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Dawn
at the Mull of Kintyre.
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Blow winds and crack
your cheeks....but not this morning.
After a fitful doze I awake to the sound
of the sails flogging noisily. I must
have dozed off again, the next sound
is of the oars being put back on deck.
Scott and Mike had tried to get Stormcruiser
going with the oars. I am cold, it seems
to takes ages to wake up properly. I
carefully lift my head through the companionway
to see Scott and Mike trying to fill
the sails. Tea, Coffee? The kettle goes
on for the upteenth time and a reviving
drink manages to get me fully awake.
I also manage to get the formula for
Mikes coffee just right.
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The
Mull of Kintyre from Stormcruiser.
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The rain has gone
and so has the wind. The windex is spinning
madly and the log shows 0.0 knots of
boat speed. Two hours to dawn. We can
see other boats in the same situation
as ourselves. The lights on the Mull
are clearly visible, they just don't
get any closer. We can see the lights
of Macrahanish and they are not disappearing
as they should.
The coldest part
of the night is the hour just before
sunrise. Add in the lack of sleep and
the frustration of being at the mercy
of the weather and it is easy to understand
that we are not happy. Mike takes the
helm and starts to find some patches
of wind, it just refuses to stay with
us. The sails are once again flogging.
The sunrise is brilliant
and the warmth soon creeps through our
foul weather gear. Ian rises after a
short sleep and Mike decides to 'go
deep'. In Navy terms that means he is
going to get some sleep, not just propped
up in a corner of the boat but properly
zipped in to his sleeping bag.
Ian and Scott review
our situation. Sail changes are discussed
but no amount of wishing will make the
wind rise in our favour. We have been
here for over 10 hours. I cannot bring
myself to take more pictures of their
disappointed faces. I think Mike made
a good call in diving for his sleeping
bag. I get my bag out and crawl into
the forepeak. It takes me about 2 minutes
to sort myself out and as soon as my
head touches the matress I am asleep.
I work out later that I have had seven
hours sleep in the last three days.
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The
last picture. Ian looks for signs
of
wind in the sails and Scott just
looks tired.
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The sound of Stormcruisers
diesel engine firing up tells me all I
need to know. Stromcruiser has retired
from the race. I turn over in my bag and
go to sleep again.
The
team is pleased to be sponsored by
Aztec Camping and have also received
support from Victorinox, Recta and
Maglite.
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