Day 15 – High-tailing it from the High!

Good day folks,

I will try refrain from too much humour because all attempts I have made at it so far this trip have sent the crew rushing for the anti-nausea medication, (which is already quite depleted after the first few days). I do take fair delight from jokes that are so cheesy that the listeners are left quite annoyed at me for even speaking. But I will try sparing you unnecessary anguish by only talking about a real event that happened late last night...

I must first shed light on the latest advancement in the complex social structure aboard, which saw Ryan appointed as the head of the crew members union. This is because he is the most vocal about his grievances, for example, being woken up for a shift a few minutes early. Dad and I had occasion to raise an issue with Ryan after we felt we were treated rather unfairly by another crew member. It unfolded as follows:

Dad and I were woken up a whole fifteen minutes before our watch started, which is acceptable practice if there is a gybe or sail change, so we both diligently rose, donned our harnesses and took our places in the cockpit. It was at this point that Brennan (the offending crew member) pointed out that he had thought he had wanted to gybe but had changed his mind as our angle had improved with the approach of a very dark rain cloud. This same rain cloud sent Brennan swiftly to his bed before the end of his shift, with his last words to us being: you guys might need some jackets.

In summary: Brennan had woke us up early for no good reason and positioned the boat in the direct path of a rain cloud after enjoying all the breeze that preceded it for himself. There was insufficient time for us to sail out from under the cloud to avoid either the rain or the tedium of windless bobbing that followed it.  Dad and I thought the idea of Brennan having his blanket around his ears while we sat in his rain squall quite amusing, but I think there should still be some ruling on the matter. Are there any suggestions?

We had been instructed from early on to use a sanitiser spray when using the heads. As the breeze gets lighter we have to leave the comfort of the quarter berths  and start using the bunks amidships and in the bow (all of which are treacherously close to the heads) This close-quarters arrangement has led me to believe that the value of the sanitiser spray is more for sanity than it is for sanitation. I personally find the shining hour remarkably more bearable when spent abaft of the push pit!

Returning to matters of consequence, we have had a very tough time getting past all the light patches, with very confused waves making even 5 knots quite un-sailable. We are working very hard to get away from this light wind zone as quickly as possible. It is getting very hot now and sailing at night starts to become quite a lot easier than during the day.  The forecast did not even shed much better news, which Brennan announced to the crew with the words: “Hey guys, at least we get two more days in the trade winds!” That is fair to say but personally I am getting to the point where I wouldn’t say no to an ice lolly or twenty! We will just have to sail faster I guess...

In closing the crew would just like to give a shout out to our youngest follower, Benjamin, who is not 2 months old yet! Thanks Benjamin and hope to see you on the water soon!

Yours in Happy Sailing,

Ricky