fifteen minutes later, the halyard releases. Out I go again. Another load of salt and more goose bumps. In with the genoas, up with the main sail and back out with the genoas again. Fun this sailing lark, and racing boats do this all the time and think it’s fun! By the time I come back in, the wind and spray have given my hair the appearance of me having stuck my finger into a high voltage socket. Very fetching.
It’s Friday so our main meal is a curry eaten in the evening. This gives Mike his weekly challenge of turning from Master and Commander into a galley slave, but one who ignores the washing up. Ah well. I can’t have everything.
Into a nice pattern now, sleep once again eludes me. Annoyance and frustration makes it worse. Stupid body and mind!
Our position is: 28 deg 09 min S, 42 deg 21 min E
Distance so far: 17359 nautical miles
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