Day 46 – Good morning. Its Sunday.

15 Apr, 07 – 21.30    
16.3716N,37.1861W
24 hr progress: 26.6 Nautical Miles
Distance to Antigua: 2499 Nautical Miles
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 1402 Nautical Miles ( 2593km) (1 NM = 1.85 km)
Wave height: 5-6 ft, Winds: 10-15 knots NE, Bearing: 240 - 280 degrees.

I know the day of the week is irrelevant at sea, yet today does feel Sunday-ish.
I am still running on GMT time, so I start my rowing shift at 6.00 am, which is 3.00 am local time. It's pitch dark outside. One of the best times of the day. The light of the stars is intensified by the absence of the moon and sharpened by the lack of the light pollution that we have in cities. Gradually the stars start to fade from one half of the sky as the first rays of the sun hit. Venus is often visible long after the other stars have disappeared (it's also one of the first ones out at night. As the sun rises, even at the darkest part of the sky to the West, reflections of the rays are visible, giving a pink glow to the clouds. While all this is happening, the sea looks like mercury all around, so rowing tends to feel a bit surreal.
This morning, there were massive rain clouds to the stern of the boat, cutting out the top half of the rising sun. (See Photos). They passed overhead on their way West, bringing some rain and agitating the sea around. The rain gave me a chance to have a shower in the rain, washing off all the salt build up on the skin. I am currently rationing water, until I have fixed the water maker, so my only possibility of a shower is when it rains. At other times, it's just wet wipes.
Sunday has been allocated to working on some of the things on my task list. It breaks the monotony of having a 7 day rowing week. Today, I generally row fewer hours.
Fixing the leak remains top priority. Other major tasks include fixing the watermaker and navigation lights. Minor tasks: cleaning out the cabin & deck, bilge, scrubbing the bottom of the boat, greasing hinges for oar blades, fixing the video camera tripod on deck, clearing up ropes for the sea anchor.
Wildlife: The fish are back under the boat, taking cover from the sun. I've got a huge school of tuna today and some parrot fish. The shark is back as well. It looks about the same size as the shark that about last week. Every now and then the water next to the boat turns into a bubble bath war zone as it chases the fish and literally hundreds of them jump out of the water or try to hide underneath the boat creating a huge noise as they bang into the hull.
No human contact. No ships. It's been strangely silent for the past few days and I have frequently found myself looking towards the light on the radar alarm to reassure myself that it is switched on and working.
Today in the evening, the radar alarm went off giving me a reason to look for something different around. Spent a very frustrating 2 hours as I awited on the VHF to get a “yes” response from the Captain of a Thai ship. As my effective Thai vocabulary is one word - Coca Cola, and he did'nt seem to speak much English, conversation was limited to exchanging co-ordinates and a few grunts on the phone. Was good to hear a human voice anyway. However brief.
Progress today was slightly sluggish. Tired. The lack of proper sleep is getting to me. Back to rowing. Will just have to KBO until I have reached my half way point and will reward my self with 8 hours of sleep.
B
WOULD APPRECIATE NO MESSAGES OR CALLS VIA THE SATELLITE PHONE. THE LINE IS BEING KEPT OPEN FOR EMERGENCY USE UNTIL THIS LEAK IS FIXED.
Instead, please direct messages through the Messages section on the website at http://www.bhavik.com/crossatlantic/messages.asp. All messages are forwarded onto me at the end of each day.


Night rowing. Photo taken with Night Shot.
 
Sun rising in the East over the Stern as seen at 5.54 am


Reflection of the Sunrise in the East, as seen from the bow at 5.54 am.