Race 12 - Day 14
Crew Diary - New York, USA to Derry-Londonderry, Northern Ireland
04 July

Janine Rubie
Janine Rubie
Back to Reports View Team Page

It's just a bruise and some swelling. Nothing of consequence, right?

Wrong.

When you are heeled over at approximately 45 degrees - as we often are out here at sea - small things like a bruised and swollen palm can make a huge diffrerence.

The normal mechanics of moving around the boat change. You find yourself thinking about where you are placing your hands, how you grip the hand holds, and how you brace yourself against walls - all things that you would normally just do. The usual monkey style swing from hand hold to hand hold has to be adapted to one that negates the use of the damaged hand, and the mental effort it takes to think about this is exhausting.

I know this because it happened to me. Four days ago I fell and landed on my hand. It would have been inconsequential but for the lightweight sheet that lay between my hand and the deck, and which dug into my palm so much that I instantly headed to the freezer for an ice pack, and the first aid locker for some compression tape. The resulting bruising and swelling meant the usual ease with which I move about below deck was hindered as I had to think of new ways to get from A to B and back again.

Thankfully I was on Mother the following day so I could at least wedge myself into the galley. I was utterly rubbish though. I couldn't hold a pot. I couldn't hold the kettle. I couldn't even wash up due to the bandage on my hand. My fellow mother told me to sit and rest. Did I listen? Of course not. Instead I busied myself making cakes. Turns out I was rubbish at this too as Skipper took the whisk off me and mixed rather than watch me struggle with it. I felt defeated but mostly I felt exhausted.

Good things come from such incidents when you live onboard one of these tiny islands though. People asked if I was ok, how was my hand doing, and did I need any help with anything. The nurturing side of people came out as they rallied to help me through my physical pain and my obvious annoyance at being less able than I usually am. Small things that make big differences. Small things that I shall miss when this adventure is over.