Even though we are
experiencing challenging conditions in the
Southern Ocean; strong 30-40 knot winds and big waves, time was still
spent today in silence to remember those who have been killed in war. For
many of us on board we were in one way or another connected to someone who had been
killed in war or affected by it, and having those few minutes to commemorate
them after the busy and challenging week we have been having has
been very moving. My own thoughts went out to the family of Private
Thomas Wroe from Yorkshire, who was 18 (younger
than me) when he was
killed in Afghanistan in 2012. Before I set out on this challenge I had an
interview with my local BBC TV News station and a piece was broadcast about him
before I went on air. Seeing that and my position now, really shows me how fortunate I am. After
the silence I read the poem 'In Flanders Field' by John McCrae; ( In Flanders Field ) a poem I
have known well for around 10 years and it has always been moving. It was
a reminder that no matter what the circumstances are, remembering is always
important. It also in a strange way reminded me of past Remembrance Days
at home and school.
Life still continues as normal on Mission Performance. The boat has really
been handling the conditions well and we have been getting some great
speeds. We are around 50nm behind the next boat and have roughly 3000nm to gain ground on the rest of the fleet. Unfortunately the other
night we had some issues when we were changing from Bwian (code 2) to Thor
(code 3), Thor ended up in the water, dragging behind the boat and eventually
ripping, Bwian also sustained some small damage. Overall repairs may
take around 3 days, so again I'll be spending some time below deck repairing. Hopefully our sewing machine will hold out! In
other news; on wildlife watch, we have seen a lot of Albatrosses and a few
days ago saw some whales. It has also been getting colder as we are now
into the Roaring Forties, and again the weather is predicting up to 50 knots
of wind and 8-10m waves, so exciting times ahead!
Interesting descriptions from many crew and skippers of the extreme weather associated with the recent frontal system and the challenging raw, cold and wet conditions. What a fantastic experience. Glad you seem to be enjoying it and locking away some memories.
ReplyDeleteGood shots on Mission Performance and “In Flanders Field” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx2z8h1N3VQ