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| Varuna: Testing our Nerves |
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for a few hours...flap,flap,flap. Continuisly zero knots of boat speed and shifting winds not allowing the sails to catch any pressure...flap flap flap. Fastnet Rock just beside us, a flat Celtic Sea and an almost full moon. The ETA at the Lizard moves back and back. The atmosphere on board is relaxed. We know there is nothing to change about it. Just keep trying to point the bow in the right direction and keep cool. The scenery is beautiful: on the starboard side the moon iluminates the flat water and on port you can see the flashing light from Fastnet Rock light house. An area with big importance in ocean racing history with the irish coast in the back. The mountains on land look welcoming, maybe the perfect place for an outdoor summer holiday. Again the smell from land rushes through our lungs. In the early morning hours you can see the moon disappear and the sun rising. On deck it gets warmer with every hour but it never gets really hot. The apparent wind and the cold water around us always keep us fresh. Although we are all just letting it happen and keep pushing hard there is always somebody who is just frustrated with the wind, the competition and the whole situation. This feeling stays never longer than one watch. We call it the atlantic depression. It's similar to the "what the hell I am doing moments." They are part of every offshore race and you have to get through them. It's a big part of team sports to handle situations like this. Just one or two hours of frustration. After the experience of such a moment you just feel relieved and fresh, ready to continue with old power. You start joking about these moments because looking backwards it's just funny how angry you can get in such a moment. That all is part of the game and part of the reason why we are out here...no pain, no gain. |
