Monday 19th July (Lini’s Journal)
Brindabella's Web Diary
Simon Williams
Sun 25 Jul 2010 23:35
Groundhog Day – Another grey and drizzly start but we’re thankfully
plodding ever closer to the UK! This morning however with two sails,
it is a slightly quicker plod of around 6kts. The winds are SW F5-6
and if the sun was shining things would be about perfect. So foul is
the weather we still stay below, only poking our heads up to look for
boats without AIS. Visibility however was so poor early this morning I
had to use the radar to check for vessels.
We had a slight change to our watch system last night with a few
4hour watches. I gave Si some cereals at 6am so a rumbling tummy
didn’t wake him and as I write at 9am he is purring away in the sea
berth. We always feel better with longer watches but it hasn’t worked
this trip with SSB nets and present meal times.
I mixed bread dough yesterday as it needs a day to rise in these
arctic temperatures! I have just grabbed the dough monster by the
throat that is escaping from the bowl and threatening to engulf us
like some bad 1950s horror movie. I made cinnamon and raisin bread for
coffee time, pizza for lunch and put dough aside to cook fresh for
lunch tomorrow. I strongly suspect that it is in danger of eating us
though before we eat it! Huhm! We’ve definitely been at sea too long,
that and us both feeling more healthy, things are getting silly on
board.
It was a mistake to have caffeine just before my morning nap. I lay
awake for ages unable to sleep and in that short time temperatures
plummeted, drizzle turned to rain then later to fog. Our wind veered
then died and the seas became sloppy with waves rolling us violently
one way then the other. I only took my hand off the spice box
momentarily while cooking, when a large wave jerked us. Over twenty
spice jars, cruet pots and condiments flew from the cupboard, a couple
smashing when they hit the worktop. Skipper was not happy! I counted
my blessings there was no damage to the galley and at least the air
was exotically filled with spices.
When very tired I retired at 7pm we were still enveloped in fog
with the radar helping to keep watch. At 9pm I woke, when in a spurt
of thrashing boom, sails and bad language, Si hoist the sails in a
brief spell of breeze. Within minutes it was gone, the headsail furled
again, steam belched from Si’s ears and the tightly sheeted boom still
clattered about all through my first watch in horrible lumpy seas
while the engine was put to use again.