DAY 7: Not to jinx it, but…
After a sleepless night, we were all exhausted again yesterday morning. But, for the first time since we departed, we all hung out together in the cockpit. With a tough week behind us, we look forward to calmer seas ahead.
We started a watch system that allows me more time to cook (and a little less time on watch) so I prepare breakfast for everyone daily at 8 AM. Yesterday morning, the sea state was still so rough that all I could manage was to cook a quick porridge that we ate while bracing ourselves for the next big wave or crash. (Did you know that porridge is just a fancy-sounding word for oatmeal? And I am sure it's French too... but with Sophie in the middle of the ocean, I get to add little stuff like this to the posts and she doesn't get to do anything about it. Hi Sophie! Love, Erin.)
It is a really weird feeling to have to work hard at keeping morale up when the weather is getting so perfect. With 15 to 20 knots on our beam, it is hard to find better sailing conditions for our passage to Bermuda, especially since hurricane season has already started. Yet here we were in the cockpit, exhausted, a bit anxious, and mentally fatigued.
I tried getting back to bed after breakfast to catch up on some sleep, but my anxiety kept me awake. The noise of the boat crashing and slamming in the waves can be daunting, especially when it echoes through the cabin (not to mention the motion of the boat going at 7 knots through big seas). So, around the beginning of the afternoon, and still in my brain fog, I headed towards the galley to try and get my tired mind to focus on something else.
Because of the harsh conditions, our veggies are subjected to it too. The bell peppers (or "pepper bells" as Sophie calls them!) I had onboard started to decay and needed to be cooked immediately. With A LOT of caution and patience, I chopped the pepper bells (hehe!) in halves and placed them in the oven for a broil. Not the smartest idea with the massive heat that we have in the cabin during the day, but eh… no rewards without efforts ;)
I have no idea what the recipe is called, but basically, it requires peeling the broiled peppers, cutting them in little rectangles before marinating them in a dish with olive oil, garlic, fresh thyme and salt. Cover and let sit for a few hours, and the result is… ah you'll just have to try it, it's really good as a tapas with drinks before dinner ;)
I also made some chocolate fondant, and a Hungarian dish that I called "cabbage in liquid" under the direction of Anett. By the time I was done cooking, the waves had miraculously (almost) disappeared, and we were still pulling 6.5 knots. We had no squalls yesterday or last night and all slept REALLY well. This morning I am thinking about making French toast for the crew (which by the way, is called "pain perdu" in french).
I don't want to jinx it, but it looks like we're out of the worst for now. Until we start heading East around Bermuda.
In other news, we had a minor scare yesterday with our Iridum Go. The battery died after we accidentally flipped a switch! But it got me thinking: If you ever stop seeing our track or updates, it probably means that our satellite communications are down, not that something happened to us. Our Iridium battery is charged again and functioning perfectly again now, but I thought I'd mention it.
Also, our track looks crooked, but that isn't because of some crazy navigation tactics of ours. We have been on a steady 34 degrees course since Tuesday and very consistent with our speed. Speaking of... I need to go reef out the jib. Talk to you soon!