16/11/07

This is not for the faint hearted or faint stomach. After a last minute dash to the emergency unit at Milnerton Medi Clinic to X-Ray Shaun's hand (bashed by a winch handle when raising the main on our aborted first departure on the 12th Nov). We finally leave at midnight on the 14th.

I immediately started feeling queasy but I stand on the deck. At 1:30 John calls us on deck to give us our watch details. I am on the next watch 03:00 - 06:00 (gulp!). I must go try to sleep now and John will try to tell me what to do at 02:55 (gulp!!) I am to quesy and nervous to sleep, I get up at 02:30 and struggle into my salopette, jacket, etc and fall around trying to find torch, watch, etc. It is a storm out side 5-7 metre swell, waves breaking over the deck the boat is being tossed about on the angry ocean, John spends about five minutes with me explaining what to check for and thankfully he says that I do not have to stay in the cockpit but must come out every 10 -15 minutes to check the intrumentation. With a quick "be careful out there, it is very dangerous" he is gone. Just in time I find a bucket under the table, no explanation needed - this is worse than morning sickness. Shaun comes up to join me and I ask "Please remind me why I am here"

Hopefully this will be the worst night I spend on board.