Today I will be wearing.....
Wicking thermal knickers, thermal leggings, a thermal long sleeved top, a t-shirt, a Buffalo fleece, another thick fleece, fleece lined salopettes, oilskin salopettes, an oilskin jacket, sealskin socks, scarf, balaclava and a fleece hat. And none of the above have been changed for the last 6 days. I've said it before, international ocean racing is a glamorous life..
Day 22 and still 1,949 miles to go. This leg is seeming endless, with Victoria still at least 10 days away. The restart to Panama has already been delayed by 3 days to hopefully give us a chance to have a day or two off for the first time since getting back to Subic over a month ago.
Plus, I have to say, relentless upwind sailing is not how it was advertised; for the first 3,000 miles we hit one weather system after another, bringing with it 30-40 knots of wind and biting cold. We're running a split watch system so that we only have two people on deck at a time for a maximum of half an hour, though given that you can still see your breath in the saloon, it's not exactly a case of staying warm and toasty down below. The boat is freezing and every surface is dripping with condensation, including bags, bunks and the outside of sleeping bags. Kit in general hasn't fared well - oilskins aren't proving waterproof, drysuits aren't dry, and will someone please make a glove that doesn't absorb every drop of water within a 20 metre radius. Other than that, morale varies between poor to mediocre; not helped by the prospect of being on food rations next week. I'd like to report that I've lost weight but it's difficult to tell when you have enough clothing on to rival the Michelin man - there's been times when I've struggled to fit out of the hatch to get on deck....
But, life can only get better after this. We've spent copious amounts of time discussing and planning food intake when we finally arrive, Victoria looks great, and after the first two weeks of the next race we should be back in warmer climes. And I need never sail across the Pacific again....
Day 22 and still 1,949 miles to go. This leg is seeming endless, with Victoria still at least 10 days away. The restart to Panama has already been delayed by 3 days to hopefully give us a chance to have a day or two off for the first time since getting back to Subic over a month ago.
Plus, I have to say, relentless upwind sailing is not how it was advertised; for the first 3,000 miles we hit one weather system after another, bringing with it 30-40 knots of wind and biting cold. We're running a split watch system so that we only have two people on deck at a time for a maximum of half an hour, though given that you can still see your breath in the saloon, it's not exactly a case of staying warm and toasty down below. The boat is freezing and every surface is dripping with condensation, including bags, bunks and the outside of sleeping bags. Kit in general hasn't fared well - oilskins aren't proving waterproof, drysuits aren't dry, and will someone please make a glove that doesn't absorb every drop of water within a 20 metre radius. Other than that, morale varies between poor to mediocre; not helped by the prospect of being on food rations next week. I'd like to report that I've lost weight but it's difficult to tell when you have enough clothing on to rival the Michelin man - there's been times when I've struggled to fit out of the hatch to get on deck....
But, life can only get better after this. We've spent copious amounts of time discussing and planning food intake when we finally arrive, Victoria looks great, and after the first two weeks of the next race we should be back in warmer climes. And I need never sail across the Pacific again....
posted by Simon Eastwood at 9:50 am
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