JesseMartin.Net
27th April 1999
I AM DEFINITELY out of the Doldrums and into the North-east Trade Winds. I know this because if I run my finger along the windward side of the rigging, I'm left with a deep-red patch of fine grit which has been carried by the trades from the Sahara.
Along with the sand is an increase of flying fish which are landing on the boat. If I don't hear the slight thud and flicking when one gets stranded during mid-flight then I can smell the scales of fresh fish as it tries desperately to get back to its old environment.
The other night I could smell one of our visitors in the cockpit area, but several minutes with a torch failed to find the hitchhiker.
It wasn't until the morning when another one landed in the cockpit that I saw it slip down the gap beside the life raft, and in my rescue attempt I discovered the mystery one from the previous night. Another guitar string broke, the same one, and so I'm getting into the practice of washing my hands of any salt before I open the case.
I've found that time passes more quickly if I'm kept occupied by an activity, which in turn makes me enjoy everything much more.
However, I feel so lethargic and sedated that it's so hard to get motivated into the exact thing which will bring me out of this state.
It also doesn't help when you know that home is in the opposite direction to where you are going.
Once I'm around the Azores and on my way home via the shortest route possible, I hope it will be better.
I'm out of the main shipping lanes now and haven't seen any other vessel for more than a week.
Nor have I seen any birdlife - just flying fish and the odd man-of-war jellyfish.
I'm hanging out to see the Pole star now that I'm in the Northern Hemisphere. This star is quite important to a celestial navigator because it is almost right over the Pole, which means you can get your exact latitude by observing its angle above the horizon.