Dear All,
As we head south it’s gradually getting warmer and as a result it is impossible to get your clothing right. Take off a couple of layers and sit on the active sheet for an hour and you freeze. Take your turn at the helm or on the grinder and you sweat buckets, your clothes get soaking wet and then you get even more cold back on the active sheet as you rotate jobs. Then you get a rash all over from sitting in wet clothes!
I want to talk today about boat culture and our skipper Jeronimo. Every boat is different. On some boats, you might focus on one or two main jobs. This means you specialise in one or two core areas - it's very efficient and it works well for some. Jeronimo, however, has a motto that ‘no one is left behind.’ Everyone is encouraged to do everything. We are also a seriously competitive boat and we race hard and we race to win. This means that there is a constant balancing act allowing everyone to be at the helm and allowing all the mistakes to be made which cost time and miles and at the same time encouraging everyone to improve their skills. This is all done with such good will and good humour. Jeronimo makes it all look so easy. When we are all exhausted, he bounces on deck and rallies around everyone and keeps us all going. I don’t know where he gets his energy. The only person we are allowed to shout at is Graham who is deaf from years of scuba diving!
Image: On board Punta del Este
The ‘Mothers’ on this leg have produced some delicious gourmet food. The food bags for each day have been filled with totally random tins and wraps and pasta etc. and there are no recipes. They just work with what they have and the results have been astonishing! David Watkins and Andrew Henry are our star performers. The boat is also awash with snacks, lollipop sticks, gummy bears, crisps, biscuits etc. There is a santa sack full for each watch each day. Joost is constantly to be found making off with the whole bag!
As I write, Chip is being sent up the mast with the topping lift which is currently on the wrong side of the main halyard. Chip is always being volunteered for random jobs. He was volunteered for the ‘swimmer’ on our last ‘man overboard’ drill which involves jumping into the sea attached to one halyard and holding another which is to be attached to ‘Bob’ who is our incredibly heavy practice dummy before they are winched up together out of the sea. He gives out yards about being volunteered for these jobs but loves every minute of it! Meanwhile, on deck, Andrew is helping Linda improve her helming skills and she is learning fast.
That's all for now. Gerald in case I don’t get a chance to write again, Happy Big Birthday!
Love
Anne