Reflection time about the last two weeks at sea, and some notes to myself.
First note: Take the darn sea sick medicine the night before heading out into the ocean. Take it again in the morning and again in the afternoon. After that it's likely I'll be fine, but meh, trying to be brave and tough is certainly stupidly brave, with the emphasis on "stupidly".
Second note: Fractured/broken sleep is for the birds. Every time I needed to change position, I woke up, changed position, then back to sleep. I'm sure it wasn't any more pleasant for the other person sharing the salon berth. During the trip, I caught sleep when I could. I'm hoping that during the round the world race, sleep will be a big more regular since I'll have my own berth to sleep in, though of course it's subject to being woken for sail changes, tacks, etc. That will be a challenge.
Today was devoted to sleeping and then putting up my blog entries from the last two weeks. I noted the decline in quality and length as the weeks wore on. Part of it is getting used to typing on the iPad on which I'm making my blog entries. It's a hassle, and is rife with spelling errors and such. Still, it beats lugging around a laptop, so I'll get used to it and improve. I also need to schedule it in rather than doing it whenever I am in the mood. Look at it as one of my crew duties, so to speak.
Some other things I've noted:
- Happiness is a warm bunk and enough sleep.
- If you're dirty enough, $17.00 for a shower seems a good deal.
- At sea, even the pickiest eaters will enjoy darn near anything put in front of them. I'm not a big fish eater, but even fish tasted good. Ditto with zucchini!
- Night watches are, simultaneously, scary and serene.
- It takes only one "long" leg (24+ hours) to make you feel like a 15 hour sail is an "easy" day especially since it's done almost entirely in daylight.
Two weeks on a 40 foot (yes, I know Canada is Metric. Sailing tends to cling to tradition. Call it a 12 meter boat if it makes you happier) with 7 other people for two weeks gives me a taste of what being on a 70 foot boat with 11 other people for 30 days might be like. Although the race boat is nearly twice as long and wider, it also has to carry more provisions, more sails, it has a communications suite, etc. I expect that the living conditions will be quite comparable. Plus these last two weeks were on a luxury cruising boat rather than a spartan racing boat.
Most of my stuff is strewn about the living room, clothes in the laundry. It's time to make that all ship-shape and start planning what I'll be taking with me to Seattle for three days crew familiarization on Quijote!
Did I mention what an angel I have, and how lucky I am to have her, in a wife? She's the best!
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