Food is on my mind. Again

Well it's day 15! Finally.

I remember on day five, staring at my progress tally and thinking... Day fifteen is an important day, because then I will be just days away from the finish. It's true. MAXsea reckons I have less than 850 to go (miles, not days) , even if the official rankings reckon it's more. After the debacle that was day thirteen (and will always be known as such) it seems my southerly risk hasn't paid off. Well, not in terms of positions. What it has given me is lovely amiable weather, where I can sleep under a mere fleece in the middle of the night. We had one day when the water temp dropped to 7 degrees (c) and it was bloody freezing! Anyhoo. Day thirteen was make or break, and it definitely turned into break!! I feel I am dwelling on this point to much.

Last night was an interesting night. I have plugged both UK time (bst) and Newport time into my watch (which is defiantly referred to as a 'wrist computer" in the instructions which I have resorted to reading due to a lack of other reading materials) It is very strange at midnight bst to be sitting in a late evening glow, the sun setting just after 1am. I have had a fairly consistent routine of sleeping during the night hours on baord where possible. Every night, the alarm is set for 70 minutes (allowing ten mins to drift off) and never once have I had to turn the alarm off - the sleep alarm anyway. It has always been, the chance of motion, the flap of a sail or the bleep of the pilot, ais or sea me alarms that have awoken me from some very strange dreams - none of which I can remember. Anyway, why was it interesting. Well, it wasn't really, apart from the fact that I couldn't sleep, and ended up bashing my eye bone (correct term?) on the metal rim of a cubby hole and I was attacked by a rigid army of stainless steel kitchen implements. Let me explain.... My sleeping position involves my lower back on a bean bag and my shoulders and head very firmly under the chart table on a mountain of soft bags and fleecy blanket pillows. There is a definite risk of head bashage should the need to arise quickly occur (especially if I can't remember where I am) but so far the eye bone injury is the only injury so far sustained. As to the saucepan, kettle and thermos flask incident.... It involved the galley on the high side, me sleeping on the low side. Add a big wave and you have your story. I will let your imagination do the rest.

I made another alarming discovery today.... I am unable to locate the shampoo. Clearly I have been thinking of the finish subconsciously and in preparation, (okay a few days early) decided to locate said hair product. Alas, it is not to be found. The thought of using the dry shampoo as my only means of hair care until the finish is of course unacceptable, and it was with much chargrin that I consulted my mother as to the pros and cons of using washing up liquid as a hair cleansing product. Her reply : 'There are worse things you could use." Undoubtedly.

For the first time in a while I actually felt my stomach rumbling in hunger. My food has been lovingly packed and separated into daily rations and weekly rations by Charlotte, and supplemented with strange Norwegian snack pots. A favourite is the noodle snack pot. The Norwegian equivalent to a pot noodle. The Norwegian pot noodle is better than the English pot noodle, but definitely not better than the bachelors supanoodle. In my humble opinion.

Anyway - should probably mention something about sailing. After a night sailing in the right direction at varying speeds, we appears to have come up against the gulf stream. I had lots of loathe some feeling toward this stream and its hindrance of my progress until I compared it to the EAC (East Australian current) and its host of friendly sea creatures "Dude, it's the EAC.' (Finding Nemo for those that are lost) Finding Nemo has been an intricate part of the trip. On day 4 I scrawled "Just keep Swimming' on the bulkhead, to encourage me and keep me positive. My new nickname from my parents is "Fishy" as in "Fishy, WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING?' and for no obvious other reason. I had a "Squishy" on the back of the boat, in the form of a mini octopus that had been unfortunate enough enough to have been washed on board. I am sure I could list more Nemosms but I shan't bore you - oh yeah the sailing. We are now doing 7-8knots over the water, albeit 9-10 over the ground (bloody adverse current) with a reef in the main and the solent. It's fantastic to be sailing in the right direction (ish) and to be eating up the miles. There is nothing worse than having too much wind and (thirteen) or not enough wind and just floundering.

Anywyas, I shall leave you now, as I appear to be rambling somewhat. Here's to less than 700 miles!

Katie

If you enjoy this website why not make a donation to The Institute of Cancer Research. For more information visit our Charities page.