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Second Wind - Jitters




31 October 
There was a definite air of something around the marina on Friday. It was hard to identify, but could probably be diagnosed as the jitters.

We'd all spent the morning listening to a presentation by a swimmer for the US Coastguard on disasters at sea, complete with statistics, much from his personal experience of rescuing distressed yachtsmen. His underlying message was that mostly it could have been prevented before the boat had left the dock, with proper maintenance and preparation. So in all our cases, that's good, right?

This was followed by a quick run through the most likely medical emergencies and how to treat them at sea, by a retired surgeon (and radio ham and diesel engine expert) who is joining us on the trip back to his home on Tortola. And the day was topped off by liferaft and flare demonstrations.

So there was a theme, and it seemed to seep into the subconscious across the rally so that the conversation for the rest of the day and into the evening was of how keen we all were to set off, because we are all getting a bit psyched now. The weekend is going to be long, and probably with a few frayed nerves. 

Roll on the skipper's briefing on Saturday morning.

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