LN907, 07 – 27/11/2016 Southampton to Las Palmas (via Madeira)
Roger Rowe
Aft Port Watch
The day starts bang on time at midnight as my watch take the bridge for the middle watch. The moon is almost full and very bright. The sails are up but one corner of the main course (the lowest square sail on the middle mast) is tied up to let some of the winds force reach the foremast. We’re making 4-6 knots but wobbling quite a bit which makes it quite a challenge to get to sleep in my bunk at 4am.
Three and a half hours later it’s breakfast time and I’m able to enjoy my first coffee of the day under the bright blue morning sky. We’ve more or less crossed Biscay and are sailing around Cape Finnisterre, which is out of sight 60 miles away.
I get my head down after lunch, ready for my next watch at 4pm. After evening meal we have free time which I spend playing crib with Ted, one of the bosun mates. I turn in at 10pm because I have to be up early and I really need the sleep.
