Approaching the one week mark of the leg and the familiar effects of being offshore are starting to show. The smells, the rashes, the repetitive menu from the galley. All these just add a little more difficulty to the day to day life on board. Although the weather has been kind and given us some 'champagne sailing', it has meant we have had to work extra hard to gybe and re-stack the boat and try and stay in phase with any shifts we see. In these tropical conditions, that only means you get drenched in sweat working below, and then have to sit in sweaty boots and gear when on deck. Hardly ideal.
The limited number of meals has started to repeat itself, and so many of us will miss out the ones we did not enjoy the first time round. This means the snacks will get hit harder as we go on, or we will start to get more and more hungry. The smell of cooking down below and the temperature increase when the engine is running to charge batteries, gives the boat quite a special odour. It reminds me of a dog after a flea bath, so hopefully fleas won't be a problem on board.
All this leaves us looking forward to the Doldrums with a possibility of some rain for a cheeky wash, and also a little cooler temperatures after we get across the equator. That's it from me, I need to stop sweating all over Jules' keyboard.
Dave Endean - pitman
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