08.12.2008
In the red yesterday
After an exhausting day in which Bernard had to make a succession of sail
changes aboard Cheminées Poujoulat, the skipper wrote a long message in
which he explained how fatigue can make things complicated.
“The wind eased a fair bit and I went into the red a little with all the
sail changes. This became evident in the evening after half an hour’s sleep
when I was wondering whether to switch Cheminées Poujoulat to automatic
pilot, when I’d already done it. It took me a good 10 minutes to get my head
together and realise that there was nothing I could do as far as that was
concerned. Even now I still feel as if I haven’t done everything I should.
In short, it was a complicated awakening. The sea has calmed down a lot too.
This afternoon the weather was good and now it’s drizzling. Ah yes, just
like at home. At the moment, there is very little wind and it would be good
if it quickly kicked back in again. We’re getting used to the wind and when
there is less, it feels like things aren’t going well, whilst in reality
everything’s hunky-dory.
I began these lines a few hours ago and I haven’t finished them or sent
them. I’m finding it a bit hard today. I get into the grib files or the
trimming and I zap all the rest. In the meantime things have got moving
again slightly; the W’ly air flow is set to build so it’s a question of
being patient. In addition, I haven’t found an acceptable trim for the pilot
in wind mode so all of a sudden it’s in compass mode and I’m beside it to
adjust it according to the fluctuations in the wind. It’s not very
practical. Everything’s working well, but I must have a problem filtering
out the wind or calculating the true wind which makes things difficult. At
the moment, the level we’re at is the equivalent of second season in an
optimist at sailing school with the pilot in wind mode but even then you
have to have the knack to find the logic in all this. I will find it.
In a boat however, it isn’t easy to organise yourself. There is no
separation between a cold, wet universe and a living space. We’d planned a
little wardrobe to be able to dry my clothes, but you have to heat that area
constantly for it to be worthwhile. The area gets cold quickly and then the
clothing gets damp again. There’s certainly plenty of dampness around at the
moment to make the clothing wet again as it tries to dry. I could heat the
whole area if need be, but I’d rapidly suffer from power and range problems.
There’s nothing very nasty or unforeseen in all this; I’ll adapt. Aside from
that, as far as the seascape is concerned, there are a lot of birds. I’m no
specialist but I reckon they must be petrels, terns and of course
albatrosses. As regards marine mammals, it’s pitiful. I saw one or two
dolphins around the Canaries but nothing at all since then. It’s a real
shame. Having said that, if I don’t see any, then there’s less chance of me
running into them. This is there territory after all.”
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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