Fair weather and/or smooth sailing

Fair weather and smooth sailing don’t always go hand-in-hand. While the first couple of days gave us lots of sunshine and smooth seas, a hurricane sitting out in the Caribbean is helping us to large swells and more and more choppy waters. By yesterday it had also done away with our sunshine and replaced it with some rain fronts.
Last night I discovered that sleeping rolled up in a ball was not going to work out. My bunk is aligned with the width of the ship and with the side-to-side movement I was sliding up and down my bunk. Flipping back on my stomach solved that problem and the ship’s movement quickly lulled me back to sleep.
Yes, a moving ship (in this case a REALLY moving ship) does add some challenges to work and everyday ships life. I had to tap into my rugby reflexes and displayed some quick hands when my cup swooshed across the counter top while I put the bottle back into the fridge. The data sheets recording the size and weight of the fish we’ve pulled out display some interesting looking hieroglyphs and I’ve learned that it’s really difficult to deal with balancing yourself, taking notes and sliding tables at the same time. You also quickly learn that you can’t fill your tea mug and cereal bowl all to full and it’s important to keep some extra space for milk-sloshing.
On the bright side… a bit of pitching and rolling does mask my natural klutziness. Having to take that extra step to balance never was so normal.