I just sat down to write this log and looked across the galley to see the boys have uncovered a secret stash of Pepsi somewhere deep in the bowels of the boat - hurrah! Just when we were about to run out. Anyhow, we have less than 200 miles to go now and are eagerly anticipating the finish. We should arrive in St Lucia before midday tomorrow, all things going well.
The last few days seem to have blended together into one happy, sunny blur, and I think we all have mixed feelings about coming to the end of this passage. I will really miss the mental clarity that comes from being all alone in this great wide ocean, far from the reach of smart phones, internet, to-do lists, commuting and multitasking... However, it will be nice to sleep without having to brace myself, and to know that my cup of tea will stay exactly where I left it. Unsupervised tea, what a luxury!
There has been a lot of reading going on. Alex has been listening to an audio tape of Moby Dick, so I thought I would read it as well, seeing as there will probably never be a more appropriate time. It's not the easiest read in the world and I'm ashamed to say that today, at the halfway mark, I switched to Fifty Shades of Grey (which was taking pride of place in Sumatra's official onboard library - such a classy vessel!) Much easier to get through. Perhaps it's a sign that we have all been stuck on this boat together for too long, but after discussing the pros and cons of said novel, a lot of silly business went on opening our customary lunchtime bottle of cava. I only wish I had a photo of a certain crew member rolling the icy bottle over his face while making ridiculous expressions... Thank goodness we're almost there. I think it's about time we all got off the boat, stretched our legs and talked to some different people, as our conversations become sillier and sillier by the day!
One more event of note: last night we were on watch at about 11pm, sitting around in the pitch blackness, when a flying fish jumped onboard at the stern. Now, on a day when we hadn't seen so much as a bird, this was a pretty exciting event. It was flapping around all over the place, we were scrambling for torches and trying to figure out what to do, when Andrew leant over, picked up the pissoir bucket (which the boys tell me they have actually used, though I've not witnessed it - probably for the best) and leant down so the bucket was laying on the deck. As the boat rolled, the fish slid down the deck from starboard to port and straight into the bucket. It was then promptly tossed overboard. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how we deal with unwanted visitors onboard Sumatra. Pirates beware!
- Maddy from SY Sumatra