Race 1 - Day 26
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 26: Liverpool to Punta del Este
15 September

I am going to try and set the scene for my blog while I wait to go on watch. It's 1300 and I go on watch at 1400 – 2000.

I am sitting the galley area starboard side, Art Bonett is sitting next to me looking at photos and “Smithy” (David Smith) is dozing at the end of the couch. The three of us are sitting in shorts - it’s too hot to wear a t-shirt! On the other side of the galley, Dave West arrives in his scrum cap - he got rather wet on deck earlier and his life jack activated.

In the galley we have two legends: Jerry Injoque and Erik Hellstrom. They are legends because they do their Mother Watch together and to date, we have not heard them speak. They seem to cook and wash up using telepathy. They are preparing Frittata (eggs, chorizo, and peas) for lunch.

We now have people sliding around the galley, one minute you see them, the next minute they have ended up in a heap below the wet locker. (Chris) Moxey and Dave West are now grappling with Art's pump and hoses – I guess they on the way to the sail locker to empty the water from the crash box (this is a compartment at the very front of the boat where we store the fenders and rubbish). It fills with sea water and has to be pumped out on a daily basis.

At the moment, I can hear the heads being pumped, some banter from the On Watch, along with the rushing of water as Garmin moves forward at a pace. Everything is then interrupted by an enormous BANG - we have crashed off a wave! The coffee mugs hanging above the counter rattle like mad, rather like a crazy set of bells. Then you hear the torrent of water surge across the spray hood. Most of these noises are now, after 26 days at sea, just background noise that we don’t really notice as they are constant as they resonate around the fiberglass hull of Garmin.

I haven't mentioned the smell/odour...we are kind of use to it but not like an old friend! It changes when the air freshener comes out, but it always returns soon after. Oh no, we have a new odour! Erik has burnt the onions for dinner! I am sure dinner will still be good as the telepathic duo crack on for the evening sitting. I think they have 21 reservations in two sittings tonight in the Ocean Restaurant at 40 degrees.

I am off upstairs to start my 1400-2000 watch. At the moment we have sun, a calm-ish wind, and the sea is dark blue with some white caps. We are off the coast of Brazil (I can’t see it, but it’s there!). We are chasing and trimming hard. This morning we sported Liverpool 2018 on the horizon, I guess they know we are coming! Love to Sarah, the boys, my family, and friends. Every night I look for the moon!