Elisa's Journey - Life at 45 Degrees – Leg 2 to South Africa Begins

Waking up in Rio yesterday was a flat calm morning. I hoped we would have enough wind for the Leg 2 race start at 3:00. Well, the winds picked up nicely, setting the stage for an exciting start, boats neck and neck across the line. There were some interesting wind shifts off Sugarloaf Mountain just to keep us on our toes. Before we knew it, the views of mountains and Copacabana Beach were in the distance, and we were back to life at sea.

After a very busy stopover, it was a relief to return to the “eat, sleep, sail routine”. Leg 1 was a series of flat spinnaker runs and challenges of keeping the boat moving in light winds. So far, Leg 2 is like night and day in comparison. Within a few hours, we were sailing as close to the wind as possible, surfing our way up and down 2-3m swells!

Our watch system was changed to suit the more physically challenging condition – a rotation of 3 watches. One watch sails the boat constantly for 3 hours. Another stands by, ready to be woken for assistance as needed. The third watch sleeps for 3 hours, or at least has an attempt.

I enjoy the helming in these conditions very much – for the first time, there are some good sized waves to work with. Life down below, however, takes on a whole new meaning. For example, to write on this computer, I have to keep myself carefully braced – otherwise I will be on the floor in a matter of seconds. Walking around requires a grab bar or wall to balance yourself at all times. Again, landing on the floor is very likely. I feel like I have gone from a fit 31 year old to a 90 year old in a matter of hours.

Climbing into my top bunk takes several tries, timing it just right with the waves. I hold the grab bar, step on the bottom bunk, and pull myself up when the waves are working in my favour. Once up, I need to tie my lee-cloth within seconds. Its purpose is to hold me in the bunk when the waves roll the boat. Once safely up there, I need to adjust the pulley system of the bunk to keep it at the flattest angle, hoping we don’t tack while I am asleep! This needs to be done from in the bunk, as I can’t reach the pull cord from the floor.

These conditions are a far cry from my mother watch last month where I could balance on one leg for 20 seconds – that was my test to see if it would be a good day to spend in the galley. Today, I feel sorry for our Moms. All 3 of them feel queasy, and have the additional duty of mothering those who are ill, including cleaning up after them.

A few crew became seasick in the first 12 hours, and had a difficult night. Several were not able to stand their watches, another group felt nausea, but were quite functional, and the rest of us were OK, but not 100%. For me, I just find it hard to eat, but make sure I get small bits in to keep up energy. I sleep more than usual as well. So far I’m feeling good about things, and hope those among the seasick recover soon. Often it is just the first few days to adjust.

As for the race, we had a good run with Australia the last 24 hours, keeping them in sight most of the time. We had to stay on the same tack to avoid a surveying area earlier today, which increased our distance from them, but still in good position in terms of our path to Cape Town. After one of the most exciting starts, it’s great to be at sea again and sailing in some challenging conditions. By the end of the year, I’m sure this will feel like a calm day!