Race 10 - Day 26
Crew Diary - Seattle, USA to Panama
25 May
We have received a late entry from LMAX Exchange. This blog was written for 9 May but never received by us in the Clipper Race office. Thankfully the crew are on the case and sent this on their approach to Panama. Enjoy!
The Noise of LMAX
Translated and edited by Marc, Marine and Adrian
Since I left Seattle, I'm continually surprised by the diverse range of noises we hear onboard LMAX Exchange. Noises in its belly, on deck, or all around.
It is the fizzing of the water on the hull, the smashing of the waves as they break on the bow, or the 'glouglou' at the back of the boat when God Eole (God of the winds) leaves us at a stall.
It's the sails flogging like a whip on the back of a stallion when it rears up because of a gust.
Like an echo sound comes as an answer. The sound of the churning of winches or the rattle of the coffee grinders that turn with the joint effort of panting crew members. The halyards get hoisted, the sheets get tensed and you can hear them squeak under strain.
All those noises of the deck are answers to sharp, concise orders 'grind, hold, ease, big ease, keep on'. Those calls themselves have a musicality as they're shared to the crew with passion and care.
It is a different concert of noises that you can hear down below. LMAX Exchange is like a hotel that has to be self-sufficient, The huge engine with its power, reassuringly purring as we pass through the ports, the generator as a background sound that produces the electricity that we always so need; and last but not least the watermaker that produces the necessary daily 400L of life. If their sounds were to stop we would be in strife. Luckily we have our chief engineer, Stephen, who keeps them ticking over.
Accompanying that there is the sound of diverse pumps. The heads pumps, which is a kind of manual but efficient toilet flush or the electric bilges that expel the uninvited water from the inside of the boat and back to the ocean.
As a more cheerful sound, we have the noises of the galley. With the sound of spoons which turn in giant pots that resonate like cymbals, or the frying pans in which the bacon sizzles while the big kettle whistles.
The diverse tasks carry on with the sound of the scraping scoop that empties it's water collected in the bilges, or the hum of the sewing machine guided by our sailmaker, Ana, that puts it's needle through the 30 metre tear, or of the 'pschit' of the cleaner's antibacterial sprays that ensure the hygiene of the boat. You even hear the tunes of jazz, pop or sometimes sea shanties from the boombox in the galley that encourage everyone on in their duties.
Before going on deck let's listen to the sound of Velcro of the foulies being put on by the new watch, the sound of boots that fall to the boards in relief after the off watch have completed an evolution, the sound of sleeping bag zippers sliding closed as the tired crew members go to sleep.
Finally, when everything is calm, when the engines are off and when the on watch crew has clipped on with the snap of the clips on the jackstay, let's listen for a while to the friendly sound of dolphins under the Pacific's sky full of stars that accompany us in this magical moment. They answer back with their squeaks as we whistle in call.
Let's listen to the laughter and chatter of the watches. Let's listen to the sounds of boat LMAX Exchange.
Other News:
With the heat comes the first salt water showers, even if
the water is still a bit chilly.
Today we were in the Savoye with mothers Leo and Peter.
No other whale spotted, Lizzy is taking some slack.
The answer to our riddle yesterday:
The riddle: From the King it is blue, from the peasant it
is red, from a frog it is cold, but from a dog it is hot...... what is it?
The answer: Blood
Today's riddle:
A man murders his wife in their car. Nobody is around to
see this. He throws her out of the car, being careful not to leave any
fingerprints on her body. Next he throws the knife off a cliff into a gorge
where it will never be found and he goes home. An hour later the police calls
him and tells him that his wife has been murdered and that he needs to come to
the scene of the crime immediately. As soon as he arrives he is arrested. Why?
Original Version
Depuis que j’ai quitte Seattle je suis surpris par la polyphonie des bruits qu’on entend sur LMAX Exchange que ce soit dans son ventre, sur le pont ou bien tout autour. C’est bien sur le ruisellement de l’eau sur la coque, le deferlement des vagues ou le glouglou a l’arriere quand le dieu Eole nous lache. C’est aussi les voiles qui claquent comme un coup de fouet sur le dos d’un pur sang qui soudainement se cabre sous l’effet d’une rafale.
Comme en echo d’autres bruits viennent repondre. Celui du cliquet des winches ou de mitraillettte des moulins a cafe qui tournent a toute vitesse sous les efforts conjoints d’equpiers haletants. Les drisses se hissent, les ecoutes se tendent et font entendre leurs frottements grincants, Tous ces bruits sont la reponse a des ordres secs mais non denues de musicalite: grinding, hold, ease, big ease, keeping on...
Sous le pont c’est un autre concert de bruits qui se font entendre. LMAX Exchange est comme un grand hotel qui doit tout assurer par lui-meme. Le moteur dont l enorme puissance rassurante fait entendre son ronronnement dans les ports; le generateur d enrgie qui en bruit de fond nous produit toute l’electricite dont nous avons besoin; enfin le watermaker qui fournit les 400 litres d’eau quotidiennement necessaires. Si leur bruit venait a s arreter nous serions en grande difficulte. Heureusement Steve notre ingenieur en chef veille.
En accompagnement il y a le bruit des pompes a usages divers dont celui des ' heads', sorte de chasse d’eau manuelle mais efficace des toilettes. Et puis, dans une musicalite plus joyeuse, il y a les bruits de la cuisine avec les cuilleres qui se tournent dans d enormes marmites qui raisonnent comme des cymbales, ou dans des poelles dans lesquels gresillent du bacon revenu dans un beurre fondu pendant qu une grossse bouilloire fait entendre son sifflement.
Durant ce temps les diverses taches a accomplir continuent: c’est le bruit de l’ecope qui vide son eau recueillie dans les cales, de la machine a coudre qui, guidee par Ana notre maitre voilier, plante son aiguille sur une dechirure de 30 metres dans un spi, du pschit des pulverisateurs qui assurent l hygiene du bateau. En arriere fond de temps en temps se fait entendre du jazz ou des chanteurs qui encouragent tout le monde a la tache.
Avant de remonter sur le pont ecoutons aussi le bruit des scratch des cires enfiles par l’equipe montante ou ceux de l’equipe descandante, le bruit des bottes qui tombent et celui des zip des sacs de couchage dans lesquels harasses vont s’endormir les equipiers.
Enfin quand tout est calme, que les moteurs se sont eteints leur travail acheve, que les equpiers de veille ont clippe leur longe dans un bruit de menotte sur la bien nommee ligne de vie, ecoutons un instant sous le ciel etoile du Pacifique, le chant amical des dauphins qui nous accompagnent dans ce moment magique.
Other News
Sous l effet de la chaleur on commence a voir les equpirs s installer a l arriere prendre leur 1ere douche a l eau de mer. Un peu fraiche tout de meme,
Les motheres rivalisent a la cuisine. Aujourd hui avec Leo et Peter nous nous serions crus au Savoie.
Toujours pas de baleine en vuie: Lizzy se relache