31/10/12 - Lord Nelson

Day 13 31st Oct
Luckily Tuesday’s storm died down by mid-afternoon, although we were left with some very lumpy and confused seas which made life down below more than a little difficult. Hats off yet again to Cookie Dave, Margaret & the rest of the mess team for managing to serve up another amazing meal (one of the best yet, in my opinion) – it was just a shame that not everyone felt up to eating it!
When Aft Starboard came on deck for the 8pm to midnight watch, the skies had cleared leaving a beautiful moonlit night. The moon was bright enough to give clear shadows from the ship across the massive rolling waves, while only the brightest stars remained visible. When not craning our necks to stare at the sky, we amused ourselves by singing as many songs as we could think of that included the words 'rocking’, 'rolling’ or 'rain’. In retrospect we should probably stick to the fitness sessions.
By this morning the seas had calmed slightly, although the odd rogue squall or huge wave still pass us by. The screams from the Bosun’s Mates could be heard on the bridge as they inadvertently ended up inspecting the bowsprit under water for the second time today. Sorry!
We were all very saddened to hear the news about HMS Bounty. Our Ensign has been flying at half-mast today and our thoughts are with all those involved and their families.

Alison, Aft Starboard