Ecover diary

Golding's crewman Marcus Hutchinson gives insight into life on an Open 60 after a week at sea in the TJV

Clothing wise, other than my Henri-Lloyd foulies and mid layer, I brought what I was wearing and four pairs of socks and underwear, I think I'm going to have to ration them because I'm already down two pairs each and about 10 days to go. The biggest disaster for me was in the middle of some manouevering last night. My boots (Musto vintage 1995, but little used) came apart from the sole leaving me with poor traction on an already slippery deck. I have to see if I can glue it back together today.

We have both dropped into longer sleeping patterns than before, at least two hours at a hit which has the nasty affect of making you feel really bad when you first wake up. I just woke Mike up to show him the new position reports and to discuss them with him. It takes time to get into the mood to make rational decisions and analyse situations when you have been sleeping really deeply just moments before.

We are both dreaming in our sleep. I haven't dreamt this much for a long long time, although I have no idea what I have been dreaming about.

I'm starting to make sure we eat all that might not like being out of a fridge for as long as a week. Already one loaf of bread has had to be committed to the deep with green all over it. Our favourite cheese, Roquefort - Mike's new discovery - will last for lunch today and then it is done. When the wind gets a bit lighter and freer I'll start thinking about jettisoning some of the food we aren't going to eat. We have enough oats on board for a Scottish Army Regiment. We aren't eating enough yet either. I don't feel bad at all but there always seems to be something else to do than spend time on food. The boat comes first, second and third in both our minds as far as our time is concerned.

Another strange thing for me is to be at the receiving end of the vacation radio. For the past three major offshore events I have been in the Media Centre talking to the sailors from the shore trying to imagine what they are going through. Catherine Chabaud is animating the press conferences for the TJV and now I'm the one out here trying to relay the conditions back to the shore. I think I will have to concentrate a bit harder on this because I know how boring it can be sometimes to listen to sailors just talking about weather and tactics.

Saturday 0300 hrs
We have lost the lead, not sure by how much, but we'll see in a few minutes at 0300 position report. We spent most of yesterday afternoon and all last night trying to get through to the east side of a ridge of high pressure. Plenty of squalls, huge amounts of rain, electrical storms, and now good wind. Finally we are through to the other side and the speed towards the equator is much better. We will be working double hard to catch up!!!!

A storm petrel flew into our mainsail in the middle of the night and fell to the cockpit floor. Mike has been nursing it back to health with a kitchen roll nest and much advice on not flying at night in such bad weather...

If it is still with us in the morning we'll get a picture and video".