Day 3 New Year’s Eve.

Anti Gravity and Dark Matter

The Atlantic swell is living up to its reputation. Capisce and her occupants, (despite this being  a ‘dry’ boat) are rolling from side to side, sometimes quite gently but occasionally with enough force to hurl anything not tethered, including oneself, across the saloon, braining anyone foolish to be standing in the way. As some boffin said, every action must have an equal and opposite reaction, or something like that, and the other effect can be weightlessness.  Quite useful if you time it right when climbing up the companionway, not so useful when trying to get to sleep. 

Try sleeping like this...  Lie down on a trampoline, snuggle up in your favourite sleeping position then get four rugby players to jump up and down on the trampoline in a random pattern.  The moments of weightlessness can be quite enjoyable, and being forced down into the mattress can be quite pleasant in certain circumstances, but sleep doesn’t come easily.

Then try this... Wedge your body into the corner of the trampoline, (it’s square) snuggle up and get the rugby players to repeat the jumping as before.  A bit better but you’re still doing the astronaut impression interspersed with walking on Neptune with a lead suit on.  Trying to brace oneself and get to sleep simultaneously doesn’t work. The only way it works for me is to lie on my back propped up in the corner surrounded by a wall of pillows.  Then when I’m nicely asleep, I wake myself up snoring. Eventually when you’re tired enough you do fall asleep and those rugby players on the trampoline can do their worst, you don’t wake up, until all too soon, it’s your watch.

Waking up in the night and being gently nudged out of bed to go up into the dark night on one’s own in the middle of an ocean, no one around, the only things to see are sea and stars, listening to the sea rushing up behind the boat then rushing away isn’t such a bad way to spend a few hours.  We haven’t yet seen another vessel, only a couple on the AIS but too far away for us to see them.  It’s quite lonely out here in a good sort of way, very peaceful and a great opportunity to play the ipad at backgammon and catch up on a bit of reading. Yes, purists, we do allow reading on watch and listening to ipods, and you won’t be keelhauled if you go below to make a cup of tea and have a wee.  This passage is tough enough without making in into an endurance test.

Tonight we shall be toasting the new year with a very small glass of Cava, so please raise your glasses to Capisce and her crew.  See you next year.

Photo of non-alcoholic beer ready for stowing.

Thought for the day: Life is what happens whilst you’re making other plans.