Sunday evening, 29 November - halfway there!
Gwylan
Charles Manby
Sun 29 Nov 2009 21:20
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We've just raised a glass (rum 'n tonic, gin 'n
tonic, white wine) to our achievement. In a 24 hours where we took down the
Parasailor, then flapped around with goose-winged white sails and finally put
the Parasailor back up again, we not only held our own against our competitors
but actually pulled ahead of them... um, remember I thought this wasn't a
race? Impossible not to feel competitive when the positions come in each
evening!
Night sailing can be quite fraught. Things
which seem easy in daylight are much more worrying when you are in a little
bubble of breaking waves, forging through the darkness, even if the stars are
magnificent; and last night was a bit overcast, so it was really dark, apart
from the moon. Personally, I'm always relieved when the sky starts to get
lighter behind us (we are heading 260 degrees, so nearly West, for the next 1400
miles). The darkest bit of the night is after the moon sets, often
beautifully. By the way, thank you to Peter, Sue and Lynne for providing
the Simpsons sisters'' names - the sunsets here are just like those puffy little
clouds at the start of the Simpsons.
Daytime is much more relaxed. We don't really
follow our watch system; whoever isn't doing much will take the helm, and
2 or 3 of us will usually be lounging around the saloon.. It's very hot
especially in the middle of the day, so the small bit of shade is welcome.
There's some dedicated sunbathing by Lara and Nicky (yes, Polly, we ARE working
on our tans!), usually on the foredeck until the sails put that in shade.
Some card games (Boererbridge, a variant of Oh Hell) and lots of reading.
I've read, so far, a very odd teenage horror paperback called Devil's Kiss
(can't remember why on earth I even own this, but it was quite gripping), an 800
page saga of the American War of Independence, with a touch of time-travel,
which I loved (thank you, Susan) and EM Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread, on
my e Reader - lovely, though somewhat inconclusive. I've just started
Margaret Atwood's new book, set in a post-apocalyptic future. Weird and
completely compulsive - thank you Helen! Lara is reading the Life of Pi(in
Dutch), Charles a huge History of the Ancient World, Carsten A Passage to India,
Tom is not enjoying the Kick Club and James has just finished a book called Iron
Coffins, about WW2 submarines. 'Nuff books!
There hasn't quite been enough wind today, and it's
very frustrating when the sails are flapping and St. Lucia isn't getting any
closer. Now the wind has got up a bit so we'll have another supper with the
table and everything on it rolling violently from side to side.
Ratatouille tonight. We had Mini Magnum ice creams this afternoon - this
freezer is amazing!
Saw two birds (fulmars maybe?) today, and Carsten
thinks he saw the tail of a whale. I can't say it's a wildlife-watcher's
paradise here, though. Lots of waves...!
Love to you all - we do enjoy your
messages.
Nicky (and Charles, James, Tom, Carsten and
Lara)
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