The Real Deal

After the balloons… after the Grand Send-off by Gerard and Tiana and family….after the lovely sail into Table Bay, passing Robben Island…. after my last WhatsUp, boasting about the great conditions….came ………………..the great seasickness! The new pills did not work!!! It was the first time ever for me to throw up. We all had our share of holding on to a bowl through the night as we did our shifts, praying that morning would bring relief. It seems to help if you lie down. Falling asleep is even better, as you can then forget that you should feel seasick – “they” do say that it is all in the head?!!
I remember sitting there with my phone, receiving all the whatsup wishes – too sick to attempt an answer, wondering: “What have we done?” “Who wilfully chooses this upon themselves?” Very stupid people indeed! I had no qualms about putting us firmly into that category.
But by God’s infinite mercy, we did not have to do any strenuous sailing or thinking during that first night. We set the sails and fell into a trance-like state – each of us finding our own way of dealing with the nausea as well as with the shock that we have really left!