Race 2 - Day 10
Crew Diary - Race 2 Day 10: Punta del Este to Cape Town
14 October
Eat Sail Sleep Repeat
This well known phrase seems even more relevant for this leg as we bash through the Southern Atlantic on our way to Cape Town. When we are on deck in full foulies, we can't always have the same banter as we did on Leg 1 as it is harder to communicate when you are trying to keep most of your body protected from the relentless waves. However, this should not be taken in the context that life on Dare to Lead is at all repetitive. Each time I emerge from my bunk and pull on my damp foulies I am never sure what excitement will happen on deck.
Last night we were treated to an amazing luminescence “firework” show as the waves crashed over the boat. The sparkly green plankton seemed to dance through the water and across the boat. Our watch enjoyed the show while having hot drinks and Orkney fudge (thanks Mum!)
This morning, we were woken to Starboard Watch putting in the 2nd reef in the main sail - a sign that our watch was going to be hit by bigger weather for our 6 hours on deck. Once we had settled into our usual spots on the high side, balancing against whatever winch was available, our morning of drenching began. Charlie was determined to get a photo of the “pit pose” being submerged so scuttled to the back of the boat poised to capture our fate – only Mother Nature decided it was our eager media lead who would be soaked first much to hilarity of Dan on the helm and the pit pose (although we were drenched shortly thereafter.)
As the wind picked up gusting above 50 knots, Dale told us to drop the staysail. Charlie, Luke, John and I crawled up to foredeck. We battled to get the sail down as the waves crashed over the bow. Before long the sail was secured, although it felt much longer, looking like bedraggled creatures we crawled back with smiles on our faces after our morning fun. As I looked back at the helm, Pat was sitting with his life jacket inflated due to the impact from wave over the helm. He was not the only victim during the watch as later; Charlie was throwing galley slops over the side when she was also “waved” and her jacket exploded too – yet again she emerged soaked but smiling from ear to ear.
When we finished our watch we came down to a fabulous lunch cooked by Nqoba and Stephen, today's Mothers, as a welcome reward for our efforts on deck. Nqoba looked exceptionally jealous that he was not out to play on the helm today.
Life on Dare to Lead is anything but repetitive. One thing is true that every day there is always a new adventure to be had. Can't wait to see what happens on our next watch.
Brought to you by Lou