Hello and thank you to anyone for taking the time to read this. Knowing we have support outside of the boat and interested followers willing us on is really humbling. I also want to take this moment to give a big shout-out and special thank you to my loved ones whose presence I especially feel when I look at the same stars they’re looking at.
This race has been a long time coming for me. I originally signed up and trained for Leg 7 in 2018 for the 2019-20 race, yet due to a whole host of circumstances didn’t get the chance to actually achieve what I set out to!
But here I finally am…
I felt I knew exactly what to expect and I’ve not been too far wrong, yet the reality of an ocean race kicked in with a bang on Saturday. The green monster of sea sickness struck me personally for the first time - though thankfully for just a day. With the boat heeling at around 45 degrees, I wasn’t sure if I’d come sailing or climbing Everest - as moving about, let alone trying to don or remove our foulies, feels like a major expedition in its own right.
It’s really cold and the swell of several meters on day one and two really bashed the boat and us around. Yet the human body is amazing and can deal with so much more than our minds often give it credit for. We adapt quickly so I feel I’ve settled well into the routine of life on board - above and below deck.
My shared bunk is surprisingly comfy and I’ve slept better than I’d thought I would, given the harshness of the watch schedule and the constant movement of the boat.
There have already been some exhilarating moments like a night time headsail change that I’m told was in as hard conditions as any on the race so far in seas that mirrored earlier legs. Then there was the moment we tore our kite and it was all hands to the pump to resolve that.
“Champagne sailing,” for Leg 7 they’d said. “The bikini leg,” I heard it called. And while we had blue skies and sunshine for the first time today, there is no sign of it being warm enough to remove my current four layers under my foulies and we have the longest way to still go. That said, I personally wanted to experience a bit of the Pacific might before warmer climes as we get closer to Panama, so I’m lapping up all the experience and looking forward to embracing whatever else the race may throw at me. For now, I’ve some bilges to empty and support watch duties to complete. So I will sign off from Bekezela by saying, “Keep watching those stars as we’re right there with you.”
Nikki Sloan