Oh Another Night at Sea

Our shifts got a bit muddled tonight, Graeme and I did the watch till midnight, and then again from 4am. We were trying to sail but the wind was being a bitch and playing with us, dropping and changing every few minutes. We were only doing between 2 and 3 knots, so basically making little progress. I had to wake Bob after only 40 minutes of sleep, to help us bring in the Genoa, I wasn’t confident enough to do it, especially in the dark. Then we were motoring again.

Graeme’s music was playing quite loudly, he likes music all the time, I like peace and quiet, but with the engine running once again there wasn’t much chance of that anyway. The music was some wailing, whiney woman it was depressing and giving me quite a headache, but I didn’t want to appear miserable and ask Graeme to turn it off, so stupidly I put up with it, he would be very cross if he thought I hadn’t asked him to change it, so more fool me…

I’m struggling really badly tonight, trying desperately, but failing horribly to stay awake. I’ve had four days and four nights at sea now, my longest time aboard without touching or seeing land, and the monotony is starting to drive me a little nuts. Lack of sleep is quite seriously beginning to tell on me. It always seems as though I’ve just fallen asleep when I’m woken for my next shift. I stagger dazed almost drunkly up on deck to share my shift with poor Graeme, I don’t know what he did to pull the short straw and get me as his shift partner. Thank goodness for my Kindle and Nook, (yes I have both, I’m a greedy bitch), not being able to make up my mind which one was best, I got one of each. I’m able to read quite comfortably at night while sailing/motoring, I find it much easier than during the day, which doesn’t seem to make any sense. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice for the fourth time, I find it gentle and soothing on my frayed nerves. I look up at the end of each page to make sure Graeme hasn’t nodded off and that we’re not about to crash into an oncoming tanker.

The weather tonight is cloudy, with storms off our port and stern, we still need rain to wash off Daisy but we’re getting nothing but a little spit here and there…

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