17:38.08 N 41:02.41 W
Last night the wind shifted and for the first time we found ourselves on a beam reach. It made a nice change after all the downwind running and I hand steered the boat through my watches. In addition to being rather relieved that we always have auto pilot, I have also been secretly rather disgusted and it was a pleasant change to get a feel for the boat driving through the tropical night at eight or nine knots.
I awoke late to the drumming of rain on the deckhead. The yacht had developed a listless motion as the wind died away to nothing. Up on deck it looked like a pretty standard day in the Solent; grey and monotonous and I cowered under the sprayhood trying to avoid the rain. The big difference was the heat.
Down below decks it was stiflingly hot and unbearably humid. We gasped for air like landed fish. I was always under the impression that Scandinavians enjoyed a sauna, but not of this kind apparently.
In the end I opted to head up on deck and enjoy the rain, accompanied by great peals of thunder and flashes of lightning. After a short while I was soaked to the skin and Steinar and I both decided to make the most of the fresh water and have a shower on deck. Very refreshing. Since then the wind has gradually returned and we are now making about eight knots in 11 knots of breeze which isn’t too bad.
There was a glorious sunset tonight and I sat on the weather rail and just enjoyed it. I don’t care for sail trim, cooking, cleaning or fixing toilets for that matter, but a few more moments of peace and repose like that would do me nicely and surely that sense of solitude is what we are all after out here.
It’s funny that people gather a huge armada of yachts together just so they can find some solitude. I am cook (the Norwegian is ‘kokk’ by the way) tomorrow so peace and repose is not looking too likely.
//Sam