Subject: IMPALA LOG DAY 12 - Kathy's take on a Bad Hair Day
Date: Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:52:17 GMT
Something told me, as I was called from my bed at 0730 this morning, half an hour before my 4 hour watch was to begin, that it was going to be a bad hair day. All four crew were needed up on deck to change the sail plan from a fairly comfortable goosewing to a broad reach due to a change in wind direction. Impala had been wanting to sail 15 to 20 degrees south of our intended route, the signs were there during my previous 2000 to 2300 watch and throughout the night but now, with gusts of up to 30 knots of wind, it was time to act. With Impala mounting high swells we changed to sails and got onto a broad reach where, in the squall that then hit, we achieved well over 9 knots - much more like it and despite being soaked by the rain and sea spray there were big grins all round. With the sea temperature at 27 degrees and the air temperature slightly higher, it was no hardship and we soon dried off.
The lift that the squall gave us was very welcome but, as Nick said, one swallow doesn't make a summer - I would have thought "one squall doesn't make a faster trip across the Atlantic" more to the point!
It was a stunning morning, full of activity, the sky almost as blue as the sea where the flying fish shot like sparkling silver and blue arrows through the white horses.
Yesterday afternoon eagle eye Mike spotted several spouts in the distance which coming closer to us we saw that they belonged to a pod of small whales or large dolphins, yet to be identified but very exciting at the time.
We are all adjusting well to life on board - with the help of many good books, we while away the daylight hours reading, catching 40 winks to make up for sleep lost during night watches, writing up our journals, or just gazing out at the vast ocean around us marvelling at the beauty of it - all very relaxing and a far cry from the grind of the rat race we have all left behind, apart from Mikey of course, always happy in his Argyle idyll.
After supper, for those of us not on an early evening watch, the playing cards often emerge, Dickhead being the game
of the moment. We have started a Dickhead league to ascertain who will be the biggest Dickhead by the time we get to St Lucia - a nasty little game but we all love it!
Today we crossed the halfway point having sailed 1,425 miles so far from Las Palmas and hoping that we will more wind for the next 1,425. A celebration is called for so we will be raising our glasses of sparkling Appletise this evening (dry boat while at sea) and toast ourselves and Neptune for getting this far.
Fireworks would be fun but I think letting off a few celebratory flares might be a step too far!!