Day 3, my first report,

Life here is tough and mostly at a 35 degree angle. Try and replicate at home. My bruises have bruises moving round the living quarters as the movement of the boat is so unpredictable. But everyday it is getting easier as I become more agile. Having said that I put my fleece on inside out and trousers back to front and didn’t even notice!

On deck is easier but very challenging when we have a spinnaker hoisted. Look up what a spinnaker does and I’ll explain what we do to keep in air.

As soon as the sail begins to fold in we grind the rope(sheet) to pull it from folding and dropping into the sea. It makes the loudest bang as it refills with air. On the way to the scoring gate we had the spinnaker up for 2 days which required constant watching. But it paid off as we caught Sanya.

In bed a night I am very aware of all the sounds on deck so here is a selection

Squeaky rubber soles

Continuously being jet washed

Very loud bangs from adjusting spinnaker like hearing a repeat car crash

No voices then urgent shouts then silence 

Living under a scrap yard. 

Everyone is rubbing along very nicely and we are having some laughs along the way.

At happy hour today we are playing wink murder? Might be a video later.

We have a Maeva on board a lovely french lady who is a freelancer working for clipper.  

Trust is a significant factor. Not just in sailing the boat safely as well as fast but everyone doing the best they can in each role eg cleaning bilges or the heads, cooking,etc. We all rely on each other. 

My boat and bunk buddy is Henry. He has a friend from Birmingham so he can translate my accent to others. He has been very kind when I was feeling the effects of sea sickness. We were mothers that day so I went to bed whilst he cooked. I was not sick, thankfully just feeling unwell. 

A few people are still having a terrible time and have been quite poorly. Their resilience has been fantastic as they have been up and sailing when they can.