Odd weather today, there was a cold chilly wind with odd spots of rain but no torrential downpour. What a pity!! We had a good lunch as usual which was freshly made lasagne but numbers were down eating below deck, some ate lunch on deck and others were not feeling so good.
For me the weather means it is like being rocked in your bed but sometimes it is like being tossed from side to side by an angry child. On deck, nothing stays still, it makes navigating my way round the ship hard. I can’t map out a picture route in my head so the rocking motion makes it more tricky. As I am blind.
Most people spent the afternoon quietly in bed or on deck. It was particularly rough in the afternoon. From the eye of the observer, the power of the ship seems like she is slamming her way through each oncoming wave, racing forwards as though all waves must give before her. An appropriate sight since we are now racing.
More sunshine appeared this evening, hazy on the horizon.
Perhaps due to the weather improvement, the mess was fuller this evening though some still ate on deck. Generous helpings of roast lamb, vegetables and roast potatoes (sadly no second helpings) were followed by peaches and ice cream. Sadly, however, some people were not in shape to enjoy the food. Hopefully the weather will improve for them tomorrow.
In the Upper Mess this afternoon the waves were so high and erratic it sometimes sounded as if trays of drinks were being hurled to the floor, or that someone had started to vandalise the kitchen with the crockery. In truth, sliding crockery was a problem at lunch time and it is fair to say the messmen had their work cut out today.
There were very few sail changes due to the wind being fairly consistent and in the same direction. Every now and then the yards have been adjusted to achieve the best point of sailing (known as bracing).
After 8.00 this evening the spanker was set which meant that most of my watch missed seeing dolphins. Sadly no mermaids yet!! I think it is fair to say that many people had difficulty sleeping last night because the sea was still quite choppy which meant that the bunks tended to be at odd angles. This is particularly a problem if you like to sleep on your side as I do.
Thursday 14th August:
This morning began in the usual fashion of an excellent breakfast provided by our cook David – porridge and fry up. In all other ways, today was slightly unusual as we had some changes of plans. Firstly, we had the honour to become the race control boat for the race for a while due to the official race control ship having to help a fishing boat in a Man Overboard situation. We also reached the waypoint which we had to pass 10 miles off the Scottish coast near Aberdeen. After lunch we will be heading towards Holland.
Because this would mean that we would need to do sail changes this afternoon, the Quiet Time was changed to this morning. (NB – Quiet Time is when no noise is permitted below decks and particularly people on late watches can get a chance for some shut eye.)
The Medical Purser was still very much in demand as the sea was still very choppy. To date she has done an outstanding job.
A snack lunch was provided early for the oncoming watch (us) and messmen of cold ham, cheeses, salad, cold egg and fresh baked bread – lovely.
Update By: Dictated by David Wilkins to Jenny Wedick