At 1 am, with the crashing and banging no better and still wide awake, I give up on sleep completely and let Mike go to bed instead. Afraid that if I lie down I will perversely drop off, I steadfastly sit and watch TV, MaxSea and the radar screen. The radar screen gives me much entertainment in a masochistic way – which squall will get us? I notice a flying fish in the cockpit but leave it there for Mike to step on.
Photo: Sunrise and a blue sky – the shape of things to come?
By the time Mike gets up I am like a zombie and go to bed, where once again I fail to sleep. In the end I take a tablet and sleep like a baby until nearly 3 pm when Mike and I swap places in bed and I go back on watch. When he wakes up, it is with a sore throat. How does one develop things like this when there is no other human contact?
At least today there is some watery sunshine, interspersed with the occasional squall of course.
Michael on Basia does some calculations and reckons that he can get to Grenada (or at least Tobago) on the fuel he has plus our 100 litres and the fuel from Ariane so instead of altering course to Guyana, we stay on course for Grenada. As long as we don’t encounter adverse current we should be OK. Ariane should arrive with the convoy tomorrow and we will do the fuel delivery in one go with them – it’s pointless for anyone to go through the exercise twice – getting a dinghy out in open sea is unpleasant enough as it is (actually it would be a terrifying experience for me with my swimming abilities!).
Again I act as the human shield for the satellite phone but the sea is so unstable that today I decide to put my foul weather gear on and it’s a good job I do as the tip of one wave lands squarely on my back. It’s cold even through my waterproof jacket.
Photo: Prepared for once
Night time brings the squalls, and almost as I need to serve dinner Mike has to go out and roll up some genoa. Mother Nature has an innate sense of timing and a cruel sense of humour.
Our position is: 04 deg 13 min N, 48 deg 07 min W
Distance so far: 23554 nautical miles
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