Little Island - 216 hours

For the past 24 hours the beast has had to be tamed a little. I’m not talking about Cat. She’s been nothing but pleasant. I’m talking about our wallowing floating house in an incredibly messy sea. It has been pretty windy, which is great for progress. However, the sea state has been all over the place, with big, steep waves at random intervals throwing the boat in all directions. No matter how much you try to stow things away snuggly, there is always a banging or a rattle, especially when the boat is whipped from full heel one way all the way to full heel the other.

I did a fairly mammoth stint last night, all at the helm, which I love in these conditions. When you pop the headphones in and find the right song, it’s such a surreal experience. All you can see is the deck of the boat, which is constantly moving in a way that doesn’t quite align with your senses, whilst the breaking waves rumble behind like the warning growl of a dog, giving you just enough time to bear the boat away before it bites. If you don’t get the boat down in time, the wave takes you and rounds you up violently, but all that really comes of it is a splash and an upset Cat as she’s thrown against the side of the cabin and woken up. After my stint, Cat put on a brave face and managed the best part of 5 hours, taking us through beyond sunrise. I think this was a massive achievement given her nerves in similar conditions on the way down to the Canaries.

Today was meant to be shower day with the solar shower, but that may have to be postponed to a time we can stand up a little more easily. It really makes no odds as we’ve become so accustomed to each other’s grossness living in such close confinement, which becomes especially apparent after Cat has had lentils for dinner.

On another positive note, the nappy rash is subsiding and I’ve done a poo. Thanks to those that sent words of support on this matter, it means a lot.

Martin