S 2 deg 37', E 153 deg 25' -- Race 7, Day 8

I've written a lot (too much?) about how much we're sweating. Good news is
that things have cooled off... slightly. But the question that may or may
not be on all your minds, how do we get clean? Well, there are basically
four options.

1) DON'T
This is basically what I did on the earlier races. They were relatively
short and relatively cool. While 10+ days without a shower would seem
pretty bad under normal circumstances, it was bearable. Just. But it would
never have worked on this race.

2) WET WIPES
These were recommended in one of our early briefing documents. I have some.
I've never used them. I don't think they would help with the current
situation, but I do think they'll come in handy on the Pacific leg, which
is too long for option 1 and too cold for options 3 and 4.

3) BUCKET SHOWER
This is a great option that I was introduced to a few days ago. You drop a
bucket over the back of the boat, pull up some water, and dump it over your
head. Sure, you're still covered in salt, but at least it's all natural
tropical sea salt. People pay hundreds of pounds for this at London spas!
It has to be better than sweat salt! It also works to cool you down on a
hot day. Soap and shampoo are options, though I haven't taken it to that
level yet.

4) RAIN SHOWER
This is the best! Only problem is that you have to wait for it to rain. On
the upside, the water is cool and fresh. You're really clean at the end of
it all. And, as a bonus, so are whatever clothes you're wearing. The last
three days, we've had rain just about 6pm. It was best when we were
starting a watch and had a few hours to dry off. Slightly less good, but
still good, when we were ending a watch and had to try get dry before
climbing in bed.

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I may have been a bit harsh in my "passengers" comment earlier. As people
are getting used to life on the boat, they're stepping up. I still think we
lost a lot of talent with the crew changeover, but it's not really fair to
expect every newcomer to be Nick. (Hey Nick! Hope you're enjoying NZ, the
wine, and the fly fishing.) But there is some improving effort to be see,
and even some good results, and I should be good enough to admit when I was
wrong.

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I should have another crew diary post up shortly. Hope these things are
posting! Look for it on the official Clipper site.