By Jess Rego on January 10, 2019
Another 7 days at sea and what a week we’ve had. We’ve been visited by a passing yacht - very exciting to run into neighbours while in the big blue! - while storming it at 3.5 knots. Was this our first taste of the mythical trade winds? Spirits were high and we were loving life.
So it came as a bit of a disappointment when the next day we woke to no wind, no waves and no nearby vessels to distract us. The team fell quiet. We waited with anticipation for a weather update that never came and found ourselves snapping at the smallest things.
Out here the days can be endless. The sun is unbearably hot, the cabins even worse. You’re tired and dirty and everything is effort. Most days we keep ourselves entertained and happy but there are definitely hard days, and this was one of them.
We stopped rowing to clean the boat but the choppy waters meant even our little fish Caroline struggled to get her scrubber going. I attempted to wash my hair again and somehow came out with it feeling worse than before. We all had a bit of a wash and then cleaned down the deck. Tidy boat, tidy mind, right?
Already dejected, when I sat to resume rowing and found our rear wheel was finally in complete disrepair I couldn’t do anything but start to cry. For a moment the girls were quiet; we’ve all had that moment, when it all just gets a bit too much to take. Susan held out a hand to comfort me. Caroline grabbed the gopro.
A bit of a moan and meltdown later we decided it was time to bite the bullet and retire the kinseo tape repairs. We knocked off another good wheel from a broken axel and installed it onto the seat. We’d tried this on stroke seat a few days ago and, knock on wood, it’s held so far. We were back on track! We turned up the tunes and got back on happy team ways.
As we’d lost a few hours to the cleaning and repairs we decided to skip the planned treats and instead settled for a small nightcap on deck as we moved into the evening solo shifts. But really, a much needed tipple with good friends, under a blanket of stars that seem to shine just for you… what better treat is there.
Times get tough and we all have our moments but this week is a reminder that we can weather those storms and pull together to get through it all. After all, when the going gets tough, the tough get rowing.