Day 15

It was decided by the crew over the last couple of days that a duty roster was necessary. This is so that the cooking and cleaning is evenly spread among the crew members, and so that the heads actually do get cleaned. Bread making has continued, and improvements are being made by our bakers.

Over lunchtime, while we were scoffing down the days’ fresh bread smeared with butter (and other spreads according to taste) Tyla spotted something moving in the water. It was rather large and only about 2 m away. We all rushed over to the starboard side and peered at the surface of the blue expanse… Sure enough there was a tuna swimming alongside us. This fish must’ve been 12-15 kg. There were shouts of excitement, and wagers were made as to if the creature could be caught. Joshua leapt into action, shouting, “Here, fishy fishy,” his usual war cry.

But realistically, the tuna would’ve been too much meat, even if we could catch it. If it had gone for one of the lures, something would’ve broken. So we watched the passive fish, and appreciated it being there to keep us company.

Other than that, the day was clear. Everyone spent long hours reading in the hot sun, as the boat rocked us gently. Tranquillity like that is certainly not commonplace. For some reason, Joshua couldn’t seem to find this peace, and – aided by Game – he bounced around trying to keep himself entertained.

A filling supper of biryani and beans was eaten early, and a gorgeous red sunset was enjoyed.

Unfortunately the wind dropped, and we ended up motoring during the night. This was annoying for everyone, and one of the watches may or may not have fallen asleep… thank goodness for auto-helm! (Ewan and Tyla had to be woken up at 2 am to be sent to bed) At 07h00 the winds picked up as we had some light rain, and we hoisted our problematic genoa without any problem.