‘Anticipating our half way’
So another quiet day having to deal emotionally with that we just can’t get another half knot out of ‘Bimble’ in light winds of 10 knots or so and our headsails just not being able to catch enough of it to lift us up and onward to St Lucia. I fiddled faddled with the sails, dagger boards, points of sail for a few hours, staring at the boat speed until conceding 'this was it’, no more could be done….I have personally had to reframe this experience that this is going to be a gift in the practise of patience, not something I have in bucketloads.
‘Purple Rain’ one of the ARC race boats majestically sailed passed us this afternoon with full buxom pink spinnaker flying, I think their SOG was far in excess of 8 knots and we have had to see them sadly disappear westwards and over the horizon, we can only imagine their speed whilst we dawdle and struggle to get over 6 knots.
We haven’t seen any other boats or ships at all day or night. It is fascinating to plough on hour after hour, day after day and see so little just the vastness of this MASSIVE Ocean. It’s not daunting at all, rather calming and and opportunity to be contemplative…..I feel more and more peaceful as the days go by.
That aside as I sit here at the nav writing this Stephen is playing ‘A whole new world’ on his trombone with Lucy and Freyja singing in a full on musical theatre way……arms waving, huge smiles and all that that goes with the joy of 'Aladdin' …even Rod joined in with a few lyrics….Wow what a show!…AND I can now announce that has summoned up the wind gods and it has risen to 15knots and they are blowing us onward over the blue and we have hit 7 knots SOG …..Stephen is now playing 'Mr Gumbie', from ‘Cats’….won’t be long and it will be ‘Memories’ with us all crying whilst singing along….the fun just keeps going on and on.
Yes we are anticipating the thrill of us hitting half way tomorrow. We are planning a special party on board (photos will be taken) and we may crack open the vino for the first time on this journey….not a drop so far being partaken only tea, coffee, water and similar which has sustained us as a ‘dry’ boat…..surprising really as we are all known to love a drop or two and we have a bilge full of booze.
So sitting on deck, reading, Pilates practise, painting, writing journals, putting out the fishing line and finally finishing a game of ‘Scrabble’ that has taken us 3 days to play. Also eating, chatting, sharing all the jokes and poems people and friends have kindly sent us which has given us much laughter, joy and fun. I think that we must be given 10 out of 10 for ingenuity and creativity that 5 people can keep finding shared points to bind us together.
Rod is at this moment sitting on the foredeck looking supremely happy whilst he gazes up and checks the rigging. We have been sharing the daily job of looking for rope chafe, cracks, lost pins, loose shackles. By the look on his face I am sure all is well as we sail on with the sun dipping down over the horizon….another night is falling.
Rod has worked hard today but unfortunately hasn’t been able to fix the generator and so the engine has now to go on twice a day in order to keep our batteries charged…luckily it is has been a sunny day and the solar is also working doing its bit. Luckily our energy requirements have been greatly reduced since turning off our freezer. We have managed to dip into the precooked meals which brings lighter duties in the galley and today we hastily finished off the ‘Mini Magnums’.
So big love to all and I hope you are enjoying the ramblings from ‘Bimble’
Nina Ducker and all the Crew
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