Nizuc - Blog 26

BLOG 26 – ‘We Survived for Days on Nothing but Food and Water.’

Some stores are running low, but as you might expect, Martin has planned the trip pretty well.

We have run out of the following: porridge, fresh food, coffee, chocolate, biscuits, but still have alternatives. We still have lots of water, but the captain says we need a lot of it for his bread-fruit plants – I can’t see that being a problem.

There has been more talk of putting the clocks back; the sun is rising at about 0800 hrs, but I doubt we’ll do anything, now.

The last few nights have been mostly dry, which is a relief, but the danger is always present in the early hours. The moonlight is helping with the visibility, but heavy squalls can make it impossible to see anything other than the compass.

A lot of people have asked about our watch system (they haven’t really, but I’m going to explain it). We do blocks of 90 minutes in a rolling scheme, which we refer to as the Danish Watch. Once awake, we do ‘assist helmsman and boat duties’, then helm, standby, followed by three hours sleep. This system allows crew rotation, and as it is a seven and a half hour cycle, it steps forward by 90 minutes every day, so we all get to see some sunrises, and sunsets, which can be stunning for different reasons, and much more enjoyable if followed by bed. The system is flexible, but everyone is feeling a bit tired, and in need of a longer sleep. Daytime sleeping is difficult, because of the heat, and so is nighttime sleeping, if the hatches are closed for squalls.

That’ll do.