BRITISH SOLDIER ARC BLOG - DAY 5 (THU 25 NOV)
Yesterday it was basting hot with no-one else on the horizon. Wind was negligible and a battle to chase but we got the promise we were all waiting for; "let's swim". Typically, the wind gods noticed once safety lines and fenders were prepped and the wind teasingly lifted to spoil our chance of a cool down and a first bath. However, we have been inadvertently 'chumming' the waters with the spoilt meat from our supplies but no fins have been spotted yet! I'm sure all were secretly relieved by the cancelled swim after chatting about 'how do sharks actually attack?', the best bits of Jaws and agreeing you wouldn't see the shark that ate you; nervous laughter. Winds back down, line in the water, a quick scout for sharks and half of the BS crew are chillaxing in the deepest clear blue warm Atlantic water - well worth the wait - awesome!
Things couldn't have been more different as port watch rose at 0600 hours for the 6 hour watch - the wind which was elusive yesterday had returned at 20 knots and moderate seas. So with British Soldier now heeled hard over, we are having our first taste of pounding through Atlantic waves. The spray over the bow is giving impromptu showers and despite all hatches closed, it has even soaked the keyboard as I type - luckily it is rubberised and better at staying in it's place than the rest of us who are sliding about. Meanwhile the off watch are having dramas trying to sleep through all this commotion as they get thrown about; Roddy is starring in a new fly on the wall program "I'm a squaddy, get me out of here." Although it seemed ingenious at the time to keep the fruit hung in a net in the forepeak, unfortunately it has turned into a smoothie with all the pounding. Brian valiantly cleaning up this fruity mess, emerged looking like he had endured a medieval punishment of being pelted by fruit in the stocks.
We've heard on the news that a Royal Navy type 45 Destroyer has broken down somewhere in the mid Atlantic. Despite our best endeavours to raise them on the VHF and HF radios, the senior Service are steadfastly ignoring our offers of assistance...
So as I finish my blog, we've sailed a total of 685 miles through the water, with a total of 2200 miles to go. All told we are making good speed and course now, so morale remains high.
Sarah