We are all getting into a routine where we know our shifts, roles and places.   My body is actually getting used to the schedule, the strange sleep hours, the rocking of the boat and the light eating.  The food is great, but the portions are “normal” size rather than the standard “American” giant portions.   Maybe we will lose weight J Matt thinks the weather is getting warmer, but I am still wearing the same layers and clothes day and night.  The good news is that you don’t go through a variety of clothes or a large assortment of clothes as you just re-wear the same thing over and over again as it just doesn’t matter.  In fact I am sleep in the same clothes that I am wear during the day and to my surprise I have no issues with it at all.

During the early evening our 10 year old topping lift frayed through. Thank goodness the main had a single reef so the boom did not topple on top of our cockpit cover which housed our solar panels.  Unfortunately it meant that someone was going to have to go up the mast to get the end of the topping lift to re-tie it and Mother Nature decided to send us some big winds, waves and boat speed.  Of course it had to be Matt to go up.  Matt grabbed the boson chair and had determined to make a running hitch, but I insisted he wear his pfd and latch it on the line as well – three times the protection.  It was the most horrifying thing to see my sweet husband up 60’ from the deck in 20 knots of wind, 10 knots of boat speed and 12’ seas – what was I thinking?  He bounced around like a rag doll – it was awful.  There were several times when he was only hanging from his safety lines and his body was bouncing around the lines and off the mast as if it were made of rubber.  The good news is was able to repair the line and make it down without any serious injuries.  My prayers were answered.  After that was fixed and most of us were in bed, we had a massive storm that brought lots of lightening during Matt’s shift.  He quickly turned off all of our equipment and placed some items in the oven.  We had over 45 knots of wind, bare poles, rain, thunder and lightening – pretty darn scary.  For my shift it was just rain, very little thunder and no lightening but it was still a long shift keeping me on pins and needles