Race 3 - Day 8
Crew Diary - Race 3 Day 8: Cape Town to Fremantle
08 November
Today Dmitry, our media crew member, cornered me and asked me to do a blog so here are a few thoughts free of charge – no pennies required today.
Today is day 8...I think, and although it has been often said, there really is no concept of time on these boats. Day to day life is dictated by meal times and watches and even asking crew if they knew what day it was, no-one could say with certainty.
I have signed up for Legs 3, 4 & 5 and for someone who has never really sailed before apart from the training weeks, I didn't really know what to expect. As the previous blogs mentioned, the first few days led us all to a false sense of security. The weather was warm, the winds mild and even non-existent at times which although was a nice respite from the storm the night before, as one of the crew mentioned, it just meant that the race to Fremantle was going to take even longer. Bring on the wind I say!
Well, Mother Nature listened and she has brought on the wind. Woohoo! Just a shame that the uncooperative Gold Stream is higher than normal and rather than pushing us downwind towards Australia, riding those big rollers that the Southern Ocean in renowned for, we are having to sail upwind, which quite frankly is hard work. These upwind conditions have made life on the boat super tiring. The boat is healed over at 40 degrees, she is thumping up and down, side to side and as she cuts through the waves she leaves us crew members on deck absolutely drenched. Even the simplest of tasks takes it out of you. Trying to get into your bunk feels more like a feat that should be left for gymnasts! It’s also got very cold. There was even ice on the bow sprit the other morning. Brrrr. But just as wits were starting to fray, this morning the sun came up and the day has been glorious. The waves have not abated but the sun dried out our foulies and have helped to restore the soul. I just spent my 6 hour watch manning the mainsheet and basking in the glorious sunshine, warm for the first time in days, with the aid of my 6 layers of clothing. It was also a great day for bird watching. I swear those birds must think we are crazy out here.... and after just 8(or 9) days at sea, I am starting to agree with them.
And many of our followers are probably looking forward to get an update on the vegetable chopper that Dmitry is heavily promoting – it is really catching on with mothers on duty. Today it convincingly beat old fashioned knife and cutting board technique in the chopping race. A single onion was done by chopper in 24 seconds vs knife in 120 seconds.