31st December 2001 New Year’s Eve This morning I wrenched myself from the warm slumber of my cocoon-like bed and indulged in the glut of tea that has been produced from the stores. Proper tea, or as damn near to it as you’ll get here. It’s the wishy washy English Breakfast tea you get abroad, … Continue reading Day 75
Month: December 2017
Day 73
29th December 2001 Today was some of the finest weather in all of December, but that says more about the weather in December than today. As I write the weather is getting worse again. It seems almost every night we go through a low pressure which whips up 40-knot winds and battering waves. I’ve discovered … Continue reading Day 73
Day 71
27th December 2001 Every day, and sometimes more than once, I look at the calendar and count the days. I have come up with ways of making the time [sound] less. The main way is to deduct 7 days from the end of the trip. The last seven days I’ll discount on the grounds that … Continue reading Day 71
Day 70
26th December 2001 Boxing day isn’t celebrated in Portugal so today is just another day on board. It’s a bright day though banks of fog keep moving in. I went out on the bow after lunch for some fresh air and spent a good while out there before a bank of fog came over and … Continue reading Day 70
Day 69
25th December 2001 Apparently Christmas Day isn't much celebrated in Portugal, with Christmas Eve being the main event. Certainly on the boat it was a day like any other except there was more alcohol with lunch. Nonetheless I had a little Christmas morning for myself. The ridiculousness of it cheered me up. I felt … Continue reading Day 69
Day 68
24th December 2001 It might be Christmas Eve, but that is no reason for Basil to change his routine, and so I was turfed out of bed early so that he could change the bedding. I really would be happy to change my own bedding, but he won't hear of it. Good old Basil. I … Continue reading Day 68
Day 67
23rd December 2001 I lay awake for hours last night as it was rough and my mind was racing. I spent all of my wages and imaged so many scenarios of the day that we get to port, one of them is bound to play out in reality and I’ll experience a vivid sense of … Continue reading Day 67
Day 66
22nd December 2001 It was rough during the night and I woke up regularly. At 7, or just after, I got up and went on the bridge to take a look at the lightening that had been flickering through my porthole. Ship’s time is about 2 hours behind what the time should be at this … Continue reading Day 66
Day 64
20th December 2001 Martello and the 3rd engineer came to fix the brackets to my desk to hold my laptop down. In Cornwall we say we'll do something 'dretley' which means that it will be done sometime in the future - most likely. I think the Portguese must have a similar philosophy because it's taken … Continue reading Day 64
Day 62
18th December 2001 Today I have a new philosophy on life, or at least this trip anyway. Yesterday was my 60th day at sea, and people keep telling me that for some reason the worst period away at sea is around 60 days. I guess the logic is that before this point everything is relatively … Continue reading Day 62