Official Jessica Watson Blog

The last few days have seen a bit of everything. The weather hasn't exactly been all that strong, but it was a little uncomfortable for a while there as Ella's Pink Lady was reaching (taking the wind side on) in a pretty big sea (5m or maybe a little more). And right now we're back to calm, sunny and slow conditions.

It probably sounds a bit strange and most people think it's the other way around, but believe it or not, light winds can often be one of the busiest times for a sailor. Because when the winds are light, it's normally very shifty, meaning that there's a lot of course changes and sail tweaking needed to try and keep the boat moving. When the weather is up, Ella's Pink Lady normally just powers along without needing much attention - and as the bouncy motion makes doing even the simplest things a million times more difficult in those conditions, I often just resort reading a book while wedged in my bunk, in between the few jobs that are necessary (like feeding myself!). When just opening a locker can mean the entire contents being emptied all over the floor, I find that it's often best just to sit tight and do as little as possible when it is like that!

Seeing as there's nothing particularly glamorous and exciting to report just now, I thought it might be a good idea to describe my daily routine in a bit more detail. But when I started thinking about it, I realized that it wasn't actually such a bright idea, as I just don't have much of a routine to describe. With a few exceptions for things like daily call ins, there's absolutely nothing routine about my life. Strange sleeping habits, moods, my 'eat when I'm hungry' policy and most of all the changing weather, mean that no two days are ever the same out here.

Some days I'm all motivated and really get into maintenance and cleaning. Some days I hardly look up from the book I'm reading. Sometimes I'll be really chatty, make a few phone calls and spend lots of time sending emails, then there's the days on end when hardly anyone hears from me (I'm sure you guys know all about that!). One day I might sleep lots and the next hardly at all. Sometimes I'll really get into my cooking and sometimes I survive on cup-of soups and biscuits. I don't even write my diary regularly, often skipping a few days then making up for it by writing lots all at once. I suppose you could call me a little random! But more than anything, the weather has the final say and takes priority over everything.

So that's a description of my days. I'm still in great spirits and totally loving it out here. But I did manage to make myself feel pretty homesick and land-sick yesterday, by going through some pictures. It's not that the waves, birds and the sky are ever boring, it's just that every now and then I'd really love something new to look at!

Jesse

Pic: Last night's dinner and one of my favourite meals, the tinned and dried version of nachos!