Day 19 -- Watch out for the night watch
08 December 2010 | Middle of the Atlantic Ocean (somewhere!)
Will
First of all, if you aren't getting enough of this odyssey, Andy and Tim are writing a blog at www.sailblogs.com/member/arc2010. They are doing an excellent job of capturing a different slant to this whole trip and I strongly encourage you to check it out.
As Andy writes so eloquently in his blog, we are nearing the home stretch, but the ante has also risen. Tough sailing conditions is taking its toll on the crew. We think there is only a day or two left of the tough conditions before things let off a bit, so we are all hanging on to try to get there. We can see light at the end of the tunnel, and we don't think it is a steam locomotive!
We are making great days -- posting 190-195 nm each day for the last several days. With 580 nm to go, it won't be long before we are enjoying a warm showers, dry bunks, and some rum drinks.
The sea state is too big for Elise to drive, so we are down to four drivers (Andy, Tim, Will and I). That puts more pressure on sleep and rest. Last night was our second night on the special watch schedule and I had a(nother) close call.
Will and I share the six-to-midnight watch and we trade the helm every half hour. We have to hand steer because the sea is too large for the autopilot to keep up. After my second turn at the helm I had a half hour off and promptly fell asleep in the cockpit. No problem there. But I overslept and when I awoke I was 5 min. late for my watch. I bounced up to relieve Will and took the helm. But I wasn't fully awake and in the dark of night I was steering the boat alllll over the place -- up, down, and all around.
After about five minutes I was lucid enough to get things under control and kept driving.; At the end of my watch I yelled over to Will to get ready for his watch. Will was asleep on the same cockpit seat that I had been earlier! I couldn't wake him. So I decided I would just keep on driving. But after 10-15 min. of that I was starting to feel really drowsy. So I knocked on the starboard cockpit seat to wake Elise in her bunk down below. But she had her iPod headphones in and didn't hear anything. I was frantic. Here I was up in the cockpit in a vicious sea state, losing my coherent abilities, and I had nowhere to turn for help!! Finally I just started yelling 'help' as loud as I could in the hopes of waking someone.
Fortunately Tim awoke and came to my rescue. (Elise did as well!). Tim took over driving and we ended up having a great conversation that kept us both awake till 0130 when Andy awoke. I then handed it all over to Andy and Tim and went down below for some much needed sleep. But it was a close call. With 1-2 more nights to go, safety will be an ever-increasing concern.