Coming up onto my watch this morning it seemed like little had changed; the
fog was close, the sky was grey, it was cold and wet. But it seems something may
be happening. The wind is shifting a little, and we had a surprise visit from
some long-finned pilot whales! One of them even popped its head out so we could
see it properly. Apparently they can travel in groups upwards of 50 animals.
It’s so easy to forget how much is happening beneath the surface. One of which
might be the appearance of the Gulf stream, and hence some slight changes.
Settled into the routine now. Wake, watch, eat, drink, sleep. Repeat,
repeat, repeat. I am finding this leg tougher than the last. Maybe it’s the
cold, or maybe it’s the accumulated tiredness of so many months on the road and
now at sea. Or perhaps the idea of home being so close has sunk in and set on my
bones. Up until very recently home has been such a distant thing, despite the
fact that we’ve been slowly edging our way towards it for about five months now!
Strange to think that we’ll be sat at my mum’s house wolfing down a lasagne
with the ocean crossing behind us. As tired as I am, I’m still enjoying it. It’s
a constant spectacle to me, out here. The slight variations in weather and
conditions almost set a back-drop for my mood and train of thought (pathetic
fallacy, is that?!).
I still feel afraid when I’m working on the foredeck, prepping a sail to go
up. Not sure if I’ve mentioned yet, but I’m terrified of the sea, and even when
I’m clipped on I’m still shaking with the fear. I don’t talk about that much on
board as I figured it’s best to just deal with it and crack on and learn and
enjoy. Still, gives me a rush each time I scramble back on deck, and I’m
enjoying figuring out how the sails work.
Going along nicely, up to seven knots. Expecting some slower days coming
up, possibly.
Dreaming of chip shop chips.
Anthony