Day 8

12:01 23 to 12:00 24 November 2006

Steve tells me that it is Thanksgiving in good old USA.  Just an excuse for the Americans to get two turkey dinners.

Here it is another day on the ocean.

It is actually sunny for the first real time.  I am pootling along with 10 knots of wind, which actually managed to go E/NE this morning, with the waves, making 3+ knots.  I am trying for 150 degrees, but it goes all the way to 180 with the wave action.  I have a preventer on the genoa, am not going to pole it out.  It is reasonably happy, I can t stand it flapping about.  Having resolutely stuck to my course to avoid going too far W too early, I now have to work my way W.  150 miles to go and now have no chance of arriving tomorrow.  Hopefully early Sunday, that would be good if the officials have the day off.

Today s lesson – Natural History – The Ocean

Wildlife –

On the Ocean, that would be me, and no I am more domesticated than wild.

Above the Ocean, that would be the birds and I like birds at a reasonable distance.  So far I have seen 1 seagull, which as birds go I don t even like at a reasonable distance, if I liked seagulls I could have stayed in Brighton.  I had one visitor, a very pretty little bird, but don t expect me to pick it out in a line up.  It flew in and took shelter under my sprayhood and it did come back and sit on the cockpit, but soon flew away.  Yesterday there was a flock of very small birds skimming over the waves.

In the Ocean, that would be the fish and mammals, so far I haven t seen any.

Colour – the Ocean is Blue

Everybody says so, and it is true, but how.  The water is clear and yet when it is calm it is a deep royal blue, when it is very active it turns indigo, and when it really gets a cob on it goes nearly black.  It cannot be a reflection of the sky, because it is blue even when there is total cloud cover.  It cannot be the sand or whatever is at the bottom because that is 4000 metres down. (not something to dwell on).

Waves -

I like to sit in my seat and watch the waves, which is lucky because there is not a lot else to watch.  Up to 20 knots I am happy, 21+ and I am quietly bracing myself with a foot against the cockpit seating.

The waves just keep coming, from nowhere they form up and grow.  They roll towards the boat, sometimes they break before they get to the boat and sometimes they just go under.  They can come in a scissor movement from different directions at once.  Sometimes they take the boat with them and you go faster and sometimes they smash and act like a brake and slow you down.  Occasionally they break over the boat, which is only a problem if it takes you unawares and goes down the back of your neck or dilutes your cup of tea.  Waves still amaze me and when I get bored of watching them I think it will be time to get off the ocean.

I did take a little movie of the waves with my camera, but I don t think it will go on the website, too big.  It showed me how much the boat moves, even when it is not rough.

The ocean just pounds back and forth from one continent to another, into every little inlet and cove.  Always predictable, times, heights.

What would happen if the sun wanted a duvet-day and didn t get up, the moon loitered on its way home from work, or the stars ran amok.  If the twins of Gemini got sick of the sight of each other and didn t want to be in the same house any more; or if Orion threw his belt away because it didn t go with his new shoes.  Then the sea would not maintain its relentless schedule, busier than any Olsen ferry.  No siestas, Sunday schedules, or restricted due to maintenance or employee action days.

Profound, or just too long at sea on my own.