Richard reports on the vicissitudes of life on a small boat. Diamond Blue left Gran Canaria on 21st November.
“All going well out here, I’ve been asked what we do for exercise? Well, with a big swell one gets bags of isometric exercise simply hanging on for dear life to try and remain in one spot. There are certain spots on the boat both below and in the cockpit where it’s easier to wedge yourself – but likely I will find them already occupied- no droit de seigneur for this skipper.
Out here one is away from all the more usual light pollution and we get amazing night skies with either stars galore or a full moon currently. We have also become connoisseurs of which order it’s best to eat our finite stocks of fresh fruit and veg, as after that it’s onto the cans.
For a few of the Fleet there is a racing division and the very fastest of these have already arrived in St Lucia. The vast majority are in The Cruising Classes where, as in life, no one admits to racing but everyone constantly compares their progress with the others on an app called YB Races. At 39 feet we are a relative tiddler and ultimately the longer the boat the higher its theoretical maximum speed, but it will come as no surprise to those who know me that I am always hoping to catch the boat in front! Not that we have actually seen another boat since day 2.
Delicate human moment this morning- the 2 members of the crew who can, are growing what will end up as rather distinguished looking beards. The third member of the crew was overheard saying “face fungus makes people look much older”. Is this the first sign of psychological breakdown….?
Yesterday Venetia spotted the beginnings of a tear in the Genoa (our only remaining and thus terribly important headsail). We immediately took it down and repaired it with adhesive tape which so far appears to be holding.
Given that we have been at sea for over 2 weeks now something of a credit to the provisioning / cooking that we have only opened one tin (and that was coconut milk). E and R coming to join me in the Caribbean for Christmas will doubtless be delighted to find the bilges full of tinned food.
I’m afraid the purple squid disintegrated after being pulled along behind for days so we are now hoping the blue one will tempt a passing fish. PG Wodehouse “clutching a passing table” is entirely apt in our situation.”
Diamond Blue is 11th in a class of 29 and expected to arrive on St Lucia at 7.00 am on Saturday.