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8:12 18:38.78N
40:57.96W
Well day 14 and Barbara here. So much for
the good weather we had at the start - 4 days of storms and squalls and we are
all sick of being wet. All of our clothes are wet, our waterproofs are
wet, our bedding is, well, damp due to a succession of wet people getting into
it, and as I speak Chris and Kevin are hand pumping out the bilges cos they're
wet too. At least this morning is bright, sunny and breezy, so there is
the possibility of hanging stuff out to dry, but I thought that yesterday and
then it all got splashed by a wave. And once stuff gets sea water on it,
it never really dries - the salt attracts moisture out of the air.
('deliquescent' as I remember from my school Chemistry, thank you Mr
Clifton. I have been waiting 20 years to use that word. I was
marginally beaten to it by a house mate a few years ago who described a girl she
didn't like as deliquescent as it also means 'wet-looking'. But I
digress)
One piece of good news - we passed the halfway
point yesterday! hooray! lets celebrate! We were all a bit too tired from
the exertions of the rain and the rolling to really pay it the attention it
deserved. I wanted to stop the boat and go swimming but the skipper
wouldn't let me: something about the waves being too dangerous. Well
anyway. No turning back now.
Its a very strange thing this long
journeying. It doesn't really feel to me like we've actually gone
anywhere. Since about day 2 when we lost sight of land we've been staring
at the same 7 miles of blue horizon, it wobbles up and down a bit and
occasionally a boat goes past, but that's all. There's no changing scenery
to relate to - we may as well be going to France but it's hotter.
Anyhow. Today's general discussion is :'we
don't want to have to put up with this any longer than we have to so how can we
get there as fast as possible?' Brace yourselves folks! Prepare
for full head sails - both of them, and mainsail, and engine all day and all
night. We're not scared of a bit of broaching, reefing is for day
skippers. we are fed up of this rolling and can taste those rum-and-cokes, and
we plan to be on the beach by next Tuesday...
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