Ocean Rowing is Less a Sport, More a Skin Condition

This memorable line comes from the film "Row Hard No Excuses" - a tale
of two American rowers competing in the 2001 Atlantic Rowing Race. In
the film they then go on to show unappealing pictures of rowers' hands
(blistered) and bums (pimpled). I will spare you such images - showing
you instead a rather nice picture of the Brocade taken during my
afternoon swim.

But I will spend a few words on the topic of skin complaints. At the
moment I am feeling like a hybrid between the warty-backed toad and the
greater-spotted red booby (both species are obviously total inventions,
but allow for blogger's license...). The sunburn on my back came up
today in little fluid-filled blisters, no doubt a sign of impending
major snake-like sloughing of skin. Meanwhile, my front side is rosy red
with heat rash.

Hmmm, attractive. At least there's nobody around to see me - although if
there was, there would also have been somebody around to put sun lotion
on my back....

Other stuff:

I hope you really, really appreciate the photo attached, because I may
have killed a very expensive camera in order to get it. My Ricoh 500SE
wtih GPS tagging is supposed to be waterproof, but it doesn't seem to
have reacted too well to its dunking. Shortly after I got in the water
it turned itself off and refused to come back on. Ominous patches of
condensation have appeared in the corners of the LCD screen. I'll try to
dry it out and see what happens. Meanwhile, this picture was taken with
my waterproof Xacti video camera, which seems to have survived the
experience much better.

I've enjoyed the company of my feathered friends, but my swim-tour of
the boat today revealed that they left more than memories on the bow of
the Brocade. Hey ho, will have to get out there with a scrubbing brush.
Some guests just have no manners.

Progress today has been mixed. Choppier than of late, with an
inconvenient wind coming out of the SSE.

Finally getting the ship shipshape. It's taken a while to find a place
for everything, and put everything in its place, but I'm just about
getting there now. Just hope I can remember where the place for
everything is when I need to find it again... it's amazing how such a
tiny boat can have so many hiding places.

Hello to everybody who has been commenting on my blog - thank you! With
special mentions to:

Gary and Tiny at the Alex pub in Norwich. Tiny - do you remember you
gave me Christmas pud just before I set out on the Atlantic in 2005? I
still use the bowl from that to mix up my beansprouts for lunch. Thought
of you today as I used it. Gary - enjoy your pint of CHB - have one for
me!

Karen Morss of the Lemon Ladies. I'm going to crack open a jar of your
marmalade tomorrow, methinks - I've got some sweet crackers that will go
really well with it.

And Ellen (aka chep2m) and sister Susan - thanks for the words of
encouragement, and the info on the Red Footed (Poopy) Booby!

Time: 2115 HST
Position: 19 26.995N 159 02.196W
Wind: 5-10kts, ESE-SSE
Sea: 4ft swell from SE

Forecast, courtesy of weatherguy.com

The Eerly trades should be picking today. High pressure ridge
strengthens from the north.

Forecast below is for a SSWerly course at 35nm/day. A Serly route (180
deg T) is preferred.

Date/Time HST Wind kts Seas (ft)
30/1800-31/1800 E- ESE 5-10 2-4
31/1800-01/0800 E-ENE 10-17 3-4
01/1800-02/2100 ENE 15-20 3-5
02/2100-04/1800 ENE-E 17-22 4-6

Sky conditions are partly cloudy with mid to low level clouds. Isolated.