Race 1 - Day 27
Crew Diary - Race 1 Day 27: Liverpool to Punta del Este
16 September
I've just woken from my slumber between watches and I’m startled by the feeling that something is wrong! The boat is flat(ish) and quiet. The motion is smooth and there is fresh air coming through the open port hole above my head. Are we stuck in a wind hole going nowhere? Have I slept for a week and we're docked in Uruguay? I crawl out of my bunk without being tossed to the floor. I walk down the hall without pressing myself against the wall to remain upright. I poke my head out of the companionway without getting a face full of seawater and what to my wondering eyes should appear? It's the Code 3 spinnaker that we hold so dear!
Ahhhhh! Once again, we're sailing downwind. Landlubbers may not appreciate the difference between upwind sailing (there's a reason sailors refer to this as beating) and downwind sailing but, let me assure you this makes a huge difference in the lives of those of us on board. On the last watch, while sailing upwind, we had a discussion about just how boring life will be after we arrive. For example, on land if you want to get up and walk across a room, you can just get up and walk as opposed to having to muster the energy and devise a plan to move from A to B while avoiding countless obstacles and overcoming the omnipresent force of gravity. Imagine that if, on land, you want to go to the toilet, this is just a routine task. On the boat, this simple boring task becomes a monumental effort to avoid getting pee all over yourself and the head and to avoid crashing through the thin canvas “door” with your shorts around your ankles! Life on land is so boring!
Speaking of life on land, our thoughts and conversations have now all shifted to getting there. It's been a great journey, with a bit still left, but we're now like a bunch of kids waiting for Santa Claus. Every mile, every hour, every watch, every sleep brings us closer to our destination and the excitement is building. I hope we get there before my birthday on the 22nd September. All I want for my birthday is a meal with friends sitting in a chair at a flat table and a nice glass of wine. Very simple, very boring but most appreciated.
IMAGE: Grinding on deck with Garmin
