ON WATCH – SOMEWHERE ALONG THE 27TH PARALLEL (by Martha)

BLAMMMMM! SHPPPTTTTTTRRRRRRRDDDDDDD.WHOOOOSHHHHH.THUDDDDDDD. Ohgeez it’s still blowing hard, the waves are still huge and coming from multiple directions, and whoever is on the helm is driving her hard. From my bunk in the forepeak it sounds like the boat is coming apart piece by piece. SCREEEEEEEEEEECCCCHHHHHHPOPOPOPOPOP. Dang, I hope Lightheart can survive this kind of sailing. For that matter, I hope I can.

BBBBBANNNGGGWHOOOSHSPLATTTT! Ouch! Okay, gotta get the rest of my gear on. Lurch upstairs for my watch. Phew, it’s chilly up here. CLINKKKKCLUNK. Clipped in now. Okay I can do this. Course is 085? Okay, so what else is new, we’ve been here for an eternity. Okay, got the wheel now. Ughhh, waves are as sloppy as they were on my last watch. OhNoOhNoOhNoOhNo —-SSSSPPPPPLLLLLLLSSSSSHHHHH! Okay, made it down that wave on the other side without pounding. Good. Time for a deep breath. Okay, settling down. Always takes me a few minutes to get in the groove, in the rhythm with the waves moving me offcourse. Is everybody this sloppy when they first take the wheel? Yeah I think so, everyone but Peter. He takes the helm and Lightheart just purrs “ahh there you are my beloved Master, what do you want me to do for you?” The rest of us just thrash our ways through it and eventually settle down to more or less on course.

WHAMMMMM! Damn, I couldn’t see that wave that just picked us up and slammed us down. I try to steer around them, with them, as much as I can, but it’s so bloody dark I can’t see anything. It’s like running full speed on a road you don’t know wearing a blindfold. PHLOOOOOSH! Ohgoody I felt that one coming and slid down it rather than it slamming us. Course? Oh forgot the course, oh there it is, 085. Of course. Bloody 085 up here on the 27th bloody parallel. When oh when can we ever turn south and catch the tradewinds? Maybe we should just decide right here and now that Cape Verde is our destination instead. BLAMMMM! Ugh, missed BLAMMMMM! both of those. Okay, course, back on course, got it. There it is, hard to hold in this slop. Need a star to steer by. Stars? Gajillions of them overhead, but every single one in front of us is obscured by a cloud. Cloud? Oh yeah, better look at those clouds for weather. Are they coming this way? Are they packing a punch, packing rain, packing a royal pain in the you-know-what? Phoo, I can’t read the stupid clouds. Master & Commander Peter can tell you pretty much what each one of them has up its sleeve, but I can’t. My specialty is West Texas tornado-producing clouds. Still haven’t learned these marine clouds, try as I might.

BLAMMMMM! PPPPHHHHHTTTTT! SHDDDDRRRRRRRR! Ohhhhh, that one was hard. Okay now, concentrateYoucandothisOkayOkayOkay. Upupupuupupup,angle off. Sliiiiiiide down, nice. Phew. Hey, a star! There’s a star for me to watch and steer by. Okay, now getting easier. Relaxxxxxxxx. Damn! What happened to my star? Okay, back to the compass. My wavy track is being recorded on the chartplotter…proof that I can’t steer the damn boat. Ijustcan’tdothis. Thisisjusttoohard. WhoeverthoughtIcoulddothisanyway. I feel like I’m all alone out here in the middle of the Atlantic f-ing Ocean. Amazing how much distance there can be within a 40-foot structure. GRRRRGGGGGLLLLLLLLL, SPLATTTT! Okay, that one’s not too bad. I can do this. What time is it? How much longer? Who’s up next? I don’t remember the order, don’t know who to wake up to take over. Hey, there’s a star again. Nice, line it up between the shrouds. Yeah, that works. Oh yeah, clouds. What about the clouds? Ah, no big deal, they’re dissipating. Wait a minute what’s that light on the horizon? Wow, it’s projecting a huge glow, must be a cruise ship. No, too big…and I can’t tell which way it’s moving. Ooooh, it’s getting closer for sure, cuz it’s getting bigger and brighter. Wait a minute, is it a town? On an island? They’re aren’t any islands out here. Are we that far off? No, can’t be, I checked our position before coming on watch. Wow, so bright, so orange.

BLAAAAMMMMMGURRRRRGGGGLLLLESSSSPLAAAAAAAATTT! Ugh, that one was hard enough to wake the dead. Oh yeah, speaking of waking, who’s up next? Wonder if they woke up? Look at that light now! Ohmygosh – it’s the moon! It’s Huge! And Orange! And gorgeous! I’ve never seen it like this until this trip. It’s been amazing every single night. I’m so glad I got to see it come up tonight. Tonight…oh yeah, what time is it? Who’s up next? Who do I call? Oh! Hi! You’re up?? Great. Course is 085. G’night.