Volvo Ocean Race - Quite the day for Team SCA
by Corinna Halloran on 16 Oct 2014
Justine Mettraux and Abby Ehler help tack a sail over the combing. Corinna Halloran / Team SCA
Today was a special day in the Volvo Ocean Race. Not only are we all sailing together as a fleet—and pushing each other as a fleet—down the West Coast of Africa after an unexpected great day of sailing, but it’s also day four of leg 1. [Technically, it’s day three for everyone on land but four for us on the boat because we count the first day off as day one—this is really important for food bag ordering.] Day four is incredibly special because we begin to finally fall into a rhythm and a daily life.
Our body begins to get used to sleeping in bursts—two hours at most, despite our four hours on/ four hours off schedule. A few of the sailors noted they haven’t had a full 'off watch,' because they’ve been woken up because of a tack, sail change, or both at least once every time they tried to go to sleep. Obviously this can do a number on your body, and for a while your body feels like it’s fighting your mind every step of the way. And then, as if a light bulb finally switches ‘on’ for your body: you begin to feel comfortable sleeping in short bursts and operating on little amounts of sleep. Today, that light bulb turned on.
Today, the crew have stopped harassing Libby for any new information about the fleet because everyone knows the 'scheds' arrive at 1:15am/pm and 7:15am/pm.
Today, we all began to adjust to the life of freeze-dried food and power bars. Today’s dinner is our favorite: Thai Green Chicken Curry. Today, I ate my last fresh orange for twenty more days. The orange wasn't even that good but I savored every bite nonetheless, and hoped I would not drop the last slice into the sea.
Today, was a good day to use our TENA shower glove. If there's one massive advantage Team SCA has over the other teams, it's this: a shower. Ok so there's no running fresh water and our hair is sticking straight back but to feel clean after a few days of salt and sweat is an indescribable joy. It's also a good day to change clothes and check your body for any bumps, bruises, and rashes that might cause infection down the line.
Today, we also saw dolphins. And we sailed by Team Mapfre so close we were able to say hello—quite friendly considering. I reckon they’re having just as good a day as us. After all, there’s something special about day Team SCA website
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