Jimmy Sails World
 
Things are well here and we are doing well. Oh yes you may have read that we are the Usain Bolts of the north Atlantic! we sprinted our way into one extra point (showing never quitting can pay off) so we had a hard and fast 11 hours while that was going on. This was made all the harder with our water rationing! Yup our H2O maker has almost lost the will to live and so is not putting out enough! The result has been water for drinking only and limited to how much (this was quickly extended to cooking after one bout of saltwater cooked pasta (we ate it but not good!)) Showers, hot water bottles and washing up are banned or to be done with salt water! MMMMmmm!

Things not too bad now as we are close to land and the maker has caught up a bit so crisis over


Well that all that's fit to print now. Mothering tomorrow so will hit you with another email then
 
We have a current ETA for Derry as the 1st / 2nd but that would mean us maintaining our current pace (unlikely given the weather is not good  (a large high... no wind!) but we shall see. The next boat ahead of us is Derry so if we could beat them it would be amazing but 200nm in 5 or so days is a massive task! but we are not giving up! Oh and we are now on the same longitude as the south coast of England so that's cool!!

The weather has been lovely today, blue sky if chilly and so moods have been lifted. We finished our circumnavigation of Claire's Ipod today and have now started to do the same with Lucy's! we started Lucy's with I am the one and only!!! and that's how it has progressed! I think we are all officially insane now! Call the men in the white coats, they will be busy in Southampton!


Well I need to back on deck now (I sneaked off for a cheeky email to you!) Its been an amazing food day today "The Perfect Storm "of food 3 favourite meals for me  Bacon butty for breakfast (did not miss this one!) that is a very rare creature. Then noodles for lunch and its Thai curry for dinner (they do not appear on the same day usually) so combined make the best food day yet, the three food storms combining for the Perfect Storm! Round three - Thai curry, coming up in 2 hours!!! I cant wait!!
 
The headwinds are not too bad at the moment, its all very leany though. getting in and out of my bunk is a risky business these days! We are making progress though 1332nm as I type, so can we catch Derry? I doubt it but if they keep going backwards who knows, Its not over till its over!

I am whiling away my watches daydreaming now of home, yesterday afternoon was a lovely sunny affair and we are going alphabetically through Claire's ipod (its taking days!) and i have some of my music and many associated memories to fall to sleep to when I'm in my bunk! Its not all bad eh!!


well speaking of bunk I need to get to mine in order to maximise my sleep bank , I can't risk missing bacon again if it comes around! sleep was the only reason so Im good now!
 
Well it is the morning after my mother watch (I'm lazy mother so I still have some time off!) I was so tired last night that it was shower, bed and went to sleep straight away. I slept through till breakfast when Terry woke me offering a bacon butty!... I was so tired i said no!! !!!! That's how tired I was, lunch soon though so my poor tummy does not have to go without for long!

We are still sailing (resumed racing) and are for the moment making reasonable progress 1527nm to go! We are off the Grand Banks heading north of the Flemish Cap,  to the north of us is a n area called Orphan Knoll.... Nice eh!


Well spirits are remarkably good on board despite how far we have still to go and how cold it is, just the thought of getting back on land is keeping us all going (well the things land offers anyway, food, showers and beer)


Well Off to get ready for 6 hours on watch BBBBBBBBBRRRRRR!!!!! and I will be in touch soon!
 
Well I said i would try and write more soon so here it is. I got caught up on sleep and have half an hour below during watch to warm up. It is getting cold as we head north! We are about 18 -20 hours from St. Johns where we will drop Lynn off. It is such a shame. I really feel for her. The Atlantic is not her ocean! I have passed on your best and she says thanks. She feels bad for diverting us from racing (silly billy) I just don't think we were meant to have pennants! Its not the main reason for doing this though so we will live with it. and we have at least 1 more chance!!!!

Not sure at the  moment how the other boats are doing with Chris, hopefully all safe. we are having our first morning with sun since we left Halifax, which is nice! How is your summer going (as if I needed to ask)? Hopefully it will pick up when I'm home!

Speaking of home I really must stop imagining all the things we will do when I get home, it is just making it all seem so far away, I cant help it though.


well I'll get off for now and will speak when I have more news, thinking of you all...all the way from the Grand Banks!
 
Yeah I'm fine and so is the crew (well most of them) Hopefully it is just precautionary for lynn but with necks and backs you have to play on the safe side.

So another destination on the list... Newfoundland (perhaps we should rename our boat 'Visit Foundland' we may have more luck!


So things are a bit muted here not sure if the diversion will give us any time in Derry or even if we go at all? too many variables to tell at the moment *about 30 hours from NF so we will know more then!


Well its a very quick one for now, lots been going on and little sleep so i'm on catchup at the moment, the only good thing is that our diversion has taken us away from Chris, bloody good job, I don't like hurricanes!


anyway will type more very soon I promise, All I can think about is getting home and stuff, although my watch and I said happy birthday to mum with the walnut whips and some Les Miserables on the radio (she would have enjoyed it!) little emotional but nice!
 
Well we never get a rest here on Q and this race is no different! The low pressure system we were going to use to push us nice and north now has a name!.... Chris!, well its actual name is Tropical Storm Chris! So it means lumpy bumpy for the next three or four days. This is not all bad though as it may just give us what we need to pull off a bit of a shuffle!, lets see what happens!

Well the long and short is that I may not be able to email much and if I do they may be short as it will be difficult to type in nav. but no matter what I will be thinking of you all and would love to read emails from you (lot easier to read than type!)

 
Again sorry for not replying sooner, I am all mended now and after not eating for so long have been busy eating my way through everything on the boat, so situation normal! oh and what was written in race news?, some were ill with a flu type thing (James and Cath) but me just ill with the motion of the ocean! Things have settled down for now but it does mean that it has been rather slow going and again we are at the back of the fleet! (I really do not know what we have to do to catch a break in this!?!)

We are still on Halifax time and are not sure when we will time shift as we are only having about 6 hours of darkness anyway! well we will before Derrry anyway!

Not much else going on on Q at the moment, just getting into routines and the like. Its cold and damp (nothing like the southern ocean or Pacific yet though. The area around the grand banks has been foggy too so extra lookout required, No ice though so thats cool! get it... COOL! Ha ha! sea madness has set in! I NEED LAND!!!!
 
Sorry this email is arriving a bit later than I planned, but unfortunately I have been struck down with the curse of the mariner... the dreaded seasickness! I know, this far round to finally succumb to it is almost a crime! I have eaten my first food in almost 42 hours and am feeling a little more human so have risked the Nav station to send an email to my baby! Mother watch was the cause, along with the 45 degree angle and bashing waves, all in all its a bit miserable here at the moment!

Ah well, It was my choice!  silly me!


I'm gonna keep it sweet and short for now to not risk me feeling ill again! 
 
Today at 16:30 GMT, Qingdao started their 2,350 mile journey to Derry/Londonderry, NI. Come on Qingdao!

    Author


    Its like Jim Kirk but without the star dates and I'm not the captain!

     Well here is where you can get to find out a little more about how I'm getting on in my quest for adventure.

    I aim to keep you posted on my training (both how I cope with learning to sail and how I am getting into shape for the race), How I am doing with regards to funding and how much money I have raised for good causes.

    I intend on this to be a journal of everything connected to this epic adventure, so at times it may be funny, sometimes full of grumbles and sometimes down right crazy! but I hope at all times it will reflect my experiences and feelings at the time.

    So watch this space!!!

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