So much of this is now familiar. The provisioning, the last minute boat projects, the getting to know the boat and the crew, connecting with other sailors and the requisite amount of partying before untying the lines.
At the 11th hour we had a bit of a plot twist. One of our crew of 4 had a family emergency and left this morning on a flight to Scotland. There are only three of us on board for this crossing as getting a 4th person to the Galapagos in the time we had was an impossibility. We are all quite gutted that Iain has to leave and at the same time have to get our heads around just being three on the boat when all of our planning has been for four. Our system of watches will stay the same but without a fourth our watches will come around sooner. During the day 0900-2100we will do 4 hour watches. Overnight we will have 3 hour watches, all of them are solo.
This is my fourth big ocean crossing. The day of leaving and casting of the lines and raising the sails and heading into the deep blue is always so magical. I’m not sure I even have the words for this and if I try it would probably not be the right words . Some experiences are beyond boxing in with words. There an excitement, mixed with anticipation, joy a euphoria even as we head out into the open ocean.
At some point, on each crossing all of that gives way to a seasickness that lasts about 24-36 hours. I often get seasick after the first 24 hours. Crew mates comment on a hue of green that I turn. I throw up continually until there is nothing left but bile. I spend hours on the helm and am afraid to move, its purgatory…and then as if it were never there it passes and I feel completely amazing and this is called “getting your sea legs”.
My experience has been that it is always worth pushing through because on the other side of throwing up bile and wishing to be put down, I feel completely at home and in my element on the ocean and all of the sea states she will throw at us.
Despite knowing that a comfort on the sea comes in time, the first night out is often challenging and last night, our first night was challenging on many fronts. With a start late in the day, the afternoon quickly gives way to a disorienting inky blackness. The distant thunder from earlier in the afternoon moved much closer and much louder. It was so loud that it sounded as if the planet had cracked open. It was pouring torrentially as it does at the equator. Then the lightening started to flash across the sky like a well orchestrated reminder that we are in gods territory now. The lightened was so close we could all feel the static in the air. Every hair on my arm was tingling . The whole sky lit up with each flash and Joerg reminded us not to touch or hold on to anything metal on the boat. The wind direction changed by 40 degrees and we had to get our Code 0 furled quickly.
Predictably the furled jammed and someone had to go forward on the bow in the darkness to investigate . I volunteered to go. Ordinarily in a storm in the rain and pitch black I would be happy to let the skipper go but I am seeing all of these opportunities as needed trainings. I clip on and head up to the bow, except it’s not that straightforward. We were starting to get the swell from the trade winds so the boat was bucking around, it was more a stagger in the pitch black darkness and the driving rain to the bow and I was thinking, lightening please don’t strike. We are all too aware that if you go overboard in the pitch black and the boat is travelling at 6.5 knots, there is no way that you are going to be found.
The furling line had twisted and kinked and was jammed in one of the guides. The kink was an easy fix but the crossed lines required re running them so we did that. Having your furling line jam is never good at any time but the timing of this was particularly bad and felt like the first of many tests.
Our journey will be roughly three weeks depending on what the wind serves up. We will sail hour after hour, day after day and week after week until we hit Hiva Oa in the Marquesas.
I am just off a 3am- 6am watch so will head now to sleep for a while.
