17:09.019 N 42:49.30 W

 

Today we seem to have hit the cursed doldrums, where winds die and leave sailors stranded in sweaty humid conditions for periods that seem endless. We have bobbed around making next to no progress and wishing that the Hanse 46 had been fitted with air con as standard.

 

These doldrums have a historical reputation of making sailors irritable. This negative mindset is not really what you want on a small boat 1000 miles from the nearest shore. It is therefore best to try and keep upbeat. Sam’s approach to this conundrum was an interesting one; While the rest of us lounged around sunning ourselves and reading, he decided to cook a full 3 course meal for lunch. This was a fabulous idea for those of us who got to eat it, but not so amazing for the ‘kock’ (cook in Norweigan) who actually had to prepare it in the sweltering conditions.

 

Sam was stuck downstairs for what seemed like hours in 30 degrees of very sweaty heat. After some time, Steinar and I took pity on him and dove down in to the steaming depths to give him a hand. Steinar had a very important reaon for helping as he had just reeled in s giant Dorado and wasn’t keen to let Sam ruin it with his rather rough and ready approach to food preparation. We arrived to deck level sometime later with steaming platters, moistened by the sweat from our brows, which I believe only made it taste all the saltier (an important part of the diet in a hot climate.)

 

I’m not sure that this had a hugely positive effect on the mental state of all those cooking, but at least it made the day go by and seemed to lift the spirits of the crew. Night is falling here and we are still sat rolling in the swell in next to no wind. Hopefully the situation changes soon.

 

//Ivory