I have always been disappointed in myself for not being able to handle part of our Atlantic crossing. I decided I was lacking in three things: skills, strength and stamina. So this year I have been working on improving my steering skills while under sail. I have been improving my strength by using the exercise program of Miriam Nelson, Ph.D. She is a researcher at Tufts University and specializes in increasing strength for those over 60. I highly recommend the program, it has made a world of difference for me. And lack of stamina I decided came from spending sooo much energy on fretting and stewing. So this time I decided to not worry about the mast falling down, the rudder falling off or being eaten by an octopus. I have a mantra, ‘this, too, shall pass’. All these things seemed to help, I made it through this passage with gusto.
The picture is our main sail with two reefs in it. We did have strong winds and a boisterous sea. We went across a ridge so the water became shallow (for the North Sea) which made it worse. Plus, we had to dodge around a plethora of oil rigs and just avoided the 5 nm of cables streaming behind a ship that was doing survey work. All in the dark. While we had to hand-steer for 40 plus hours. Two hours of steering and two hours of rest. I am in desperate need of a massage.