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From : Sarah Brice Yacht : Concert Date : SATURDAY 28TH DECEMBER, 1996
350 miles from the Chatham Islands and we've cranked up the revs. It's ten days since the rig came down around our ears and we've had enough of this. Time to get somewhere. We figure we've got just about enough diesel after stopping at the Motorola, Time and Tide, and Courtaulds petrol stations. One can never resist also stocking up on chocolate at service stations, but we went overboard at the Courtaulds stop. They sent across tubs and tubs of goodies, so the saloon table was piled high with Mars Bars, Kit kats, you name it! Some of the crew openly wept at the sight! It certainly lifted the spirits as rationing was beginning to take hold. But it threw the black market wheelers and dealers into disarray, with the market flooded with Mars Bars. Wine gums were the new commodity to have, and prices were soaring. So, we're dieseled up and on our way. We've tinkered with the jury rig to exhaust even the most ardent tinkerers, and we've tidied up on top of tidying up. Concert looks quite respectable now. Stunted, but presentable. The bilges have never been so dry or the heads so clean. The discovery of a small tear in our storm staysail was almost welcomed and several crew lept at the repair job - something to do! So, now what? The books are still circulating, but there aren't enough to go round, so there's a complex queuing system. "Wild Swans" was cut in half to spread the reading material. Crew have even been spotted thumbing through the directories of radio frequencies, and John C is learning celestial navigation. Desperate times... The computers have come into their own, and games of minesweeper, patience and hearts have become addictive to some. We worry about tearing them away from the screen when we finally arrive! The connect four tournament has been resurrected, and there's always a game of battleships on the go. The ships are all named after Challenge yachts and the biggest cheer goes up when Group 4 is sunk. (should I say that?) Then there are always the eating, sleeping and showering options. All equally popular, such that we will arrive in Wellington well-rested, sparkly clean and the size of small semi- detached houses. We'll also be shouting at each other after weeks of trying to make ourselves heard over the noise of the engine. The chocolate glut is now taking its toll on complexions, but perhaps keeping sanity intact. Then there was Christmas. What a cracking day! Enough decorations to compete with Oxford Street and a dinner to rival your Granny's best turkey. See how deluded we are! We all missed people at home, but had our surrogate family here and had a lovely day. Phil and Brian produced a delicious dinner for 14: roasted salt pork, stuffing, gravy, three veg, and a pudding of almost mince pies. All washed down with a slug of Motorola whisky. Did that cause the parched throat at 2am, or surely it was the salty pork? Santa did us proud, with gifts for everyone, and little did he ever imagine how much use the games and puzzles would get! So, we count down the hours to the Chatham Islands. There are rumours of champagne and crayfish, but beer and burgers would do! As long as there's diesel, we'll be happy. ETA New Year's Eve, and then 2-3 days to Wellington. I still can't imagine us ever arriving there. Yours, well rested and fed, Sarah.
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