On Saturday morning we hoisted the asymetric spinnaker in light Easterly winds. With a little extra speed we were able to overhaul catamaran Liza by dusk. The next nearest yacht to us is Thor VI, 40 miles away but we think that Rui has his spinnaker up on Friday as he made up 20 miles on us in 24 hours.

By Sunday morning, we have been sailing in winds much lighter than forecast. we have used the asymetric spinaker for over 24 hours now but we are making slow progress at only 5 knots. Liza is still in VHF range but has motored much of the night.

Ocean sailing is not for boring people, because as the anecdote says only the bored get bored, so that means people like us don’t get bored looking out to sea hour after hour day after day and now week after week. No news papers, no TV, not even any meaningful conversation. Mostly verbal pontification about the other yachts, how fast are they sailing.  They were motoring last night. This course will suit a catamaran much better. Course to steer, boat speed, what’s your wind, now on day 14, only 1 week to go. Winds changed. What time we will arrive in port?……..bla di bla. Same conversation tomorrow …..bla di bla.  And the next.

 So why don’t yachties get bored?    

Answer….Thinking!  

Thinking, just below us there is a vast and complex world in tranquil calm surroundings full of critters totally at home in their environment. In the air above, the sea birds are also perfectly suited to their surroundings they feed easily on the wing, rest and sleep on the water they can even drink salt water, they don’t care if it’s rough or calm sunny or rainy, perfect adaptation.

 On the surface are waves and swell there’s wind effect and currents nothing is flat, nothing is still, nothing is vertical or horizontal nothing lives here by choice. The only thing visible is dead stuff the occasional tree branch or coconut husk but mostly junk! Plastic, crap, things discarded by irresponsible modern society.

Then there’s us.

In BOATS.  Thinking! 

 We are constantly struggling to keep our life capsule going in these so called harsh conditions, fixing, bogging, making do, modifying, improving, because the original bit was never man-enough for the job. Our armature handyman attempts to repair often make things far worse. [Its better but ……It didn’t do that before….. fix that tomorrow]. All day, head in engine room, unpacking lockers to find a wrench, that doesn’t fit! Repack, next locker, forgotten which locker, likely to be under Mikes bunk or possibly under the sail-bags in the fo’cel. What’s for supper? Tined meet again, where’s the Beef in gravy? under Mikes bunk or ………………………………it goes on. And remember.

On the surface are waves and swell there’s wind effect and currents nothing is flat, nothing is still, nothing is vertical or horizontal.

Thinking what?…Answer… What the fudge are we doing out here?

JB.