I Wonder do I smell yet?

"Being aboard a Clipper 68 at the moment is much like being inside an otter's pocket: Cold, damp and a bit smelly" - Quote from skipper of Singapore.

Yesterday I changed my socks. I grant you that's hardly earth shattering, but if
I tell you that's the first time I've done so in 13 days it becomes a little
more controversial. And if I go on to tell you that they were the first items of
clothing I've changed since leaving Qingdao on the 4th March it begins to verge
on the offensive. Now in my defense there are mitigating circumstances.
Following the failure of our water maker in Qingdao we have been under strict
water rationing on our Pacific crossing. We have 1.5L per person per day for
drinking and sadly none at all for showering. Although this isn't quite as bad
as it sounds (details below) it does make it harder to justify changing clothes
on a regular basis. Not showering hasn't been nearly as bad as I feared - there
are good options - dry cleaning (deoderant), wet-wipe showers (cleaning "the
arches" on a daily basis with baby-wipes) and anti-bac hand wash make it all
very doable. And let's be honest, the cold weather also helps keeps smells to a
minimum, or at least well wrapped up. There are also other factors to consider -
with average air temperatures in the single digits, combined with wind-chill
means getting undressed is hardly a very inviting proposition. Of course we were
all very much aware of this before setting off so have equipped ourselves with
clever things like merino wool base layers which claim to never smell (so far so
good...I think) and to stay warm when wet - this feature is remarkably helpful
after getting a soaking on the foredeck. The other factor to consider is that we
are allowed a total of 20kg luggage for the trip. That includes "land clothes"
for before and after the race, all our gear, treats etc. The long and the short
of it is that you have to pack light. For most this involves a couple of pairs
of midlayers, and maybe 3-4 sets of base layers, including underwear. I had
contemplated washing while on the go but had forgotten that drying things on
these boats is pretty much impossible. The t-shirt hanging from my bunk for a
week now is wetter than when I first hung it to dry. I had consutled on this
topic with the original salty old sea dog (and Clipper instructor), Simon
Bradley who advised me to bring 2 pairs of underwear - one to wear and the other
for special occasions, like arriving into San Francisco. How true those words
ring now.

This is a topic of conversation that has recently arisen on the boat as
presumably we all go through the same thought process each morning of just how
long we can go without a change of pants. Our experiences seem to have been very
similar - not nearly as bad as we had feared, can't see any reason to change
them yet, how can it be wrong when it feels so right etc. The slightly worrying
thing is that we all noticed after about 4-5 days that we weren't smelling as
fresh as perhaps we might, that damp clothes were starting to smell and that
some of our crewmates were perhaps starting to smell mildly of cheese. Yet now
14 days in, these smells seem to have all "vanished". Hmmm. The fear and most
likely cause of this is that we have merely got used to our smells and now don't
notice them anymore. And sadly the tragic victims of this phenomenon will be our
beloved friends and family who come to meet us in San Francisco who will no
doubt confirm our greatest fears - yes, we do smell. 

Re. A drier than normal Paddy's Day for Niall and an excerpt from skipper Mark Light:

Happy St Paddy's day! We started the day with a nice shot of jameson at 9am
before the morning watch! Think we're getting beer each with dinner too as a
treat.

"On Board, we have our own celebrations with decorations, face paints, hats, Irish music and maybe a wee tot of Jameson's Whiskey. For dinner we have roast lamb and vegetables with mash (freeze dried and nearly Irish) and we have a delicious fruit cake soaked in Jameson's Irish Whiskey, baked a couple of days ago and allowed to soak. We also have a sweep stake running on the England v Ireland rugby match.

This weather may be severe and safety is of paramount importance, but in reality this is exactly the conditions wanted and expected by all of the crew. This experience will live long in the memory and I imagine will form the basis for many a tale in pubs and yacht clubs for years to come.”