Leg 2, Day 74 – Midnight Feast

Emma Mitchell By

Day 74 – Midnight feast

News flash! We have had 24 whole hours of favourable conditions out here in the Pacific and have been averaging 2kts in a southerly direction. A star app on Nat’s phone had told us that there would be a meteor shower last night and so as a celebration of our change in fortunes we decided to have a midnight social and watch the skies. The last few nights have been cloudy with only brief glimpses of the stars through a haze of light cloud but last night was clear and cool with a steady north easterly breeze. Since running out of snack packs we have begun eating our second main meal of the day during the night and so LP woke early for changeover time and made us all shepherds pie. We sat together under the stars toasting to how we have pulled together as a team over the tough last few weeks and months. We saw a few really bright shooting stars and made our wishes but it was more of a meteor sprinkle than a shower.

The night still held a bit of excitement for us after our social. Later on as Nats and I prepared to exit the cabin we spotted a boat on our AIS. LP and Lizanne could see its lights and we saw on the AIS data that it was a fishing boat and would pass within a mile of us. We tried calling them on the radio but with no luck and we assume they were all working out on deck. We signalled with our torch and laser flare to make sure that they knew we were there and then watched as the boat, lit up with super bright lights to lure in the fish, passed behind our stern. We could hear it’s generator working at its closest point and we feared that our mahi mahi escort may be attracted to its glitz and glamour. Thankfully they stayed safely alongside Doris as we have enjoyed their company as they return to support us through the night. I think the southern hemishere mahi mahi may be a more intelligent breed than their northern hemisphere cousins as none of them have swum into my oar and given themselves a headache yet! Later in the same shift a squid landed on my seat and I had to remove him with our trusty bbq tongs.

This mornings excitement came in a different form. Our batteries have gained some charge so we each had the choice of a bottle of water to do some washing or 30 minutes of charging time for our iPods. Laura and Lizanne chose the former and Nat and I the later. It’s probably for the best that Nat and I are on shift together as it means we can smell together for a day or two longer.

We are still pushing as hard as we can in a southerly direction while conditions allow since as we know from our journey so far you never know how long anything will last! As Tony said this morning ‘fill your boots while the wind remains North of East’.

Share:     

5 Comments

  1. Jim Andrews says:

    Nice and welcome news Emma, So glad that conditions are now, more favourable, long may it last. It is interesting how one days blog sounds a little down and then with the smallest bit of good fortune, the next blog is back up there. It is evidence that it is the little things that matter. I am currently (as well as typing this) watching Englands final game in the World Cup ? . Scotland and Wales are through to the quarter finals but Samoa are also out. I have a sneaky suspicion that Samoa threw their games so that they could get home to welcome you wonderful girls to their Islands. Stay Safe. XX

  2. Ray P says:

    It’s not the NE that’s got you the extra knot it’s the not stopping for a snack pack that’s done it, we’ll advise Lizannes’ parents not to get any in Samoa that way you’ll be home for Christmas. You’ve heard of leading a donkey with a carrot well I think it would be a good idea to attach a figure head to the bow of the boat perhaps sculptured along the lines of a good looking male celebrity holding his FISHING rod with a snack pack attached to it!!!!

  3. Row2Recovery says:

    Go girls! You’re an inspiration to us all…

  4. Simon TY says:

    Jim “the smallest bit of good fortune”. 24 hrs of brilliant conditions sounds more than “smallest bit”. Thrilled for you that after a few reflective days it has been a much much better 24 hours. My goodness, it is about your second or third best day in miles this leg.

    Ray, am sure they are hallucinating enough without a male celebrity to think about. And snack packs in the Southern hemisphere might be straight out of “Im a Celebrity”…….kangaroo bits, mahi mahi eyes, flying fish wings.

    Well done on really good progress. Must make life a whole lot more manageable. Onwards and upwards.

    PS I love the idea that after 400 days at sea a phone app can tell you of a meteor shower. Captain Cook eat your heart out !!!

  5. Michelle says:

    Lengendary words as always Raymondo!! Less eating & more rowing girls ? xxx

Leave A Reply