We’re off the coast of Florida – close to Boca Raton – and I just got off watch. There was a mean easterly blowing at thirty knots when I went up at midnight and after half an hour of position reports and abstracts, and updating the gps with a new route (no Providence Passage, yes old Bahama channel) it was so rough and I was so nauseated I thought I was going to lose it. But somehow I maintained and after two hours of sitting still and sipping gatorade, I felt normal again. The deck hand sat nearby quietly for most of the watch and nobody said much of anything. Usually he’s a big talker but I wasn’t able to respond with much enthusiasm for a while there.
Some of these boats have a cell signal repeater in the forepeak, which is why I am on the internet in my room now. Makes it less of a cave down here. Soon we’ll be crossing the stream and heading down Santaren channel toward Cuba. I’m passing out with my meclizine and water bottle and hoping to wake up near Bimini later today feeling a little less queasy.
Simenstad 