Over the course of the last decade, or however long it’s been since I started this crossing, I’ve done a fair few stupid things. Well, today I added another to the list. I’m just glad I don’t have long left!
Just as I was cleaning up my bowl and cutlery, I was about to throw the tissue paper I’d dried them up with over the side. However, I didn’t only have the tissue in my hand; I also had the cutlery. When performing such a manoeuvre, it’s very important to release the right fingers as you thrust your arm. As you may have guessed, I didn’t, and turned to see my cutlery rapidly drifting away. At this point, you’re torn between diving in after it, or … well, that’s pretty much the only rescue option.
Originally, I had three of these. One has disappeared somewhere; no doubt it will turn up a few years down the line. The other, as you may recall, underwent some fairly extensive reconstructive surgery earlier in the crossing. In my infinite wisdom, I decided to pack away everything I wouldn’t need in these last few weeks in the awkward hatches, and it is buried somewhere within all of that. To be honest, I doubt it survived the rough treatment! Luckily, I remembered one option. For the rest of this row, I shall be eating with the scoop from my hot chocolate!
This was merely an annoying mistake, rather than a potentially problematic one. A few days ago, I fell into the pole holding up my radar reflector and navigation light, pushing it into the sea. The cables prevented it drifting away, and thankfully the radar reflector is fine, but the light refuses to work. But the biggest moment of idiocy came within the first few weeks. Over the first week, I didn’t really use my watermaker; I had no idea what was going on half the time! When you do that, the bacteria in the filter break down and you get water smelling of rotten egg. Not a problem, it was in the manual, just replace the filter - I had a spare. So, carefully following the instructions, I removed the filter housing, checked the o-ring seal was there, removed the filter, and plunged the housing into the sea to wash it out. Well, the o-ring had been there; it wasn’t anymore! Through fair means and foul, I’ve managed to keep the watermaker running fairly happily, but for a few hours I was more than a little concerned that it would never work again!
I have a love-hate relationship with sleep. While I enjoy it, often a little too much, I also see it as a complete waste of time. Last night, having made good progress, I went to sleep having put out the para-anchor. Over the course of the night, the para-anchor did its usual thing of making me go due south, albeit slowly, so I was probably further from Antigua than when I stopped. Not only that, but I only got back to my previous northerly position 12 hours after going to bed, covering just 6 miles west in that time.
Right now, I’m drifting almost due west, which is brilliant. However, an hour ago, I was going about 30° south of that when not rowing. I can’t afford, mentally as much as physically, to go to bed expecting to wake up due west only for the wind to change and find myself 5 miles south just a few hours later. So I’m not going to. Sleep, that is. Well, that’s the plan, and we know how they usually turn out. I’m currently about 33 miles south of where I want to be. That could take anywhere between 30 and 60 hours of rowing. Until I hit 17°N, I’m going to attempt to just take breaks for eating. The side-effect is that I’ll also cover more ground west and, if the forecast proves correct (likelihood of nil, established given I want this one to be accurate!), I should then have 20kt easterly winds and the sea behind me, ensuring a rapid, if a little hairy, road to Antigua.
The plan is set, and I’d better get on with it. By the way, if anyone thinks this is now a nice easy row from here on in, rest assured it’s not. It’s still bloody hard work every step of the way! And, when I’m 20 miles away, before you start thinking it’s as good as over, please sit on a rowing machine and row for 7 hours! The only easy stroke will be the last one.
And it can’t come soon enough!
