We are now firmly in the doldrums, bimini up, blazing sun, flat water. And a bird we have named Gerald who has joined us for some miles now.
Yesterday was a busy day, we organised a stores transfer with Zhuhai of a part for our watermaker, after nearly seven hours of sheer determination, skill and a lot of sweat the watermaker is fully functional. Huge shout out to Skipper Dan, whose bountiful engineering knowledge never ceases to amaze us all. Also to Zhuhai for a smooth stores transfer and yummy sweets, it was lovely to see you guys.
While we worked on the watermaker, the boat was busy with action, the whole team doing a deep clean, servicing winches...only to find a flying fish in the compartment which keeps our pedestal arms out of sight. In addition, sail repair worked hard to reinforce our head and clew strops. A busy day all round and a great effort from everyone to get our ship in her best shape. After the watermaker was up and running, the heavens blessed us with a fresh shower. At one point, bilge cleaner was nearly mistaken for shampoo, which would have been hilarious.
Today has been a different day. After the mammoth effort yesterday, today was decompress chill and play day. It was my birthday, and the crew went above and beyond to celebrate. I feel immensely blessed and privileged to be here with them celebrating my 23rd lap of the sun in the doldrums. We had non-alcoholic gin and tonics, cake, music, and an activity Tom and I have had in the making for months...doldrums crazy golf. We have been hiding some balls and a putter for over a month now in anticipation of this day. We set up the course this morning, consisting of three holes, characteristically named after places we have been so far: The notorious Bay of Biscay, The Mountainous Cape Verde and the Bumpy Bouncy Portuguese Coast. Two medals, and a trophy are up for grabs in the competition, along with a myriad of pride.
The microphone was out for professional commentary of the event, with George coordinating the international sports media coverage. Playing golf on a moving boat is hilarious and provided some of the funniest moments we have had together yet, with footage in abundance I am sure you will all see soon. The whole affair was spectacular, with one of my favourite moments being Martin singing “Getcha Head in the Game” from High School Musical into the mic, while another fearless crewmember took on the mountainous Cape Verde hole. Bundles of fun and a lot of giggles.
To Tom’s family, who when he asked for a putter replied “what type of green will you be playing on?”, it was blazing hot fiberglass with KiwiGrip, certainly a new one for your lovely Callaway club I am sure! Our Finnish lady Zina is at the top of the scoreboard currently, but the competition is not over yet.
Today has also involved chess, reading, music, cards and lots of calming activities. It is lovely to rest, but our minds are already jumping to our next stretch, talking tactics and routing between the fun. Thank you to the big blue family for making today special and we are all excited to celebrate our next occasion onboard – our equator crossing!
Big Love,
Laura, Dan and the UNICEF crew