Race 1 - Day 18
Crew Diary - Race 1, Day 18: Liverpool to Punta del Este
06 September
Race 1, Day 18 by John Olsen and Krishna Patel
Day after day, day after day, we struck no breath or motion.
As silent as a painted ship upon a painted ocean...
While we haven't exactly been becalmed while sailing through the Doldrums, the boat has had a more relaxed air. This started at midnight when, to celebrate Spencer Bienvenue III's birthday, a group of adults donned pirate masks and decorated the the galley. Spencer was gifted a toilet bag with goodies including an inflatable parrot, sword, pirate chief's hat, Union Jack and, best of all, a bottle of Sriracha and Haribo.
The holiday air has meant crew members have taken the opportunity to wash both themselves and their clothes. While we dry relatively quickly in the Equatorial sun, the boat is festooned with articles of clothing; adding considerably to our downwind performance.
Apologies for those reading this in the UK who are on the cusp of Autumn chills but here on GREAT Britain, there continues to be little shade on deck during the day. We play a fun game of moving with the little shade there is across the deck, looking not unlike beach whales or seals on a beach.
Further celebrations of Spencer's birthday happened after lunch when he was presented with a cake lovingly prepared by Nicola and John (O). This was enjoyed by all the crew.
In other news Tim (RN Commodore retired) continues to seek assistance with chart plotting. This illicits a similar response from the crew as request to wool spinnakers. Everyone is suddenly very busy doing highly important tasks such as counting halyards (to make sure one hasn't been stolen) or undertaking helming positions (second helm, reserve second helm, acting reserve second helm, consultant helm).
Dinner was a again a celebratory feast prepared by Ed and Antonia. Steak and chips, which if you have any idea of the confines of the Clipper 70 galley, will give you an idea of the efforts they undertook to deliver this meal. Special mention also has to go to Pip in sourcing this from the butcher in Liverpool.
All in all, it has been an incredible day which has picked up the crew as we prepare to race onto Punta del Este.