Daily Report #58

Cold and salty

Dear followers,
It's going to be summer in Holland, we've heard. Happy! We are now sailing full speed (a little less full today) towards winter and that is noticeable.
Last week we were able to enjoy temperatures of around 30 degrees in a T-shirt and shorts, now when the sun is behind the clouds we soon find ourselves in the cockpit with a sailing suit on. The nights are downright cold and we dress with extra clothes and a thick fleece suit under our sailing clothes. Wear thick gloves. In addition, the salt ensures that everything outside becomes damp and wet from sunset. The benches turn dark, drops hang from the winches and your sailing suit and the cushions automatically become clammy on the outside.
Keeping watch has become a cold job despite the cozy wind-free corner that we made with the help of a cloth and during the night you therefore increasingly huddle together to retain the heat. Complaining doesn't help so adapt to the situation. Warming up your muscles with a few good exercises appears to be an effective remedy. Initially we had laid out an athletics track over the deck, but with the installation of the jib booms that became a painful affair. So safely leashed in the cockpit as we do at night. The program is called Kalonetics and it consists of a number of tough exercises.
Push up against the G forces 10 times. (Ship rises and you push up), then 10 deep knee bends with hands free for an extra dimension of balance.
Then the well-known squat with the back against the steering position. 2 minutes and we finish it off with a 1.5 minute plank exercise between benches. Make sure that after the exercise you do not let yourself fall on the floor like at home, because then you will end up in an impossible position with your navel on the bottom of the tub. Some more games to keep the body flexible, for example, standing on one leg as long as possible and of course the stretching boom with some nice exercises.
When we are on the watch change and it is cold, we sometimes “lower and hoist the mainsail” (2x), pull the jib, swing the winch, tease milkmaids and put up trees. Let the winter come. After Cape Town it will be summer again. And that's just a few weeks away!
Cool greetings,
Tony and Mark