DSK wrote , etc etc.

Great story, Bart. How come you didn't keep the off watch below tending a kettle of hot
chocolate or soup? Anything without caffeine... although caffeine can be a Godsend, it makes
seasickness worse IMHO and definitely tends to increase the risk of dehydration.

The boat was not ready for it's upcoming passage. I spent a
little time in the galley looking for food earlier and could
not find anything I wanted to mess with. Nothing was stowed
well, and I figured it would be hard to find anything. I later
found out where some cold cuts were. There were lots of things
that I know were intended for the upcoming ocean passage, so I
was a bit reluctant to start in on "their" supplies. Since I
could do without easily enough, while those supplies might become
lifesafers for the delivery crew later.

In the future, I'll pack my own food supplies. Especially things
that keep well in a seabag like cup-o-soup. I lived on cup-o-soup
during last Decembers delivery up the New Jersey coast last and
it was wonderful in cold weather. In fact, I'd have to say that
it made that portion of the passage fun, and a happy memory.

During 2 on / 2 off watches I think I had a cup of soup on five
consecutive night watches. It helped me keep warm in 41-42 deg
F weather and was not so filling I didn't want more two hours
later. Also, after making it, it took a while to soften up the
noodles. I used the cup for a hand warmer as long as possible
and sipped it very slowly. That soup, checking the radar, and
logging our position, and so forth, took up the first 45 minutes.
I looked forward to soup each watch and was dissapointed when I
finished it.

I like hot chocolate also. Sailing to Hawaii in '97, our
cook would make one huge thermos of it that would last the whole
crew all night, although we ran out after the first week or so.
The substitute, some sort of lame herb tea was unpopular with
everyone, and hardly was touched all night.

I like a diet coke on watch to help stay awake also. I always
carried two cans of soda in my lifejacket cargo pockets. On
that trip, one old salt asked me about all the crap I had
hanging off my lifejacket. The strobe, whistle, compass, knife
and such, did not make nearly as much impression on him as my
carrying a source of water--which was voted the most important
item needed in a liferaft, by those who have been stranded in one.
He had just read a book on the subject, and here I was putting
it into practice, albeit for other reasons.

Also, as a dinghy sailor you know that if you fall in the water
with a water bottle, it doesn't weigh anything, so I think making
a habit of carrying water or something like that, especially in a
resealable container is a smart move.

UNLESS you have a full bladder like I did tonight watching Master
and Commander. I didn't want to miss a minute of the movie and
I'm grateful I'm not now in the hospital with a burst bladder.
The movie was fabulous and very realistic, although I found it
was based on one of the later books, not volume I.

Bart