Confessions of a Middle Aged Drama Queen
Trip Start
Apr 04, 2008
1
17
108
Trip End
Jul 03, 2009
Mid Atlantic,
Portugal
Monday, July 14, 2008
Took 5hrs just to sail the coastline of Sao Miguel, several more hours before we could no longer see the island. Slightly lumpy seas and fickle winds, we won't be breaking any speed records. We speak to friends on Meander and Fabuloso on the HF radio which we have scheduled for 9am, 12pm and 6pm. We just catch up on wind conditions, speed and positions. That way someone knows where we are and it relieves a bit of the monotony of the journey.
Tuesday 15th
Spent the day in bed. 4 cream crackers with vegemite and water was my diet today. Not much better for the boys as when Pete had to swap the gas bottles over, the gas bottle we had supposedly filled in Horta was empty
Seas easing a little
. To make matters worse our water tanks emptied and due to the weather we couldn't make more. So we were gasless and waterless. Oh joy of joys.Wednesday 16th
Surprise another day in bed. If I don't move too much I can stop the sick feeling. I have to be losing weight at this rate! The seas pickup considerably by the afternoon and start to give us a good thumping, throwing the boat about, we are in 30+ knot winds with 4 -5 metre seas. First time I'm well and truly scared. Pete seems happy though that Bella is handling it well and the boys are running around on deck like its just a normal day. Shame I'm not, I start thinking of disasters that may befall us, sort of a cross between Titanic, White Squall and Perfect Storm where the hulls crack open and cold waters come flooding into my bunk plunging me into darkness . I also wonder if the boat tips over will anyone get knocked out, who can I save, should I sleep with my PFD on, what will I do. But reality kicks in and I realise that my children are more likely to push my head under the water on the way into the life raft and tell me to "Chill Mum". I sleep fitfully waking to check all is ok which is hopeless as I have no control over the situation but get little sleep anyway.
Thursday 17th
Pete downloads another weather file and makes the call to head with the wind and the swell south so we head for the Madeira Islands 200nm away
Seas easing a little 2
. Goodbye Gibraltar, will we ever see the med? The seas are predicted to get larger and the winds stronger. I am very upset as I feel we are so close to the Med and now we are sailing away but realise after last night it's the sensible and safe thing to do. As we change direction my stomach seems to easy considerably and most of the day is in reasonable comfort. The other problem we have is that the autopilot does not handle 4-5metre trailing seas and skews dramatically. This means manual steering all the way. The weather is dark and overcast with frequent rain squalls which make for a yucky day. Well yucky for me, I ask Pete how he is coping and he gives me that big cheesy smile and tells me "I'm loving it". I am not convinced as how can being, wet, windy and thrown around be great, I slink back to my bed. The night comes upon us and so do my fears which seem to be exacerbated by the fact that both Pete and Tom have to spend the night at the helm steering and navigating their way thru mountainous seas in pitch black. I spend the night sticking my head up thru the hatch to check they are Ok. I give Pete strict instructions on how Tom has to be tethered and not allowed to move etc etc. He nods at me in that yes dear sort of way. I am very proud of Tom the way he is turning into a first class Gilligan. He seems to handle the boat and its demands quite well. As does Harri of the night watches, he is happy to sit up to 1am watching the radar and a DVD.
Pete Still Living The Dream
Friday 18th
Well we made it thru the night and I am truly grateful. Although I wish my stomach would appreciate the fact and stop upchucking. The seas gradually calmed down and by the afternoon were quite pleasant. Pete and Tom find the source of our leak (a tap in a forward compartment had been bumped on by the boys dive vests swinging wildly in the rough weather)). This is good news, we can now make more water without it draining mysteriously away. We arrived at the Island of Porto Santo in the afternoon clean and happy. Needless to say I looked and felt rather skankish but my family and I were safe so I had to be content with that. Nice to be back on land and to have a shower and a good meal after 5 days of no washing and little eating..
For a different take on this part of the adventure you'll have to ask Pete !
