Cara of the South - Day 5 (more)

21:30.18N 23:00.14W
The interesting thing about this Tradewind 35, my home for a month, more or less, is that its front deck is big enough to hold a conference, its cockpit is quite small for the size of boat, but below decks is where the design
gives the impression that the designer suddenly got a phone call just as he was about to do the front cabin. The main cabin is great, with everything you expect. Move forwards, and the head height becomes lower. Enter the
front cabin, and you have to either be a cartoon character or a hamster.

So guess where the skipper put me? Now, don't get me wrong, I am delighted to be on the ocean, and the cabin suited me just fine. I placed my clothes in the lockers, my bags on the second bunk. And I made myself a little bed, which was perfect.

Then the skipper decides that I cannot be alone there, so he moved to my cabin three tool kits, a battery, a spare self-steering mechanism and an angle grinder. It's a bit crowded if I am honest. Gary has given names for his grab bags, the last things we take if we sink; so in his massive main cabin are Kylie and Danni.

Feeling like my little space had been somewhat taken over, I decided to do the same. So I am sharing with Caroline, JIm, Charlie, Derek, Brian and of course Samantha. This way, it feels like a cosy party, (although the chat is not great).

Let me tell you how I go to bed after my first night watch: I reverse onto the bunk, raise my legs, swivel 180 degrees and wriggle down until my feet are at the anchor chain locker. I then put my items beside Samantha, making sure they cannot roll off whilst I sleep. There is nothing to stop me rolling off, as I discovered last night. My legs are ok; they are protected by my bags, but Samantha is less forgiving on my ribs as she is made of
steel and carbon fibre.

Still, I am not complaining, because if you go into the anchor chain locker, you will find a door that Gary knows nothing about. This is the "Narnia locker", and it is here that I relax after being on deck at night. With a
plunge pool and jacuzzi, fully stocked bar and a billiard room, I unwind over an Espresso Martini and reflect upon the events of the day, the people whom I met, the conversations I have had and the places I visited.

Before waking up again at 03.00 for my second watch, wriggling my feet up, swivelling 180 degrees, planting my legs on the floor and putting on my sailing jacket........