Blog Day 67
Latitude 50 04.22S
Longitude 36 36.04E
Barometer 977
Air Temp 4c
Local Time 0115 UTC+2
LIVE TRACKER
Hi All,
Well, I am sorry to say, that while today started out okay, it ended up being a really tough day at sea. Last night I had the best intentions of getting to bed after I completed the blog, but then the winds started to arrive at 4am and I needed to change out the jibs from the light No 1 jib to the heavy weather No 2 jib. By 5am, the winds had changed and swung all the way around to the North, so I went on deck again to alter the sail trim. By 6am it was time to complete the first micro plastic sample change and by 7am I was on a phone call doing a media interview in Sydney, by 8am it was time yet again to change out the micro plastic samples. Finally, by 9am, I was able to go to bed. Not even an hour later the winds increased, and I was suddenly needing to go on deck and put a reef in the mainsail...
It should have been a simple affair, lower sail and tie it down and then reset... But somehow, with how tired I was, nothing about putting that reef in the sail was going to be easy. I didn't notice it at the time but as soon as I climbed outside the hatch it started a misty drizzly light rain. No problem I think, because even though I am a silly girl and I am only wearing my base-layers and a vest, I think to myself, this won’t take long, and I will soon be back in bed. I have a look at the conditions, and it is right on the edge between requiring reef one or reef two. I decide to play it safe. I skip reef one and shorten the sail all the way to reef two. The winds are now blowing in from the NNE so I am now sailing upwind with all the sails in tight, bashing my way into the swell. It is an uncomfortable point of sail as we heal over a lot in those conditions, making everything that little bit harder.
I was lowering the sail when I notice that reef two is getting tangled around the boom and I need to free the line. I grab my boat hook and spend 10 minutes trying to clear it before I can continue to lower the sail and carry on. I then got the sail all the way to the reef 2 tie off point and I was setting the luff of the sail (front edge) with the luff reefing line. I then set the back of the sail with the outboard reefing line but I again notice that now the third reefing line has managed to get hooked on a batten. I know that I am sailing into a storm and will most likely will need to put the third reef in soon. I think to myself, I am better of clearing that line now before it gets more difficult in harsher seas and with stronger winds.
I dig out my boat hook again and perched on the side of the boat I spend the next 10 minutes freeing that line up. In the meantime, the rain has increased, and I am definitely regretting my decision not to put my Musto Wet weather gear on, because I was getting completely soaked through and starting to shiver in the cold. I am still trying to free that line when the boat lurches and I smash hard against the cabins edge. The rope gets away from me, and without really knowing how, I find myself crumpled in a heap on the cockpit floor sobbing my heart out. I am not a crier, but when I get pushed to my limits and tested in these conditions with the extreme sleep deprivation I find these moments where I will either need to scream at the sky or shout at the boat in frustration or curl up in a ball and cry……Today I cried.
I was so mad at myself for getting soaked. The reefing should have been a quick process and I have been feeling like I am just not catching a break. Any time I feel I am getting slightly on top of things, like the maintenance, something else happens and I am suddenly playing catch up again. So today, with no sleep, I hit my limit, and spent nearly 20 minutes huddled in a heap on the cockpit floor. About 10 minutes in, I roused myself enough to start tidying up the reefing lines strewn around the deck, but I was still sopping, with tears streaming down my face the whole time I was doing it. There is nothing rational about it, and crying is just an outlet for the emotions of the trip. This is the first time (this trip) that I have hit this level of fatigue and exhaustion. I dried my cheeks and finally after cleaning up the decks and re-setting the sails I went below and tried to get dry.
I knew that the only way to get dry was either a full change of gear or to climb into my sleeping bag and let my body heat dry my cloths. As I waited for the kettle to boil for the hot water bottle, I used a towel to try to press the water out of my base layers. I wasn't dripping wet, but I was wet enough that the water had penetrated through two layers, and I could feel the chill on my skin. With my newly heated hot water bottle I dived right back into bed and noticed that it was now 12 noon. I desperately wanted some sleep, but I was too strung out and wired to get any, so I read my book in bed for a while instead, hoping I would fall asleep. Just as I felt like I was starting to doze off we started to get even more wind and I was once again needed on deck.
The winds were reaching and passing 30 knots now, so I knew that my new storm had arrived. I ended up putting the third reef in the mainsail and half furled away the No 2 jib. With that combination I was still able to get 7 knots out of Climate Action Now, so I was happy enough to let her fly and go back inside. I was really hoping to sleep, but I knew it was a bit of a lost cause because now, with the arrival of this next storm. As I hadn't eaten in a while, I wanted to make some breakfast. One hot bowl of porridge later and it was now 6pm at night. I needed to write up this blog in a few hours, so I decided to just stay up and watch the storm develop and go to sleep later that night but for the whole night...
I made some dinner at 11pm and here we are at 1am and I am yet to sleep. The winds peaked at 35 knots so far but have now eased to 20 knots, so I am going frustratingly slow with three reefs in the main sail, the storm jib and half the no 2 head sail out, but I expect that more wind is to come. I am just going to ride out this lull and try to get some sleep with the hope that by tomorrow, I will feel rested, the weather gods will play nice and I have a nice day at sea just sailing.
I would normally take this time to thank the degree sponsors however there isn't any for tonight but if you are interested in supporting this project and helping me to reach the very-much-needed funding targets than please take a look here.
In the meantime I am off for some much needed sleep... Goodnight, all.
NOTE FROM MUM - Lisa is working seriously hard for this record. I am asking you all for a bit of help. Because Lisa’s satellite stopped working it has limited the media exposure she would normally have received. It is a bit harder with no video or photo’s. Could everyone make an extra effort to share this to help maximise her social media exposure. Also, if anyone belongs to any clubs, community groups, or social groups, could you share her story their as well. You could even do a mini presentation.
If you want to write your own articles for your own clubs, or your local papers,, go for it.. There is plenty of information to be obtained from the blogs. Shelley (Lisa’s sister) shared a blog to her local fakebook community and there was lots of excitement. This story is not just for sailing enthusiasts, it is for anyone. If people don’t know about it, they can’t be a part of it. Lets do our bit for Lisa, and a bit more. Lets do a big push together and get this story out there.
P.S. Thank you to all those who are already living and breathing Lisa and regularly sharing content..
SPONSORS
TECHNICAL PARTNERS
