- No Rock’n Roll
- No dolphinfish
- No tobacco kiosks
But I will return to this later in the story. Christer came and woke me up at 4:30 and said Shackle had come out. Dazed, I began to think about who Schakeln was and what he meant to have opened up/come out? Come out of the closet or what? How did Christer know what Shackles done? And why bring me up at 0430? It is so that I sleep very good and heavy on the boat and especially when it does not swing more than today (thought I was in port when I woke up)!
Eventually I woke up and realized that Christer was trying to say was that the windward shackle had opened and the 200 sq meter parasailor fluttered and flew out there. Quickly I jumped into the shorts and onto the deck. Parasailorn was caught quickly into the "sock". Now, the question was - had it wrapped around himself in the sock? Most likely, but we could make an attempt to hoist it gently. It didn’t work - half way up it was sitting. Neither up or down it went. All hands on deck! and Lena was comeing up and after a good work was parasailorn down under the deck and stowed away quickly. When it was daylight we would repackage it and make sure it was not a twist. Until further notice, we hoist gennackern to not lose so much speed.
A few hours later it had brightened and it was time to repack the parasailorn and flying it. We took down the sail in the cockpit and saloon. 200 sqm sails is very and it filled a large part of the salon. Then spin it up without being wraped in ourself. After two hours was parasailorn hoisted and order restored.
Sailing went well and we logged about 7-8 knots. All day we had a stable winds and a clear blue sky. The sea was almost like a mirror, wave height was less than 0.5 meters. We went fishing, but without success.
I had promised many to quit smoking when I sailed across the Atlantic (this is a great way to put pressure on myself). This meant that the evening before the day "C" as in the Caribbean so I smoked my last cigarette and I had no package with me. I had thought that there could be an effective way to quit. My crew was a bit, if not very worried, how my mood would be when I had no cigarettes – and 20 days at sea …
Now for what I said at the beginning! - Not at all what I expected
No Rock 'n Roll.
In all the stories I read, has been told how it sways and bends in all directions, pure Rock'n Roll! But not here does not, it's smooth scrolling, and when you wake up it is so calm that you think you are at home. Though I will not complain, it's right comfortable, just the wind is so that we can do around 6-7 knots, but that's not what I expected!
No dolphinfish.
All who sailed across the Atlantic have told how many they caught dolphinfish. Not only that, they have been large and weighed 10 kg. We have not got a measly flying fish on deck! Ok there are some days left, but could it be that we should not eat fresh fish on the way over? Ok should not complain yet, but that's not what I expected, I'm literally dorado were to stand in line to get to be pulled!
No tobacco kiosks.
When you plan to stop smoking, it is easy to be tough, but so will the days come when you do not have any cigarettes and the craving is coming. Then you are not so tough. I started the morning by going through all the pants and jackets in the hope that it would be a last cigarette or at least a butt. I had to do it discreetly, so the crew did not notice it. I had done a good job when I was cleaning, so there were not even tobacco crumbs so I could roll a cigarette with the help of some old newspaper! Desire sat in again! After the last few hours in vain had spotted along the horizon after a migratory tobacco kiosk - it must surely be some shops out there (?!), but they where not to be seen on the chart. Anyone knowing what sign they have? Then I thought about Morocco - there were many tobacco vendors who went around everywhere and selling loose cigarettes. There must be lots of tobacco sellers along the Western Saharan coast! It was just to emphasize the coast and I could of course throw the anchor on my guard and swim to the beach and find a cigarette seller, without the crew recognised it! I had water-tight plastic bags which I could take the cigarettes in. There was nothing in the ARC rules saying that you could not anchor? If I went ashore in Morocco of course, I had to check in, but, I had done it once already, so it would probably go to talk away. Sense of relief spread, there was of course a solution, if I could not find any migratory tobacco kiosk! I could sleep peacefully this night:).
In the evening, Christer served chicken in tomato sauce on a bed of rice. The dessert was chocolate cupcakes. And to drink was chilled Heineken, but no cigarettes! But I will fix that tomorrow!!!:)
At the pen Kaj