Quality before quantity

It is the first day out on the sea, again. This time sailing towards Tampa Bay. I thought I was prepared for rough rocking, but I was not. It is too easy to forget how sea sickness feel and how much everything sucks when you are.

Judging by the intro, you understand how this day was. The conditions were not good either. Just before leaving the port, a stomach flu spread among us students. So everyone was already puking and feeling low. Then came the big ironi and the tip of the iceberg in all the misary. The airconditioner broke down, causing hundred degrees in the interior of the boat. This made everyting at least ten times worse. Today was not a perfect day at Gunilla, I would say. On the change of watches today, portside watch said ”quality before quantity”, because they were only five persons in their watch. An ironic qoute that sums up the whole I think.

But eventough everything right now is really hard. I am fascinated by the condition that many of us have right now. For instanse, you can see a person sit down and puke in the gutter, and five minutes later climb up the mast. I find it incredable what you can do with your body even when you are that sick. On the inside you feel pretty much shut down, mostly weak and shaky, but on the outside you can work pretty much as normal. This is also what makes the situation complex. Because you feel weak and not in the mood, but your body can still function, which is why you have o keep on working.

I believe that contrasts is the golden concept of this boat. The good and the bad. They somehow complete each other. You know that when things are bad, compensation will come to you. When the weather has been stormy for a while, it will sooner or later calm down, and you will apprichiate the calm weather more than you did before. So when you feel sea sick and all you want to do is to be home again, you know that the feeling will pass in a few days. Then all you want to do is to not go home.

Now I am going to bed with the hopes of a calmer sea. I think it is time for compensation; the contrast that makes the good part worth waiting for.

Julia, midships watch