Sailing Logic Blog
Monday, 1 September 2008
RORC Madeira-Cowes Race - Peter Brownsell’s Sunday Blog
This has been a very high spirited trip as I guess you’ll all have realised from the blogs we’ve been sending back from Puma. However spirits can’t always remain high.
I know personally that however exciting and rewarding the current experience, I always have a down moment, when nothing is as it should be and the world is just WRONG.
That moment came for me yesterday. I think it was yesterday, a couple of watches ago anyway. I was expecting it, and to be honest I was surprised it had taken so long to come. No specific reason, just tired after cleaning the boat on the morning watch while the boat rocked crashed and slammed it way through a difficult sea, and fed up with slipping all over the place in my special non-stick deck shoes. Twice into Philippe, who suffered quite badly for it, adding a nice frisson of guilt to the miserable mix. So I recognised that the darkness had come, and I wasn’t concerned because I knew it would pass.
My crew mates were I think, a little concerned, having never seen one of my less than happy moments, and responded in exactly the right way by taking the micky out of my foul mood. The swine! It did make me smile at the absurdity of how I felt though.. Then just as I was dozing off, off watch I was presented with a little bunch of flowers made from tie wraps and kitchen roll. What can you say, I couldn’t help myself, however much I was enjoying my misery, I had to smile and give it up! I can’t make any further comment without getting a sentimental. So as a Bloke I shall refrain, but I’ll just say that I love everybody on this crew dearly. (I have told them before, but I was, as they keep reminding me, very, very drunk at the time!)
Now after sleeping through three straight off watches and Puma humming along on flat seas, everybody dancing to Queen again after Philippe’s briefing last night with a special light show of flashing torches in the cabin and Pen Azen firmly in our sights, everything is rosy again.
So I’ve had my moment and it’s all up from here. All I need to be concerned about is what I’m going to do when this adventure comes to an end, which unfortunately it must. That is in the future though, and the future doesn’t exist, there is only this moment, NOW! I tried to explain this to my watch at three thirty this morning as we were getting ready to go on. They laughed at me very hard. I can’t think why?