Biscay bruises - the view from the galley (plus more pics)
Tamarisk
Tue 9 Aug 2005 13:53
day three" I told her, "when the the wind was up and I was trying to
turn the remains of day one's bolognese into chilIi". I had lurched
back from the cooker on a particularly steep wave cracking the back of
my leg on the corner of the bottom companion way step. We'd both left
Falmouth the same day for the four day sail across Biscay. And our
tales were much the same. So we swapped stories of injuries gained
performing what seemed at the time like heroic domestic feats. Getting
the children up and dressed before dark, trying to find story tapes,
tape player, headphones and batteries in a boat that looks like the
tail end of a jumble sale. Then of course there's food, there's always
a meal to plan, and the plans have to include all the contingencies.
Pans of boiling water don't work well when we're rolling and crashing
against a big swell. And believe me when you're seasick the last thing
you want to open is a tin of chicken and dumpling stew.
But finally four exhausting days later we were sitting on the beach
soaking up real foreign sunshine with the children leaping in the waves,
no more slot machines and jumbo sausage rolls, it's cold beer and
watermelon from now on. And we wear our bruises with pride. Later
that day, Sophy, sailing south with her husband and two children, asked
me if I was enjoying it. Now there's a question, it's the one we don't
really like to ask...or if we do it's not just after a long passage.
Sometimes I can't imagine much worse, holding Anna's hair back as she
wails into a bucket that she hates the trip and wants to go home,
feeling sick myself and trying to make a very late lunch for two very
tired nightwatchmen, 250 miles off France with 36 hours to go to dry
land wasn't a great moment. But then when we arrive it's fantastic and
we strut around the marina hanging out the wet weather gear on the boom
to dry, like huge "WE'VE SAILED AN OCEAN" signs. So I'd say we are in
pleasure credit at the moment, I know there are times to come when the
debits will be huge, what's been heartening to find out is that it's not
frightening just hard sometimes.
The challenge of keeping the boat going is falling mainly to Tim. I've
had to accept that there will be a distinct division of labour, as I'm
not from the Martha Stewart school of housewifelyness this has not been
an easy adjustment. It's better when we're in port, as I write Tim
has sped off to the market to buy some fish for tea, but there is a lot
of general fiddling to do on the boat, the loo seat broke yesterday - I
suspect it took a few heavy falls during Biscay. And it's no good
leaving the children to their own devices all the time, they've been
great at finding friends and fruitless fishing for hours...but we are
living in a very small space and there's no TV and playstation to
babysit them. So I will take them to the aquarium this afternoon and
Tim will head for the chandlery (another "raid").
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Hayden and Brad, they will travel back to
the UK on the ferry from Santander. They have been fantastic. No
matter the mechanical problem, the sea swell or the weather Brad always
has time to roll a cigarette and calmly sort it out. Hayden has shown
enormous willing to do the nightwatches, and has been a great companion
and big brother for Eddie and Anna. Then we four will head south
again, we're hoping to complete sixty miles to Camarinas, that'll take
at least ten hours. Tim and I will get up early sailing at first light
with the children asleep. The next few stops will be inlets on the
west coast of Spain and then into Portugal. Our plan is to be in the
Algarve by the end of August. Most people we meet are heading the same
way, many hoping to get to the Caribbean, and many with children. So
it makes what we're doing seem quite normal, I'll remember that in the
next Force 7.
P, La Coruna, Aug 9th.
PS. Thank you for all the Sat phone messages. We´re getting them everyday
which has been great. We've now worked out how to make the phone accept
incoming voice calls, soon we'll have the onboard emailing going.
Below:
The previously promised shot of England vanishing while Brad kips
Eddie on the beach in La Coruna
Eddie and a buried Hayden
Saturday night rowing races off the beach in LC
Eddie fixes the steaming light
Anna and the Torre De Hercules - the world´s oldest lighthouse