Sailing tan

"Tiger tan"

Had a bit of a weird thought today while at the gym. While on my last two weeks of training, we got a lot of sun. Even with some sunscreen, I came back with a pretty serious tan. The sunglass tan was pretty stark, but the "tiger tan" on my feet from the open triangular gaps in my lightweight deck shoes is what really stood out. I'm sure that over the weeks of sailing around Australia, up through Indonesia, and to Da Nang, that tan will only get a lot darker.

But after that, things are going to get cold. Word is that once the fleet rounds Taiwan and turns north, the temperature drops quickly. We can expect freezing temperatures around Quingdao, and last race even saw snow. Then the month across the Pacific will continue to be really cold, dark, and stormy. I'll be heavily bundled up, and by the time I get to Seattle, that tan is going to be gone. I'll be as pasty white as if I'd spent the whole winter sitting behind a desk in London. Just dirtier.