Author: helen

Today was probably the best day of this crossing. Over night the wind and waves died down. There was no more pounding and banging. We sailed down wind, the sails wing on wing, the boat gliding over gentle swells. I could walk around without swinging from side to side, doing erratic dances, bashing into protruding objects. The sky was clear and blue. The wind no longer whipped around me but flowed over me, a light fresh breeze. My body and senses enjoyed the much needed rest from days of continuous hammering motion.
To top the day Steve decided it was gentle enough to use the washing machine! Cleaning the smelliest of the wash was like cleansing away my irrational concerns. It’s been wonderful to move with ease, relax and feel restored.

For Steve and John it was probably the worst day. The drop in wind meant the drop in speed. They spent the day feeling frustrated with the slowness of the boat. Watching the landfall ETA going further and further back. No fish caught to compensate.

It would be good to reach landfall. However when the sailing is this pleasant, I’m not in a hurry.

724…723…722…721… nautical miles to go!

As we head west, dawn and sunrise gets later and later on our current time system. My 8 am shift now occurs at dawn. My favourite time of the day. With my cup of coffee, I sit up at the helm and watch the world light up. The sun slowly peeks up over the horizon making the water glitter and sparkle. Sunrise obscured by clouds are often even more dramatic. Rays beam out and through the clouds the growing glow changes colors and intensity. There’s always that fresh feeling of expectation and promises of something new.
My night shift is also improving. The moon is waxing and it will be full moon in a few days. I can see clearly the scattered black clouds, the silver shimmer of the sea and the soft outline of the horizon. Being able to see all around makes me feel less vulnerable. So much better than swirling around in a black hole during new moon.

Recently we’ve been losing a lure every day so the fish are biting but we’re not noticing. With this choppy water its difficult to see when a fish is caught so Steve has devised an alarm. He’s attached an extension to the fishing line with a nut tied to it. Not the peanut type of nut but metal nut and bolt type. The idea is when a fish tugs on the line, the extension drops and the nut hitting the deck makes noise. We are hopeful!

We’ve hit another major milestone. 1001, 1000, 999. Yeah! We have less than a thousand miles to go and counting down in three digits. We’re beginning to get very excited about land fall. I’m already dreaming of a gentle rocking anchorage, a purring washing machine and a large bottle of wine.

Today I had slight anxiety attack.
It wasn’t because we were on a plastic boat, being tossed around like a speck on a vast ocean, a thousand miles from the nearest land.
It wasn’t the realisation that there are potential fronts bringing possible squalls or storms.
It wasn’t the knowledge that the continuous pounding of the waves and shaking of the boat could cause serious wear and tear.
What’s really really really getting to me is the growing pile of dirty washing. Steve doesn’t want me to use the washing machine because the movement of the boat could damage the drum during the spin cycle. And I’m sure he’s right but I do have a limited tolerance to smelly washing. Its hard having a much needed and loved appliance and not being able to use it.
You may say ‘What about hand washing’
Well, I have no tubs or large bowls and our small sinks can only fit two or three small items to hand wash. And try filling a sink with soapy water on a swaying, rocking boat. There’s a lot of large items to wash too. The sheet that Steve was on when a wet fish landed on him. Our used damp stinky towels, numerous sweaty T shirts, countless underwear. I am getting pretty desperate and obsessive. Steve may not mind wearing his undies for a couple of days but it doesn’t sit well with me. I like my clean knickers.

No milestones.
No incidents.
No visitors.
No fish
No change!
Am I repeating an old blog or are the days repeating themselves?

We did have one moment of excitement. We sighted a large boat about 2 miles away. John took a photo and zoomed in to see what sort of boat it was. It looked like an old rusty fishing boat. Within an hour we lost sight of it.

The wind has been the same for days so the waves are the same height, same choppiness, same direction, same amount of white crests, same color but still ever changing. If you look closer you’ll see smaller waves on top of the waves and then tiny waves on top of the smaller waves and teeny weeny waves on top of the tiny waves and so on. Like a fractile. I sometimes stare at the sky and clouds too. Finding shapes in the clouds. A boot, a witch, a wobbly wedding cake. Its amazing how many different faces you can see in the clouds. Sometimes all sorts of strange thoughts and ideas enters my mind as I stare out, mesmerized by the sea and sky. At other times my mind goes vacant, and an hour goes by without notice.

There’s a song we hear often on our player by the artist Seal. One line in the chorus really relates to me.

“You’ll never gonna survive unless you’re a little crazy”