Race 12 - Day 12
Crew Diary - Race 12, Day 12: New York to Derry-Londonderry
08 July

Anthony Barlow
Anthony Barlow
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Leg 8. 08/07/2018

The Homecoming as the adventure continues on the Irish Rover...

Greetings from HotelPlanner.com in the North Atlantic. Our good ship is filled with excitement as we head homeward. Music and song fill our temporary home courtesy of Dr G on his guitar. Mirth and joy are infectious causing frequent outbreaks of broad smiles and laughter especially from awesome Annmarie and Maeve and helped along with Carston's dry wit. Whales and dolphins often join us to share in the joy of the adventure and to help push us along to whoops of delight from the the on-watch crew.

Our international crew is living in a state of heeled mindfulness where below deck every simple functional movement requires careful planning, considerable effort and occurs in a slow coordinated drunken like motion constrained by an invisible treacle like substance at a turbulent 45 degree heel. Imagine a very slow purposeful coordinated dance in narrow spaces. Our brains are well adjusted to this bizarre environment.

The challenges for some of us include having to walk up walls like spiderman to climb into a coffin like bunk creating a temporary human bridge above a narrow corridor, hoping not to fall, that the bunk strap and lee cloth will prevent us from being launched into the abyss while asleep cocooned in our sleeping bag, trusting while asleep that any unexpected boat lurches accompanied by loud mechanical grinding and banging are normal. The most public challenge is of course the shared role of mother watch having to cook three meals in a cramped galley “The Bistro” for 23 hungry crew.

The rewards to mention a few are amazing sunrises and sunsets, deep albeit brief sleeps in our hot shared bunks while being swayed by mother nature, night time sailing under a canopy of stars and planets, night time visits from the ever curious sea life attracted by our deck lights and the phosphorescence in our wake reminiscent of fire flies, whales waving their tails, dolphins pacing us and surprise fly by visits mid Atlantic from a US Navy helicopter greeted by Mexican waves. Many eyes watch us.

Competition is top of the agenda at each watch handover. We are pushing hard for a podium finish. As we near the Emerald Isle our thoughts turn to the Foyle festival and more especially to our Skipper Conall's Derry home coming where a well deserved celebration fit for a hero awaits him. Liverpool beckons but Derry is next up.

Lots of love and gratitude to Cepta and all at home. Thanks for reading and for your support.

Tony Barlow