Day 3. Seems to be about how long it takes for me to get to semi-normal
function on this boat. Thought it might be quicker this time, given how
short the stop was in Hobart. Then again, it wasn't very restful. Late
night for New Year as LMAX, berthed next door, hosted a party. And an early
start the next day, as a few people who hadn't stayed to the end decided it
was time to get stuff done on the boat. Communal living....
The last few days have been good sailing, moderately hard work but nothing
crazy. Winds have been a pretty steady 20-30 knots, seas a bit choppy but
not too bad. We've been making excellent time, about 750nm in under 2.5
days as I write, and we're almost back up to Sydney, albeit a long way
offshore. We were hoping for more of a downwind run, but we've ended up
with wind off our beam, i.e. coming straight in from the side. This means
we're making good time, but we're pretty heeled over, which has led
indirectly to our first little blow-up on board since I joined.
Basically, people are shifting around bunks to get more comfortable places
to sleep. As tends to happen on board, no one is in charge, but lots of
people have opinions. An opinion was interpreted as direction, one person
thought another was making things up, there was shouting. It was all very
stupid, but it's a tough situation. Even the people with notional authority
don't really want it, because they don't need the extra stress. At the same
time, there are a lot of strong personalities. (For the record, I don't
particularly want a position of responsibility myself. And I'm staying in
my own bunk, awful though it is.)
At the same time, I think we're operating well as a sailing crew. The
performance in they Sydney-Hobart has spirits up. We had a good start out
of Hobart, and we're keeping in with the overall leaders on this race. Hard
to really tell who's in front, and I understand the race viewer has us
toward the back of the pack, but we think that we'll have an advantage as
winds evolve. I know, I know, we've said that before. But this time, we
seem to be on the same strategy as the top boats.
And did I mention that we're down to thirteen crew, plus Matt? I think the
next smallest crew is seventeen and some have over twenty! Most recent loss
was Helen, who said she'd be reading my blog from the comfort of home, so
Hi Helen! Hope I strike the right privacy balance by saying it was not
strictly race related, but a pre-existing medical issue that threated to
act up. Really sorry to have her go, as she was a lot of fun, and great at
wooling a kite! Anyway, shorthanded, but making due. Or is it making do?
Something to look up later.
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