September 9, 2007

Last night I woke up sweaty and hot.  To let some air into the cabin, I cracked the rear hatch about half of an inch.  I reached for a book, “The Happy Isles of Oceania,” and read until I fell asleep.  The temperature is usually about 28C (82F), which is uncomfortably warm.  If I can stop a Christmas Island, a quiet fan for my cabin might be nice.

Following sunrise, I boiled four cups of water.  I used two cups to make my wake up brew of coffee.  The rest went into my pouch of Mountain House freeze-dried scrambled eggs.  I added some red and black pepper and zipped the pouch shut.  In six to eight minutes, the eggs were ready to eat.

I brought along mashed potatoes in powdered form.  I had used extra water in the eggs so that I could add the potatoes in.  I had a nice breakfast.  I ate right out of the pouch.  The mashed potatoes add calories to my morning meal.  Calories from food give us energy.  After I was done, I rinsed the plastic bag out and put it with my trash.  There were no dishes!

Later in the day, I saw dark clouds and rain approaching.  Then I remembered the rear hatch – it was still open!  “I should close that hatch before water gets in the cabin,” I thought.  I waited for a break to stop rowing and reached into the cabin to close the hatch.  Just as I was within six inches of grabbing it, a wave surged and water gushed in.  I watched it in horror, in slow motion.

Then everything seemed to fast forward as I took action.  I quickly closed the hatch, grabbed two towels and started mopping. 

I left the front hatch open so the cabin could dry while I rowed.  I was still listening to “Red Storm Rising,” but I wasn’t really hearing a word of it.  I was too upset thinking about a wet night of sleep on the damp mattress.

Then the clouds parted and the sun came out.  I dried the mattress out in the sun and my problem was solved. 

I am not sure if I will be able to land at Christmas Island. We will see how it works out.