I wake up at 4am, but turn around until 5am, it's still supposed to be a vacation, right!? I go out to wash my hair because I know that my movements will be reduced on the crossing and as well start the trip by being clean. I load my computer for the Canaries and start the last tasks before leaving. Louis gets up at 5:30. We leave at 7:15.
It feels so good to be back on the water. This feeling of total freedom. We say goodbye to our beloved Terceira and we go on an adventure. Just over 845 nautical miles to go. We are going to the Canary Islands!
The sky is blue, but it's a bit cold for me. Nevermind. There are a lot of waves though. We both get a little seasick. It's been a long time since we've been on the water so it's normal that our bodies have to adjust. Common sense would probably dictate that we do not start a crossing directly without having reaccustomed our bodies to the movements of the boat on the water but hey, we are enthusiasts, what is more, a little pressed for time.
So we motor for 2 hours with the sails on and then only under sail at 7-8 knots of speed, which is perfect on a sailboat.
We dine on instant soup, which I barely eat, my stomach not yet certain of what is happening to it. I then go to rest inside, but with all the noise the boat makes, I can't sleep. Not seeing Louis stresses me out so much that I get up. I don't want a captain in the water, let's say. The anxiety didn't leave me so easily on the water. I know it's a beautiful day but sometimes difficult to reason.
I then start writing on my cell phone to take notes for you. I write 2 lines. Louis tells me not to write/read if I'm not feeling well because it will be worse. I just want to finish my sentence so as not to lose my idea. I barely have time to write 2 words when I rush to the port side of the boat and give up my lunch and dinner included.
In fact, to prevent seasickness, you should not have 2 or more of the followings:
Hunger
Jitters
Fatigue
Cold
Thirst
So if you eat and drink enough, are warm enough, not too tired and not afraid, you should be fine. The problem with me is that I am very often cold and almost always tired, so I already start the trip swith two marks against me, which starts badly.
I take the afternoon very relaxed. We see dolphins. I even believe that Louis saw a whale. Louis makes us dinner around 4:30 p.m.: beans and sausages. In general, we like it on the boat but today, the beans are fine but not the sausages. I leave them aside. Either way, the important thing is to eat. My afternoon activity: peeing overboard. You understand that there is no way I want to go inside for that.
5 p.m.: I return to the port side to give back my supper (my 3-4 bites) to the sea. Louis starts the engine again to recharge the batteries for the night and make sure that everything works while we have light. Then he will take a little nap inside. Me, I look at the ocean and I am very calm. Then suddenly, I jump, I see a stone wall on the port side that we seem to be following. A low wall 3-4 feet high, in the open sea. I don't want anyone hitting it. At the same time, I wonder what it is doing there. Then I look away and when I look to port again, it's gone. I'm already starting to hallucinate on day 1. It's promising!
6:15 p.m. While Louis is sleeping, I take the opportunity to give up my lunch to the sea, port side, for yet another time. You will therefore understand that we are on starboard tack. I don't even know what's coming out anymore because I have nothing left inside. That hurts me. We then watch the sunset together and I go inside to sleep from 7-10:30 p.m. Sleep is a big word. I slept 30 min but I was able to rest.
So we make small night shifts to pass the islands of Sao Miguel and Santa Maria and leave the Azores. We don't put on a schedule, we simply switch places when we wake up for that night, and otherwise Louis will wake me up.
Louis will therefore sleep from 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. He is good at light naps.
I go back to lie down from 11:15 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. then I go out quickly to vomit a 4th time in the space of 12 hours.
I go back to lie down until 1:30
Louis will sleep from 2am-3:15
I managed to sleep 1 hour between 3:30 and 5:30
Louis then sleeps around 6am until around 8am.
The rest will be tomorrow. You will understand that I have no more energy. But still, it was a great day.
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