Another day goes by, and still things go to plan. If it carries on like this, these are going to get shorter and shorter!
The only thing not the way I’d like it right now, other than a comfier bum, is the rain. Yes, despite being thousands of miles away from England, I’m currently plagued by rain-clouds. The thing that fascinates me about them though, is the wind. This will almost certainly sound obvious to anyone who knows anything about weather - I don’t! - but when they pass over, the winds change hugely, both in direction and strength. Today, I had been making progress quite happily almost due west all day, when I was hit by rain and forced a couple of miles south in the space of an hour or so. Luckily this isn’t worrying me anymore, but it makes it look as though I can’t decide which way to go!
One of the biggest changes to my rowing over the course of the crossing so far, has been my attitude to night rowing. I have to admit that, at the start, I avoided it wherever possible. This obviously isn’t a good thing when there’s less than 12 hours’ daylight! But now, I’ve actually started to quite like it.
To be honest, there are really two different types of night rowing, and this evening I got to enjoy them both. As the sun goes down, everything gradually gets darker and darker. Stars start to appear, until the sky looks like it’s covered in dust. At this point, you can barely pick out the waves and it all feels a bit like a rollercoaster; everything seems to go much faster and every now and again you get flung into the air by a massive wave you had no idea was there.
Then, tonight, just as I was getting ready to stop, came the second type. When the moon appears from below the horizon, the light it generates is amazing: it’s almost like a second sunrise of the day (that is, if you were awake for the first - it does happen quite early, you know!). Now, everything is visible and you can enjoy the cool air that you spend the days dreaming of. The only thing you have to be a little wary of is catching it out of the corner of your eye: thinking you’ve got the world’s biggest ship bearing down on you is not a pleasant surprise!
Sadly, the moon is fading now, and tonight is probably the last night I’ll enjoy moon-lit rowing for a few weeks. The good news is that, by the time the next full-moon is over, I should be on my final approach to Antigua. For now though, rowing is over for the night, and I need some sleep. I’ve got a sunrise to get up for!
