Life out at Sea

We continued our amazing pace all through Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday making it likely that we will get to Cape Verde on Saturday, ahead of schedule. I think we will all be grateful to get there, as whilst the speed is great the rock n roll is not so much fun and safe to say we are all pretty sleep deprived!

On Wednesday morning we woke up to the very unsettling and disconcerting news that Trump will be the next President of the US. To console ourselves my Uncle Peter brought out his famous USB stick of classical music! We sat down below, listening to Yo Yo Ma, to avoid the danger zone of the cockpit with the occasional wave breaking over the stern and soaking everything. They have been pretty big and demanding seas with waves constantly reaching 3 m if not more and a constant force 6/7 with winds gusting above 30 knots. Anyway it became evident that we were not alone in feeling very far away and out of touch with the world, as it wasn’t long before someone asked on the VHF if anyone knew who was president. We replied and her response was ‘oh my God’! From emails with family it sounds as if we are better off staying out at sea for as long as possible but it is very strange to be so out of contact! Rarely in my life have I ever been so far away from the world of social media for so long and it has shed light on how unnecessary it is. Whilst I miss the immediate contact of speaking to friends and family, and seeing what people are up to and looking at the news, it is quite refreshing to be away from it all for a while. Ask me if that is still the case in Saint Lucia and my view maybe considerably different!!

Life on board is now getting into a pattern and we are all adjusting to the routine of night watches. Our meals so far have been pretty basic, but to say it is difficult to cook food when you are being thrown from one side of the cabin to the next ,with guaranteed half the food either going on the floor, all over you or in the sink, would be an understatement. I think it is safe to say that with so much meat I am compensating for the loss of it in Nepal after Christmas but I could possibly be vegetarian by Christmas. Yesterday we had meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner- not quite what I am used to but perhaps what was to be expected living on board with 3 men!! It is also surprisingly chilly when we passed the Tropic of Cancer yesterday, which I had envisaged would be boiling hot, and in t-shirts and shorts. However we were all in jackets with a backdrop of grey cloud but it was a welcome break from the sun! I definitely think I will suffer from severe shock when I come back to the UK at Christmas. Anyway, I am currently writing this at 3 am on my night watch, in the pitch black with no stars or moon (maybe a bit naughty of me) contemplating on when I will get my next shower and my insta update, so I look forward to making it to Cape Verde!