Race 1 - Day 31
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 31: Liverpool to Punta del Este
20 September
So near, and yet so far...
Thwack...thwack.....thwack – the sound on deck of sails flapping as the 70 foot boat wallows in the waves without any wind. Those who have experienced trying to sail a boat without wind will appreciate the feeling. Frustrating times aboard good ship HotelPlanner.com! I can't recall a time in my life where this expression has ever been more appropriate. Some 31 days at sea, 6,200 miles down the track, but less than 550 miles to our first destination and stuck in a wind hole barely moving now for 17 hours, and counting!
There are, of course, numerous consequences to this misfortune. One of the most galling is that the fleet has compressed and allowed the trailing boats the opportunity to see our predicament and take a different route to avoid the clutches of being becalmed. One or two boats seem to have wriggled away and are now making great progress to Punta del Este, which is especially irksome. Sometimes one has to accept that despite best endeavours, racing at sea can be a lottery requiring a good dose of luck. We still believe that the race is far from over though, with fickle winds expected to characterise the route ahead – we now need the luck of the Irish to prevail, again.
Other consequences of our predicament are at a human and practical level. Clearly more days at sea means provisions are rapidly running out daily. Jock and I made porridge for the crew's breakfast today and were horrified to see that the additive options were either peanut butter or lime marmalade. Not something that I expect to catch on when we get back home. Also, I now find myself rummaging through my dirty washing bag carrying out a smell test to see which of my clothes are less dirty, and I know I am not alone! Perhaps I need to start wearing them inside out, does that actually work I wonder? There's only one way to find out. How it must stink on this boat. Further frustrations are the regular emails Clipper HQ now send to the boat describing what treats await us at Punta – drinks, parties, BBQs, fishing trips, sight seeing tours, great food, more drinks parties, showers, clean clothes, fresh bed linen, even a Uruguayan wine tasting event, etc. Oh, what a warped sense of humour they have!
You may be curious as to how we while away the hours. Well, after a quick glance around the boat, I can report that a small minority are pretending to sail (alas to no avail), some are asleep either on deck or in their bunks, a couple are writing what I imagine are daily personal diaries, some are enjoying a chat, some are reading, some are snacking, one is doing some boat cleaning, one is seeing if he can find excitement through discovering water in a bilge and one is cutting his toe nails – you get the picture, it's busy, busy, busy. And I need to now start helping Jock with preparing the lunch – tinned chicken curry and rice, again!
As you can probably sense, we can't wait to get ashore where some of us will be lucky enough to be met by loved ones. Can't wait to see you Suzie xxx
Happy Birthday Sammy Boy!!!
Until then, and with a heavy dose of perspective, all our thoughts on board are with those affected by the Parsons Green attack.