open eyes

3rd July 1600 UT

41 28n 49 27 W

What a total contrast this return trip is.

We are one third of the way back across the Atlantic, my third crossing this year and a totally different experience to the last one.

Everyone was feeling the call of the sea by the time we left Newport; Hannah lead the caravan out followed by us and then others joining the following day. They are all heading for the Azores, for a stop, and a reunion doubtless with beer. We are heading back to the UK as fast as possible, which may lead via the Azores for a fuel stop, or may be a straight line.

So far the weather has been more tropical than north Atlantic. Hot and intense days have produced brooding, building thunder heads and at night we have been chased by electrical storms, torrential rain and every changing wind directions.

In the lulls we are motoring, to keep up momentum and try to give my sails a break, but ever mindful of the slowly diminishing diesel supply, motoring is not an efficient way for this boat to travel.

The lightening has me on tenterhooks most nights, I am convinced with every storm I survive, my lightening strike is in the next one; at the first sight of a charged sky, I am meticulously recording position, course and bearings both to UK shores and back to the US.

It is a strangely calm feeling to be out here and not racing. I am looking at the sea in a different way and being a lot gentler with 'The Shed' who without complain allowed me to thrash her all the way West, but deserves a bit of TLC right now.

Sails are being changed early, the big kite is seeing a lot less action than before and when conditions are sloppy I am able to pack the sails away and wait for more forgiving conditions to re-hoist them.

Then of course I also have a crew; a little strange after over 11,000 miles alone, it has taken me a while to adjust to someone else in my space. I am still inclined to go at every job alone, only to discover that with another pair of hands, on the end of a rope or helping to fold a sail, the job comes off so much easier.

I am using the time as best I can and during daylight hours this means hitting the books. I have 3 months worth of an Open University degree to catch up on and assignments to hand in when I get back to the UK. I am able to let Derek run the boat while I try to write essays in Spanish on genetically modified crops; however, I am not just spending the time on language studies, I am lucky to have an onboard coach who will not allow me to set the spinnaker badly or have the wrong amount of bend in the mast.

It is funny how quickly I have dropped out of race mode now. My eye cast over the boat is no longer looking for that extra speed but noting wear and damage, I am sleeping in regular two hour stints, sharing the watches during the night. Food and drink is to enjoy not just for calorific intake and every change in the light, bird that flies past, dolphin on the bow and odd shaped cloud captures my attention and leaves a full impression of the Ocean, not just related to a fast passage down the shortest line.

I miss the racing and I cannot wait to do it again, but the great thing about sailing is that it is so diverse. You do not have to be tearing it up to enjoy the sport. Crossing an ocean is a great experience however you do it.

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