Today’s blog is by Jeremy aka the Thomas Hardy of the cruising world.

 

And as the salt hardened crew of the good ship Carrick enter there third week at sea the business of crossing oceans goes on seamlessly. Dave is to be found taking up his usual position, on his back in his cabin, like Lenin reposing in his tomb.  Allan on the other hand is purposely striding through the cabin with a large rubber mallet in his hand heading for the water electricity turbine which he intends to ‘mend’ by hitting it very hard. Jack is just sitting at the wheel looking like a cool film star in some rather fetching shorts.

Meanwhile Jeremy is in the galley trying to make apple crumble from rotten apples, without a recipe ,in a rolling sea. Provisions are now depleting at an alarming rate. The last of the fresh meat was eaten last night ,a little ‘high’ but tasty ,the tomatoes are all gone, the green pulp that was cucumbers long gone over the side. Some Salami slices have escaped and mixed with stale yogurt in the bottom of the fridge and the ‘fragrance’ is overpowering.  We will soon be eating our deck shoes with baked beans if we don’t catch another fish soon.

Capt Allan tries to inspire his motley crew ,but with there unwashed bodies, long grey beards and sunken eye sockets they are hardly recognisable as human beings. Throughout the night they are shaken awake and drag their tired limbs on deck to face another squall of driving rain, billowing sails and flailing ropes. Some seaweed was spotted today and Dave in a fit of delerium shouted we must be near land. We find he has been drinking sea water in his cabin and he is now lashed below and we fear for his sanity, nothing new there.

So as you sit there in your padded armchairs, your feet in front of the fire and the rain lashing on the windows, spare a thought for the four pathetic souls battling wind and tide to reach the new world.