Oceanracing 2005- Solo-Around-Nonstop

Solo-Around-Nonstop - Dee Caffari/Aviva
www.avivachallenge.com - zur Übersicht

26.02.2006
Abgebrochener Ausflug in den Mast zur Reparatur

I donned my protective jacket and helmet and set up for the climb. It was evening and I wanted to beat the light fading. I had shaken out the reefs in the indexsail so there was just one reindexing and the wind had dropped to around 12 - 14 knots. The wind speed may have eased but I had not given the swell chance to ease. I began my climb as an all conquering hero and rapidly the journey changed and I became a rag doll.I got as far as just under the second spreaders and knew this mission was doomed to failure. I was taking a beating and being thrown around the rig too frequently to make ascent realistic. I made the decision then that I need to descend again and try another time.
The waves that sprayed the bow with water felt like enormous storm waves up the rig as all movement is accentuated massively aloft. Trying to climb and also hold on to reduce the pendulum effect was creating problems for myself. In hindsight I should have sat on the second spreader to change to descend but instead once I decided just short of the second spreader that I needed to return to deck level, I tried changing straight away.

erschöpft zurück von halber Masthöhe

Böse Schmerzen im Arm

With all my weight on the climbing gear I was struggling to change from ascend to descend. It would be one of those moments where you want to cry because you can't do it, unfortunately in solo sailing that is a waste of energy because you have to do it and sort it out as no one else is there to help. After an hour and a half I had made it back to deck level again and I was spent. The light was fading and the ominous band of cloud that had urged me to sort my problems out and fast rolled towards us. As I retrieved all the gear and put it below I took my clothes off to reveal why the pain in my left arm was so intense. I had severe bruising along the length of the underside of my upper left arm where it was pinching against the rope of the take down line that I had wrapped my arm in to help reduce the pendulum effect whilst I was sorting myself out to descend. My forearms were also fully pumped and holding anything was proving difficult as I found out when trying to hold the kettle as I put water in it.

Unfortunately, although I desperately needed to rest my arms and wanted to curl into a ball and sleep until I felt better, Aviva still needed to be sailed and over the course of the next 5 hours there was always something to do on deck. An hour after getting down I was putting the second reef in the indexsail. The wind was building and reefs and furling headsails was required. I also had to tack and that took all my concentration of strength left. I have probably furled the staysail a little early but, when I saw the gusts, I did it, as I know the wind will build and once done there was more chance of sleep as I have reduced sail by as much as I need to.

Aviva is going to have to look after me again while we pass through this stretch of strong winds and then I will be strong enough to help her again.
Rag Doll Dee & Aviva