So being at sea for such a long time now, over 22 days for sure but I
have lost count and so has the counter on our whiteboard, does take its
toll. We have people who are feeling poorly or at least say they are
anb who decide to staying their bunks instead of going on watch. This
puts more strain on the people who are on watch who in turn get a bit
tired and careless so they injure themselves.
The most common wounds are nothing serious but small grazes and cuts on
the hands. The incredible humidity however does not allow these small
wounds to close quickly so they fester a bit and get bigger before they
disappear. The recent cold makes them bleed a lot too. So there is blood
on the sails, mast and ropes. I have had two big bleeders so far and I
have really painted everything I touched a deep red. When you wash off
the blood however it turns out to be a cut not bigger than half a
centimeter... peanuts! Anyway the antiseptic cream is the way forward. A
blob on the wound, covered by a plaster and then taped in place by
electrical tape. Leave it on for a watch and then let it dry. If the
healing does not kick in, repeat the treatment.
Humidity is probably our biggest pest at the moment. With the constant
rain we have had the ceiling in our sleeping area is just soaking wet
and dripping with condensation. Lying in my sleeping bag the choice is
either to be cold but reasonably ventilated or to be sweating my pants
off inside a warm sleeping bag. There is no way in between. Once up the
clothes I thought were dry-ish turn out to be overwhelmingly damp
despite that they have been kept in a drybag. So much for the dry bag.
Foulies are damp inside and outside, socks are damp and putting
everything on and then sitting still makes you cold rather than warm. I
don't think my feet have been dry for ages, nor has my bum.
Just the delights of ocean sailing. My future boat however will have a
heater!!!
