Captain's Log - Friday, 4 September 2009

Friday, 4 September 2009
More of the same, only it seemed worse because we were getting tired. Sleeping is difficult when the boat is heeling and smashing into the waves. One gets worn down. To make better progress, we tried lots of different things, all mostly to only small avail. For all of Friday, we made 13 miles, better than Thursday, but well below our target of 156 (6.5 knot average). That it was better rather than worse is due to the talents of David Johnson, the Swedish photographer who has done a lot of open-water racing in Australia. David is probably the best at setting and trimming sails that I've ever had on *Maryam*. I've learned a lot from him.

The excessive healing and pitching caused a lot of water to accumulate inside along the port side of the boat. Water would occasionally come over the floor of the galley. It had picked up a little oil, which made for a very slippery floor and constant cleaning with detergent.