Walvis Bay, Namibia to St. Helena - Day 2
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Mon 31 Dec 2012 10:27
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21:10.076S 08:59.768E
December 31, 2012
Over the hump.
What particular hump is that? It's not Wednesday, we're
not halfway there, no one is sick, it is the last day of 2012, but that's not
the hump we're referring to. It's the
getting-through-the-first-two-days-(and nights)-of-a-passage hump. For us,
the first two days of a passage are the worst. To be blunt, they
suck. We don't sleep well, we don't eat enough because our bodies
haven't yet adjusted to the constant motion, a constant headache lurks just
beneath the surface of our skulls, and even the smallest lurch in one
direction or another causes us to lose our balance and ram into things
we've never noticed were there before. I remember arriving in St. Thomas
after that first challenging 1,500 mile passage from Norfolk, VA with our friend
Bill on board, and comparing bruises accumulated during the trip (most
accumulated unknowingly). Most passages are not that bad, but
a stealthy bruise or two usually appears somewhere along the way.
Day 3 (and today is technically the start of day 3, regardless
of this entry's title), however, is a whole different story. We wake up
from our various off-watch sleeps feeling somewhat refreshed. We feel like
eating. Sometimes cooking takes place, and most importantly, showers are
taken. So, give us a seven day passage versus a one or two or three day
passage anytime. We prefer it. Today is good. Tomorrow
will be even better.
We continue to sail nicely on a broad reach with (surprise
again!) 10-20 knots from the southeast. On occasion, the wind has crept up
to 25 knots, but never long enough to stir up big waves. The wind has
steadied out and become more easterly as we pull away from Africa's
influence. The clouds still linger, but at least the temperature didn't
dip below 70 degrees last night. It may finally be safe to put away all
socks for the foreseeable future. The last time we put the socks away was
on our way from New Zealand to Tonga in 2009 - it was three years before they
came out again in South Africa. We like it when socks become
irrelevant.
The water maker is still spitting out water with a higher
salinity than we would like, but we have plenty of water for now, so further
investigation will take place upon our arrival in St. Helena.
We have no big plans for New Year's, but will make up for it
in St. Helena. Day 3 is good, but the desire for champagne is still a few
days off.
880 miles to go.
Happy New Year!
Anne
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