13:10 - South of Mauritius
Two and a half days until we arrive in Mauritius. Morale and excitement is picking up with the promise of solid land.
The weather has greatly improved in the last 12 hours, bombarding the deck with a roasting heat. The dodgy tans are now coming about.
Ricky and myself are unfortunately having to leave this adventure once we hit land. Seven weeks on board is too much for us at our present state of rehab, but we’ve enjoyed these past three weeks at sea.
The injuries we received in Afghanistan are debilitating as we make slow but steady progress. Prosthetic legs are starting to creak and not-so-old wounds are again at the front of our thoughts. Fortunately, everyone on board is very supportive and they understand why we must move along on our own. We wish them the best of luck in the next step of the voyage.
The t’gallant sail was ripped yesterday afternoon due to strong winds. We continued as per but today we took it down and had fun swinging about on ropes.
Afterwards, the wind took us off guard for a moment and we were quickly pushed aback. A little sail handling put us back on course and with good winds.
Each day brings with it its own challenges. Personally, I’m looking forward to a steak dinner, a meal I can eat sitting still and with the standard non-flying plates and cutlery.
Right now though we’re reaching the end of our first watch of the day. Hopefully there’ll be a few more laughs at the table and everyone gets a decent night’s sleep before our midnight start.
Chris Parkes Aft S’bd watch