Race 13 - Day 1
Crew Diary - Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland to Den Helder, Netherlands
18 July

Before I start the blog the whole crew would like to say a huge thank you to Derry-Londonderry for the incredible hospitality and all week long party they put on for us. Many of us believe it to be the best stopover so far! A particular mention to The Bentley, our sponsor bar, who were amazing, and had an awesome ability to always get the right drink to the right person, no matter how many we ordered at once! With a special mention to our friendly waitress Jo (the resident local) who spent most of the time organising us and doing a great job at it!

On with the blog! "Like watching paint dry"

Like watching paint dry, like watching the grass grow, a watched kettle never boils, are all phrases that describe the same thing, time moving slowly. I would like to propose a new phrase; the last 5 minutes of a watch never passes! Or a bunk buddy never appears while watching the companion way. Or the colder the weather the longer the watch. No matter what you have done over the past 4-6 hours, whether it’s one head sail change, or a hundred, when the time comes to do wake up at half past the hour, time suddenly slows. It gets gradually slower and slower until that last 5 minutes just never seem to pass, and all you want is your nice warm bunk.

The funny thing about this is that it is completely the opposite for the on-coming watch. For them they are woken at half past and as the time gets closer to the hour, time speeds up as they struggle to get out their bunks, fight to get into the heads, barge to get into the wet locker, do the foulie wiggle, then the life jacket jiggle and then finally a bit of jostling to get up the companion way. And this is taking into account that no one feels sick, if they do this must all be done at double speed. Then theirs always that magical phrase said, can someone go sit in the nav station, at which point foulies are flung everywhere as everyone struggles to look the least deck ready and therefore most likely to be sent to the nav.

As this all goes on below those on deck are waiting and waiting and waiting, in the hope that their bunk budding will be there fist to shoot up the companion way!

Love IchorCoal