Firing up the engine on a sailing yacht on passage is something of an abomination, abhorred by the purists and not much liked by the rest of us. This nowithstanding, there is a great deal to be said for the comfort one gets from being able to defy the elements, when the wind fails. There is also much to be said from not hanging around in the Atlantic when the next weather system coming along might just be a corker. After a few days of frustrating and/or testing sailing, it is nice to be able to take the pressure off (sail tweaking, sail changes, plotting, course alteration….) and sit down! Eating, sleeping and showering are all much more pleasurable when the boat is stable (relative!) and under control.

Moreover, you have much more time to enjoy things, even if this is a solitary affair with the two-handed watch system: the clear sky at night and the fantastic array of stars for example. Last night, we separately witnessed extraordinary meteorite displays again. For the first time on this passage, Ali has managed a bit of reading, and I have revelled in night watch music. The miles tick away steadily, with none of that gybing and tacking stuff. We did finally manage to get a 4-eyed sighting of dolphins today, which is a first for the trip, when having a cuppa at the 1000 watch change.

When handing over on a double-handed passage, time is of the essence: need to get breakfast down quick, need to visit the loo (having been avoiding disturbing the sleeping “beauty” for the last 90 minutes), need to fill in the log, and need (oh so much) to get to bed to grab a couple of hours’ kip (it is never more than that, despite the theoretical 4 hour down time). One develops processes to minimise the time wasted out of one’s bunk, and Ali has adopted an unusual but effective disrobing process, which I share with you now:

We have been thinking hard about this, and how the right kind of arrangement might be a godsend to thousands of sailors worldwide. The existing kit that the big brands sell (at exorbitant cost) to the yachting public is not ideal for this kind of quick peel-off arrangement, as they have gone for what they call “layer” technology – ie they sell under-, mid- and over-garments individually, to make the most money from the gullible sailing fraternity. What is needed is something essentially simpler, cheaper and more peel-able, which is waterproof but tough.

We give you the new cost-effective solution, and are thinking of calling it something sophisticated (‘cos the yachties like that) such as the “HPX Racing Romper Suit”. What do you think?

Portugal can’t come quick enough, and the sanatorium still has space….

Fill yer boots,

Watergaw