Bequia is a small Caribbean island further down the Windward Antilles chain from Antigua. We stopped there in 2003 enroute to Trinidad. After clearing in, the Customs official asked us if we would like to buy any of Bequia’s “finest.” Delighted one of our crew went with the official to “sample” the product, behind the small Customs building. While he was having a smoke, the stewardess and I continued several yards down the road to the market. The fruit and veg were plump and colourful and the stalls were run by two Rastas with big woven hats and dreds sticking out. The younger guy, filling a bag with runner beans for us, asked me my name. I replied and in turn, asked him his. ‘Well.’ He said. ‘The name is Ro-land, but you know the girls, they call me Sun-shine!’
Today was completely overcast. We had everything but sunshine! There were even a few jacket-on/jacket-off moments in the early hours, as squalls crept past. Each one threatened to drench but neither of us felt more that a few spots. As if a layer of cotton wool had been rolled out over us, the sky seemed familiar. Mick and I realized later in the day, that apart from the balmy temperature, the weather was kind of English! And so began a day of being slow baked rather than flash fried…The sea was a layer of old navy gloss paint that had been applied too thickly and so was left with a rippled skin. The breeze turned off and on and so with it our progress from 1 point something to 2 or 3 point something knots.
My watches were filled with the focus of trying to knock out 50nm days and in doing corrective calculations in the instances of achieving more or less. Our day packs drop down from 5 meals per day plus a protein shake, to 3 meals a day plus a protein shake, after day 40. Since I repacked most of the food, this concerns me, as our appetites are increasing if changing at all. We were advised to make this reduction (we didn’t have anymore freeze-dried anyway), on the basis that normally, nobody eats everything up until day 40. However, we have. There were one or two days at the beginning when Mick was seasick and then the few days on the para-anchor where we purposefully ate up the surplus ration packs, so there may be another 5 days of the full 5 meal packs. We are in no danger of running out of food, but I would prefer not to have to thin our diet down yet. The coconut oil, which I add to every desert and the Omega 3 Flax seed oil which I add to jazz up the least favourites (Pack & Go ‘Beef Bolognaise;’ Pack & Go ‘Thai Chicken with rice’) are also coming to the bottom of the bottles. Both of these have been surprisingly big hits. The rest of the meals gets laced with a 50/50 mixture of ‘Good Oil’ from Waitrose and La Gomera’s finest olive oil. The oils are essential additional fat- and flavour!
The good news is that the fingers are not worsening. Thank you for all your suggestions on how to alleviate the pain and the cause. Before and after a sleep, I’ve got into a good habit of massaging from the elbow upwards (should it be the other way round?), digging into the palm, around the base of the thumb and then carefully along the sides of the fingers and then quickly up the middle as is tolerable. Sometimes I use Hypericum & Calendula cream, sometimes E45. I can even fish the pot from the foot well with my eyes still shut! This morning, Mck fished out the box of 84 gastro-resistant Diclofenac Sodium tablets for me, which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, low back pain and acute musculo-skeletal disorders, acute gout, and control of pain and inflammation in orthopaedic, dental and other minor surgery- which sounds like it is good for everything! I am utterly pathetic at swallowing tablets and so the prospect of taking 3 per day is worth postponing for at least a few more days.
The glove-sponge-neoprene sandwich pad is doing well, although I replaced one of the sponges earlier this evening with a complete sponge (without removing the scouring pad) and the additional bulk must have set off a pressure point. The nerves in my right hand were going bizurk. I shall keep you posted.
Colour of the day – No colour. seas 3-4ft.
01.11 GMT
Barometer 1017
Wind E 10kts
