Vendée Globe Update:
Friday, December 24, 2004 - Christmas eve
Position 44 19S, 117 45E, @ 08:15 UT
Best wishes from Ocean
Planet
As we ply the sea on
our fragile boats in the rough ocean, lately I am aware of how fragile
my spirits can be. With flayed nerves I listen to every creak and
groan on of the boat, for new suspicious noises or reoccurring known
ones, hoping that all is well.
When it is bad weather,
and it often is down here.... and as the boat leans with every big
wave, I grip the edge of the bunk, bulkhead, or tiller and wonder
if this the one that won't stop pushing until the boat is on it's
side again. It is the worst when you are trying to sleep and there
is the sudden crash of water on the side of the boat with no warning.
It is usually just a big splash, but every now and then the ocean
makes you keenly aware of it's awesome power, letting you know that
at any time she could bury you with tons of water.
Against these psychological
stresses, I am not sure how I would do without the support of all
those who I know are wishing me well. The holiday emails and sincere
encouragement that we have had lately aboard Ocean Planet make a
big difference to me and give me strength.
I can only begin to say
how much I appreciate the support of the many that are part of the
Ocean Planet dream. On this Christmas eve I send my THANKS, and
best wishes to all of you who are following us in the Vendee Globe.
Often, I am told that
I am very brave or courageous to be sailing the Vendee. The truth
is that I am no more brave, perhaps less so, than anyone else. Perhaps
it is precisely my fear that makes me do this, and the sense that
facing those fears and challenges will prove something to myself.
For all those that read my stories, the truth is that my jokes and
lighthearted approach are really my own messages to myself, for
only with humour and a sense of irony can one face the realities
of the southern oceans, alone, on a sailboat.
Which reminds me of my
favorite answer to my supporters as to WHY I am sailing the Vendee
Globe?
So YOU won't have to.
All
the best from Bruce and Ocean Planet
Bruce Schwab, Skipper
USA 05/Ocean Planet
Web: www.bruceschwab.com
Education: www.oceanplanet.org
Email: bruce@bruceschwab.com
Phone: 843-670-6582
This American team for the Vendee Globe is made possible by your
donations to The Made in America Foundation (www.bruceschwab.com/support.cfm),
and our supplier sponsors:
Coast-Line International: www.coast-lineintl.com
Doyle Sailmakers: www.doylesails.com
Equiplite lightweight connectors: www.equiplite.com
Infomatrix: www.infomatrix-usa.com
MAS Epoxies: www.masepoxies.com
Nobeltec navigation software: www.nobeltec.com
Portland Yacht Services: www.portlandyacht.com
Samson rope technologies: www.samsonrope.com
Solara Energy Systems: www.solaraenergy.com
WoodenBoat Magazine: www.woodenboat.com
Join our team: www.bruceschwab.com/sponsorship.cfm
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