My first blog entry of the trip and a very welcome one too as it is the first time since early on Monday morning that I have felt well enough to even contemplates typing. I have had one of my worst experiences of sea sickness in my whole life (no exaggeration here), but I’m glad to report the worst now appears to be behind me and I have enjoyed a first proper day at sea feeling human again!
At dawn we were treated to the wonderful sight of dolphins swimming alongside Lancelot and jumping the waves out in front of the bow. A truly magical sight and one captured by Mick on video. On another occasion I will hope to do the same but at that time I was still feeling somewhat fragile. I haven’t been participating on night watches for two days now, spending Monday evening on deck sleeping in my sleeping bag and yesterday down on a comfy bed in the main cabin. I will spare readers of this blog the details of my last 48 hours but it was pretty grim, reminds me of the old adage about feeling like you’re dying when you have sea sickness to finally wishing you had died later on!
Anyway, let’s hope I have fully recovered now. We are passing by Cap Verde islands with the idea if I was really bad I would have to get off there and quit – yes it was that bad. But I’m now hopeful that I will be able carry on. As I write this it is just past 6pm UK time we have just had thai curry for dinner, the sun is setting and the sea is a wonderful calm as we sail gracefully along at 4 knots or so. It has been a somewhat calmer day than the last couple where we were doing more like 7-10 knots.
But the calm conditions did bring an opportunity to do the one thing I had wondered whether we would have occasion to do – swim in the deep blue Atlantic! Mid-afternoon it was baking hot, limited wind – in fact our speed read 0.00 knots – and Jacko decided to give up with the spinnaker. As a result the call went up “who fancies a swim”, which was enthusiastically welcomed by me! Perhaps too enthusiastically as this was quickly followed up by the comment “but come back to the boat” by one wag!
As the crew jumped in to the rather surprisingly warm water a chorus of rhapsody from the bohemian swimmers could be heard across the calm, blue waters of the ocean, perhaps drifting as far as some of our competitors whose masts and sails we could make out on the horizon. I spent the most time in the sea, truly invigorated by the experience and the break from the boat, it has to be said! And we swam in sea with a depth of 3400m, something I had always thought would be cool to do – and so it was.
Now the spinnaker is being hosted again as we set in for the night watches. I will be back on for these watches, starting I think at 10pm. Calls for tea and coffee are going up and it feels good to have rejoined the human race! More to follow…
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