Without anyone knowing it in advance (apart from Lance and Claire), today was a different day compared to the previous four.

 

First of all we woke up for our different shifts with the information that the watch leaders were going to switch watches. I started this trip with Drew and Johannes in my watch (whom have been introduced in previous blogs) and I moved to the watch of Alex and Jose. Jose you 'met' in my last blog when he also won the speed record. Today he was leading again until Drew decided to own it and smashed his record by 2 knots at around 2300. Congrats to Drew! When I asked him which reward he wanted for his win he said: 'Can you say hi to my wife for me in your blog. Tell her that everything is fine and that it really is a great experience!'

 

Drew is no longer in my watch but Alex is. I met Alex (UK) during the Gibraltar - Las Palmas leg and since we are in the same watch again I think it is about time he gets properly introduced.

Alex is the bow monkey, poet and Benjamin of the group. Whenever we do a sail change he is woken if asleep and sent up to the bow to make sure things run smoothly there. He is part of the regular crew and first got in contact with Telefonica Black in Mallorca. After high school Alex was not ready to go to University yet so he decided to catch a plane to Palma de Mallorca and walk the docks to find a boat to work on. Through some friends he was made aware of a post on FB in which Telefonica Black was looking for crew. He sent an email to Claire and within 5 minutes he received a response with an invite to come introduce himself at the boat.

There was an instant click and since then he sailed with them from Palma to Malta to Sardinia. He then found an Atlantic crossing on a Motor Catamaran in December but came straight back to Telefonica Black in Gibraltar to join them towards Antigua. His second Atlantic crossing in 2 months.  

 

As for the future Alex does not know yet what he wants to do. Who does at 18 anyway (Or 25, or 40, or 60). Do you know what you want to do when you grow up? I still have no clue.. Anyway, Alex has given himself till June to find a job on a (super)yacht and otherwise he will go to University and most likely study Physics. With his work ethics, sparkling personality (he made me say this) and his enormous interest in the world in general, I reckon he will be successful no matter what he will choose.

 

So I started this blog with that today was different. Firstly because of the watch leader switch and secondly (and probably even more important) we got to use the shower today!! Do not get any ideas in your head though, it is not a shower like you have at home but a black bag that has been sitting in the sun all day so that the water could warm up. Then we hung it on one of the dagger boards and gravity then made sure that the water would trickle through a small pipe onto your head. Make shift, but a treat none the less. It is do-able to chemical wash all day with baby wipes, but it is sooooooo nice to (properly) wash you hair. I am sure I could have made a big Mohawk out of my hair this morning if I tried, but that is all solved now.

 

Sailing wise the days seem to blend together. It was again a beautiful day with winds between 15-22 knots with slowly rising temperatures. This morning we changed back from the J4 to the A7 and just before sunset we reversed it again. We change to the smaller jib at night because the wind tends to pick up at night and we preferably do not want to do any sail changes after dark. Safety first.

 

Angela