Milestones Monotony and Mayhem

We hit a couple of important milestones today.  At 2PM local time we crossed over 2000 total miles traveled.  We also calculated that we have less than 1000 miles to get to Lizard Point on the rhumbline.  We made some major detours early to go South in order to get in better position for wind, so I am quite positive that we will break 3000 total miles traveled when we reach Cowes.  Pretty amazing.


Tonight Alex cooked a lovely meal of risotto with black truffle oil, tomato soup with garlic croutons and a salad.  It was really very nice and made us all feel a bit more civilized.  Unfortunately that was really my only proper meal of the day.  The rest of the days nutrients (if you can all them that) consisted of cold spaghetti for breakfast, a milkyway bar, a granola bar, 4 chocolate covered espresso beans and six or seven Starbursts (I had to do something while helping Andrew and Santi pack the spinnaker).  I also had a coke and a Red Bull at 3am last night while on watch -- you got to do what you got to do.  We have a desalination system on board that we use for showers etc. and the fresh water tanks were filled with local Newport water right before we left -- surprisingly this actually does not taste too bad -- it is filtered.  Hans brought along A LOT of San Pellegrino.  I mean A LOT.  I have been averaging about a litre and a half a day and so has everyone else.  We are running a bit low, but chances are there are a few extra cases stashed elsewhere.


Health wise, I have to say I am feeling good other than being perpetually exhausted.  The days and nights really start to flow together and I find myself just keeping my head down looking for sleep and determining how I am going to eat before my next watch.  I am "hot bunking" (it isn´t nearly as fun as it sounds) with Tom and Franco in a very small state room.  It was supposed to be just Tom and I, but another crew member didn´t want to share his double with Franco off watch.  Not wanting any problems we took it on ourselves to make it work.  Tom has been amazingly generous and accommodating about sharing his room and we have seemed to have found out how to make it work without being all over each other -- it not easy easy though.  With 3 watches, this means I am either in that bunk for 4 hours sleeping, spending 4 hours in the salon on "standby" ready to help the team on watch, or I am on watch -- either driving, doing sail changes, or manning the radar.  That´s 12 hours.  So basically hit ´repeat´ for the last 12 days and that´s pretty much where I am at.  I am tired just thinking about it!  Trust me though, it´s far from boring with your adrenaline pumping at times handling the boat through some of the crazy weather, beautiful ocean wildlife, and constant activity, it has been quite an experience.