St. Helena to Grenada - Day 20
Harmonie
Don and Anne Myers
Fri 1 Feb 2013 15:01
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09:12.940N 53:35.010W
February 1, 2013
Arrival thoughts.
A little less than three days to go and antsy-ness has
officially set in. We are thinking about arrival while still leaning
heavily to port in seas churned up more than they should be in 20 knots of
wind. What can only be the equatorial countercurrent has come back to
haunt us, slowing our progress by 1-2 knots and creating surface chop as it
flows against the wind. We'll still arrive on Monday, but only after a
bumpier ride than we were hoping for unless the countercurrent gives way to the
more favorable Guiana Current which runs northwest along the South
American coast (the plan was to pick up the Guiana Current several
days ago, but it never happened). On the bright side, after nine days of
gray gloom, the sun has returned. Last night we saw the moon for the first
time in ages, and even the Big Dipper and Southern Cross came out to say hi (or
good-bye in the Southern Cross's case).
About our arrival.
Ahhhh....three days from now we will no longer have to plan
every hand and foot placement in advance when moving about the cabin. Nor
will excursions outside the cockpit be so adventurous (or salty). Boiling
water on the stove will not be a death defying feat, brushing teeth will not be
interrupted by an unplanned fall onto the toilet seat, drinking coffee will not
result in constant dribbles down shirtfronts, and pulling on shorts after a nap
will not result in backward tumbles across the stern cabin bed into the
port-side wall. The humongous towering pile of laundry will not tip
over and spread itself throughout the rest of the cabin, toweling-off after a
shower will no longer qualify as high adventure, there will no longer be a need
to wedge oneself into the helm seat to prevent sideways slips, and a very large
glass of wine (served in a real glass) can be placed on the counter without
fear. Blogs will no longer need to be written daily, logbooks filled in
hourly, or battery chargers run day and night. Sleep will entail more than
three hours and won't involve being pressed hard up against the
leeboard. Showers won't require the three-point stance (feet placed wide
apart, body bent with butt firmly pressed into the nearest wall), and neither
will cooking (feet placed wide apart, body bent with butt firmly pressed into
the nearest counter, left hand griping the nearest hand-hold while
right hand stirs dinner). There will be no concern for the wind or weather
(or very little), and interest in the outside world will re-emerge.
Personal hygiene will improve by way of haircuts and more daily showers, clean
clothes and towels. Hair will be combed more often and t-shirts scrubbed
in Sri Lanka until holes formed will not be worn.
I'd like to see a bevy of dock hands waiting for us upon
arrival in Prickly Bay Marina - each carrying a gift basket filled with all the
things we've been deprived of (tomatoes free of black sores, fresh pineapple,
chilled champagne, pedicure gift certificate, and a big vat of top quality ice
cream). Don would prefer a barber waiting on the dock with #2 clippers in
hand, a freezer-guy next to him equipped with all the tools necessary to crank
up the freezer (to make ice for a nice vodka and tonic), and a bevy of Heineken
girls with buckets of ice cold beer. We don't ask for
much. Certainly after 23 days at sea we deserve no less?
Day 20 progress - 160 miles
510 miles to go.
Anne
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