20 May 2009 - Not quite as planned...
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24 May 2009 Plymouth to Mylor to Newlyn in 36 hours
20 May 2009 - Not quite to plan...
It was obvious first thing that yesterday's sail wasn't going to go ahead, at least not as planned. We got up to Force 6 winds, which is simply out of the question as far as taking the Artemis out for a quick spin with a knight of the realm and a BBC cameraman on board goes. The forecast was that it should drop to a manageable Force 4 by lunchtime, but the letup never came. It meant a long morning of hanging around (albeit with a BBC film crew) and, crucially, talking. There was also a lot of getting in and out of boats, which is always hard work.
By lunchtime we decided to go out on a RIB with Matthew Pinsent, which was fine in theory, but by the time we got to our sheltered bay one member of the camera crew was seasick and another was looking distinctly green around the gills (although they are both OK now). Matthew and I did our stuff and we headed for home. By now I suspect that I was getting seriously overheated (it might have been the cuddle with Sir Matthew that did it :-) ) and told the wet crew who lifted me out that I was finding it hard to breathe.
Usually a couple of lungfuls of air does the trick, but I wasn't responding as quickly as Toby would have liked, so he called an ambulance. After a very quick trip to the hospital (we managed to lose Jo...) and a couple of hours under observation they "kicked me out", much to my relief. Thanks to all the staff who looked after me during my mercifully brief stay in Derriford hospital. They were absolutely fantastic.
After a good night's sleep I'm more upset that we missed our sail than anything else. Also my specially made Musto jacket had to be cut away, which leaves me mid-layer less. It all seems terribly dramatic at the time, and there's no denying that my breathing isn't what it ought to be, but I bounce back mercifully quickly and, apart from a slight hangover, feel fine this morning. I'm just hoping that Toby will give the OK to sail tomorrow morning as the weather gets a bit rougher at the weekend.
Page last updated on 28 May 2009 at 15:07