I’m sitting in the galley, next to a lifeless Fi, opposite Alfredo who is light green, and where Susan has just left for her bunk– oh wait here is John the OBR come to join the party asking for paper bags - all are very seasick – we’re back sailing close hauled in Scottish waters and it's taking its toll!
The first 24 hours are never easy I’ve learnt, adjusting to the watch system, and especially after such a long stopover in Derry, being back on board doesn’t feel as natural as it did after 2 weeks over the Atlantic. That said, the general feeling on board is definitely positive. Earlier today sitting beside Linda, Jeronimo came down below from helming for his toast, and Linda said how nice it was that the sun was coming out. Jeronimo and I looked at each other like hmmmm… at which point Linda was like ‘oh no sorry that's just the overhead light’ - which made us smile and we nodded like ‘that sounds more realistic’.
Sailing in Scotland has been some of our most difficult – it seems incredible to me that the middle of the Atlantic can be calm whilst just a few miles off shore the weather is so extreme. It’s awesome being on deck though, before you get too cold, the scenery is pretty magnificent and this is sailing none of us will ever forget. Donald of course is enjoying being up on deck and never complains about the cold, after so much chat about Scotland he’s got to at least pretend to love it out there as the temperature rapidly decreases, coming down below with a smile on his face to put on another layer.
Anne is on Mother Watch today and I woke up to the sound of her shouting ‘oh for god’s sake’ and could just see the buttered toast she’d made fly across the galley. I feel for her – Mother Watch in this sea state is horrible. But honestly, despite unfavourable living conditions, spirits are high – there is an excited anticipation as we close in on the end of the race, a potential podium, and our final opportunity to sail together as a team on Punta.
Yesterday’s race start was great – we motored out to Greencastle and there all 11 boats jostled for the best position to begin the race. It’s the first Race Start I’ve done on one of these boats and in a strange way the actual start sort of passed me by, much more so than the Le Mans starts, because we were under sail and manoeuvring around the other boats before we crossed the line, then once started, very quickly we had to make a couple of tacks before heading out and it was only then that I looked around and we all realised we were out in front of the other boats. It was fantastic to leave Ireland – the rolling green hills and dramatic coastline, with the other ten boats all behind us. Of course this didn’t last long. The wind was light and trying to get out past the shoreline wasn’t straightforward, with plenty of sail changes – but last I heard we’re still near the front of the pack, alongside Qingdao and Ha Long Bay, Viet Nam, so we fight on! We felt especially touched to see someone standing on a hill on the coastline outside Greencastle, shouting ‘VAMOS’ - whoever that was (we don’t know) – THANK YOU! Another success for Punta.
For me our crew has been one of the best parts about this experience. The team on this boat is so cool – everyone brings something and has a story and we really all want to be here. The energy and enthusiasm starts with Jeronimo and Nano and we all appreciate how lucky we are to have them both. They work SO hard. Of course the sailing has been incredible too – varied, challenging, beautiful, and competitive – but the Punta del Este team has made it fun.
Happy Birthday to Mum and Papa this week, sending you both lots of love. X