Solo-Around-Nonstop - Dee Caffari/Aviva www.avivachallenge.com - zur Übersicht 16.12.2005 Heat, sleep deprivation and loneliness - and it will only get harder "I have the time it takes me to sail down the South American coastline to get organised and make sure that Aviva is as prepared as she possibly can be to enter the Southern Ocean." Dee started this week doing just that, anticipating the list of tasks from the Technical Team and beginning her preparations by servicing the winches one by one. Despite struggling from a lack of sleep, Monday was productive and the conditions were ideal. "The sailing was lovely. Sunshine, a steady breeze and the sea was a beautiful turquoise," wrote Dee. Segelwechsel in den Tropen The perfect start to the week soon turned to frustration though, as pleasant consistent conditions gave way to unpredictable, shifting winds on Tuesday morning: "After having such a good day's sail and then to be left with a nightmare morning, it did not do well to put me in a positive frame of mind ... It just made me really frustrated and really tired." As the wind constantly changed speed and direction, Dee fought to keep the right sail plan flying and Aviva moving fast. But it was impossible to keep up with the conditions, and the threat of sail damage as she pushed on in the heat compounded her feelings of frustration. Add sleep deprivation and loneliness and Dee was hitting a psychological and physical low-point. In the latest podcast interview with Elaine Bunting of Yachting World, Dee admitted being so exhausted at times she wrote incomprehensible entries in the yacht's log and made silly mistakes. Small triggers such as reading the messages of support can bring her close to tears. Elaine also speaks to single-handed sailor Mike Golding, who remembers how lack of sleep started a downward spiral of despondency and ill-health during a similar voyage. For the expert's view on Dee's sleeping pattern at sea, Elaine spoke to Dr Claudio Stampi, the founder and director of the Chronobiology Research Institute in Boston. He talks about how sailors can train themselves to cut back on the sleep they need by learning a completely new pattern of rest, and how the lessons he has learned have been applied in industry. (See link below to listen to the podcast) On Wednesday Dee reported a "much calmer day," and admitted that she had simply "run out of steam." Looking forward, she realised that while she could try and adjust to every small change in the wind, she could also, "play the averages and take some time out and end up with the same boat speed." Her challenge, after all, is a long-haul voyage and the new approach gave her time to complete more housekeeping and indextenance jobs. Perhaps most important though, was the psychological relief that came from allowing Aviva to "sail a little freer." "Changing my outlook has reduced the amount of stress I was putting on myself," wrote Dee. Currently heading down the Brazilian coast within a few hundred miles of land, although she cannot see it, Dee's weather specialist Mike Broughton has told her to expect similarly inconsistent conditions for the next couple of days. The weather should clear when she passes Cabo Frio, just north of Rio de Janeiro, but for now she is concentrating on preparing Aviva for the rough stuff as she heads further south. Quick Links Audio Interview Listen to Dee describe the exhaustion and frustration of the past few days http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=32 Read about the tricky conditions that left Dee feeling "really frustrated and really tired." http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=6&thisDay=14&thisMonth=12&view=day Read Dee's latest log: http://www.avivachallenge.com/index.asp?pageid=6 If you wish to unsubscribe please go to: http://www.avivachallenge.com/unsubscribe.htm Copyright © 1996-2016 - SEGEL.DE