Musing from a Fatigued Mind

Actually the real fatigue hasn't had enough time to settle in, this early on tiredness is the result of not being in synch with the boat and the watch schedule. The effect is not being able to do higher math and such, which in my case I could never do anyway. We haven't gotten to the stage where you forget which way to turn the boat or the name of the guy you're talking to.

It's hard to believe its been 18 years since the last time I did this race. I'd like to think I wore a younger man's clothes back then but as I look over my attire I see 50% of it is the same gear I was back in '93. I guess its hard to part with stuff that works even if its stained and patched. Something else that hasn't changed is the camaraderie that develops between guys in close quarters who share a common goal. We're all getting along well and I'm fairly amazed at the depth of experience and talent that this bunch of bozos possess. Not only can we sail the boat but we could take it apart and put it back together better than it was. Nicknames have also started to be assigned, we have Bigfoot, Lord Jim and Buzzsaw so far. Buzzsaw is remarkable in that he can back out screws from the woodwork with his snoring alone.

The tip so far has been light winds. Today is the first day of consistent synoptic winds. We have the code zero up right now and are probably averaging 7 kts. We are sailing as to our game plan and have positioned ourselves on the course to take advantage of the stronger winds which are to the north. The next several days will show if our plan worked.

In parting I'll try to describe a part of night sailing that is interesting when you are a little tired. Last night the moon went down about 2300 hrs., the sky was overcast and therefore very little ambient light was available. We were sailing at about 6kts. The helmsmen's reality is a completely black background with 2 instruments, a knot meter to say how fast we're going and a wind gauge which shows wind direction and speed. The only other thing visible is the compass which is mounted directly in front of a little below the wheel. As the boat sails through the blackness the helmsman has to see and interpret the input from the instruments and steer the boat with out tacking (or in my case jibing). As you become more tired these gauges start to make less sense and putting everything together to steer a proper course become more interesting. Throw in a crew or two telling you to steer up or down and the real fun starts.

Anyway its all fun so far and we haven't had the bejeezus scared out of us,...yet.

John