AQP Blog
Given that nada has really changed sailing-wise in circa four days, I’m opting to hit you with more real time news. With the boat at a 45-degree heel and slamming up and down waves in a fashion so erratic even the most seasoned sailors lose balance to be flung across the deck, all kinds of chaos emerge. The galley becomes the mecca of chaos, as crew cook 60 hot meals a day in some immensely challenging circumstances. Recently, George took to throwing our reconstituted potato (smash) over Phil in an attempt to decant it into a bowl. The sleeping corridors look nothing short of a car boot sale on the waltzer ride. OBR Meredith has been seen wondering around in large Musto mid-layers, the same size that Hans lost many days ago. Some are calling her a thief. Charli-boi has smoked more ciggies at the back of the boat than most people have had hot dinners. Gwin still wins most fashionable, with her most recent fit being an aqua blue drysuit, hunting camouflage balaclava and a whale neoprene hat! Thomas remains the happiest man in Europe, and Andy impresses us daily with an extensive, and terribly intellectual vocabulary.
The worst area of all down below, is the loo. Now, this is a topic we become very open about on board, and 20 days at sea numbs us to the reality of how much detail is appropriate to share. I will allude and let you fill the gaps. Picture the scene, pop your normal toilet on a swinging platform, and instead of automatic flush, you’ve gotta pump around 20 times for your waste to make it all the way up the pipe and out of the boat. With the slamming and bouncing, sometimes people have not been managing all 20 pumps. This gives a false sense of security to the next user, who sees a clean and empty bowl, little do they know, the previous lot of beans and reconstituted potato awaits them in the pipelines, and one roll the wrong way, and you can be indiscriminately victimised. It's true and it does happen. It is a very unique aspect of the ‘teamwork’ on board to experience this, and it's safe to say this race, aptly named the Ultimate Test of Perseverance, applies to far more than the sailing.
On deck, the crew are working immensely hard to don their layers, get up there and get repetitively slammed by freezing cold waves. It is amazing how hard this team works just to keep us going, and anyone following along should be seriously proud. This type of ocean sailing makes me really appreciate the simple things in life: real potatoes, a toaster, a flushing toilet, and most of all, the privilege of time with family and friends. I hope when your sailors return, you see the newfound excitement for the simple and know that when it is challenging out here, it's the tales of home and funny anecdotes of life shared that keep each of us pushing along.
Big hug to those at home,
Laura, Dan and the UNICEF troopers