Evening blog, day 7 at sea.

Calypso's Web Diary
Joe Drury
Fri 10 Jun 2011 20:06
 
41:50.6N 16.18.3W
 
1950 GMT, 503nm to go.
 
It's a very beautiful evening out here in the middle of the sea... The sun has just set and the clouds in the west are all multicoloured, wispy stratus, the clouds above me are that milky, summery cream and the sky is a deep blue. The sea is completely flat, like windermere lake apart from a very gentle swell, and every so often punctuated by a pod of dolphins which don't want to come closer than a couple of hundred metres. It is completely quiet apart from the occasional slat of the sails and of bubbling water as we pass through the sea at about 2-3 knots.
 
I'm cooking dinner, chicken in a white wine sauce with sweetcorn and new potatoes, it probably sounds nicer than it is... A bit of a dissappointing day, miles-wise but it's made up for it as it has been so calm I have done lots of jobs, tidying, sealing and mending, including filling the cooker and sewing (as best I can) the Genoa. I've totally caught up on my sleep, having nearly 3 hours this afternoon and 4 hours last night.
 
It has been almost a week since I left from Falmouth, at this point last Friday Alex and I were sat in the boat in Pendennis harbour, fretting about the start 12 hours away. In many ways it feels like more than a week has passed, because of the differences in the days and all the nights I've stayed up worrying about the course, speed, sails, whales, other boats and many other things that worry a solo sailor. I've totally enjoyed it so far, dealing with the anxiety and frustration of being becalmed is something all sailors have to overcome, but I am happy.
 
I'm going to watch "Human Planet" BBC documentary tonight, my favourite part of the day. I've been limiting myself to one episode per day, tonight is "Grasslands". Dinner is about ready now, so wherever you are, you can imagine me tucking in as the night envelopes the north atlantic. I spoke to Alex today, which was lovely, if anyone is feeling particularly flush you can always try the satphone for a quick 5 minute chat!
 
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