Day 16 - When Do We Get Off This Thing? or I Don't Want This To End...

I'm a little tired of the jostling in these rough conditions. Over the last two days, the seas have gotten so choppy that all the boats out here have been complaining on the morning and evening nets. I wish that gave me some comfort, especially given that it's likely way worse on a traditional mono hull, which most of the boats in the Puddle Jump fleet are. My muscles are aching because of the constant jarring. And I'm not sleeping much. Who can, when you're being shaken violently first from head to toe and then from side to side and then when a big wave comes along and slaps the inside of the hull close to where I'm sleeping it sends me airborne? The cycle then begins again. I actually look forward to my watches as it means that I no longer have to try to sleep. For me that's saying an awful lot, given how much I love my sleep.

I've been trying to come up with comparatives so land lubbers can get an idea of what it's like. I figure this is what a really really bad earthquake feels like but it never stops. It feels like, with some waves, this 24,000 lb. fiberglass boat is being picked up and rung out in opposite directions (like when I washed my 52 rags of last week -- see blog of last week) and then just dropped. I'm amazed that the boat is still holding together (other than the mainsail and its headboard, of course). You can actually feel the shape of the boat change at times, but of course it's meant to do that. It feels like being on a perpetual Shake Shack (remember the one from the movie Grease?). Or I can compare it, like I have in past blog posts, to a high speed moving train when you try to move between cars. All day long. Try doing everything, and I mean everything, with only one hand. It's most challenging when showering: one hand is needed to hold on and the other to hold the shower head. Or drying off after a shower using a heavy towel and only one hand. Getting dressed is another challenge. Cooking? Forget about yoga. The list goes on. Oh, how I can't wait to be free again to move when and how I choose.

But, on the otherhand, tonight, when I went outside at the start of my midnight to 6 a.m. watch and saw the stars sparkling in a clear sky and felt the warm breeze in my face, I can't help but marvel at where I am and what I'm doing right now. There's an exercise I do with my coaching clients to figure out what energizes them, what fulfills them. It involves thinking of a snapshot in their lives where they felt completely at peace, completely fulfilled. The idea is to use what creates those states and find them elsewhere in order to keep yourself motivated or just generally maintain a feeling of fulfillment. One of the examples of such a snapshot that I give is when I was traveling through Europe right after law school. I had just said goodbye to a travel companion I had met along the way to go off on my own again and I was walking with my heavy backpack on my back through the streets of Athens, Greece. I remember thinking to myself: "Wow. This is awesome. No one I know knows where I am at this very moment, yet I'm here, happy, and really doing this." For me this was about self-sufficiency, but also about accomplishment. And here I am today, with that same feeling. We are self sufficient and still flourishing. And we are accomplishing this great crossing, this amazing travel, this incredible experience. We are really doing this.

-Barb
04 degrees 11.400 minutes South
134 degrees 29.959 minutes West

Day 16 Stats:
Distance: 151 miles; Total trip: 2467 miles; Average daily distance traveled: 154 miles
Average Speed: 6.3 knots; Average overall speed: 6.4 knots
Sea Conditions: Seas have been c-h-o-p-p-y and confused. Very uncomfortable (see above). Mostly clear skies today, with no squalls to dodge. Winds today were from the ESE to the SE 15-18 knots.
Incident Report: Truthfully, losing the use of our mainsail was enough for the entire trip. Loads of spills, things falling etc. Michael dried out the bilges today. Hopefully we're through with squalls for a while. Really really really need to get some laundry done.
Fish caught: It's too choppy to try landing a fish if we caught one so the lines were not put in today. Our total remains One.
Total Kitchen Garbage Bags Generated: Two. A third is really starting to stink although I can't figure out why since all food stuffs go overboard.
Produce Inventory: Can't believe we still have firm tomatoes. Finished our last cucumber today. Still enjoying lots of fruits and veggies.
Meals/Snacks: Breakfast was matzah with cheeses, jams, peanut butter,etc. Was supposed to make matzah granola but just couldn't do it in this uncomfortable jostle. Morning snack was banana strawberry smoothies. Lunch was pastrami and sauerkraut on matzah, cucumbers and jicama. Dinner tonight was leftover spinach and mushroom quiche (a 'remake' according to Danielle, and even Michael - could it have been the soggy whole wheat matzah I used instead of slices of bread?!) and baked potatoes, with macaroons for desert.