It's a sailors life

The interesting thing about expectations is that they are often misfounded. Take this land girls thoughts on sailing. Here was I thinking it would be relaxing, full of solitude, might I even suggest romantic. How wrong was I. With winds that reached 25 - 30 knots overnight there was nothing but noise. I thought that the motion of the boat was what I would find most challenging to deal with. Perhaps I was a Pirate in another time and place as this has been the least of my concerns. The noise though has been something else entirely. Apart from the occasional pump kicking into action and the ropes slapping against the mast the continual slurping and slapping of the water against the hull made me realise the subtle power of Chinese water torture. Most noises I could equate to something at home. The bilge pump reminds me of Tia and Willow scratching at the door to come inside, the ropes slapping on the mast equate to branches falling on the roof, motel doors slamming when I travel for work etc. I wake, recognise the sound, turn over and go back to sleep. The incessant slurping of the water is something else....that said, at least I slept. That makes one of us. The weather this morning isn't much better. Wind has dropped a little perhaps, but it is cloudy and overcast. So at this stage it looks like we will settle in for an hour or so with a book, then reassess things later in the morning. Might not be the best weather for snorkelling but we might take the rubber ducky across to the bay and go for a walk. 13.7.13