12/27 0315utc 49/35S 119/47 W, staysail, 11.7 knots. Awaiting next gale, should arrive in 6 hours, expected severe, will go to storm jib beforehand. Well it was inevitable, the being thrown from the bunk, finally happened last night, and I had a one point landing on my left eyebrow after a fall of 1.5 meters with my head leading the way.

Coming out of the bunk and through the opening in the bulkhead is as if your body is funnelled so that your head lands first. I’d had several good naps, this was the third, I awoke either in flight or on impact, scrambled to get up, onto the chart table bench, felt my head, no bumps, forehead, no bumps, then felt that it hurt just above my eye, felt there, not damp nor wet but soaked in blood, the whole left side of my face was dripping blood. On the floor, on my down booties, on my seaboots, went to the mirror, what a mess, didn’t know what was underneath all that blood, took paper towels and cold water and started to gently mop up, and gradually got down to the core problem, a cut under the eyebrow about 1″ (2.5cm) long. I tried to see if there was anything in it, but couldn’t.

Finally took a photo and sent it to our emergency doctor in Boston, Dr. Brien Barnewolt, as well as Dr. Chauve, Race Doctor. Brien called the boat,and we talked through what to do. Eventually got it to stop bleeding, then let it scab a bit, then after a second call, cut and put a bandage over it. A black eye is coming. We checked for double vision, after all my whole head took a real hit, no problem with the vision, that’s good.

So will try sleeping in other bunk on port side, it has a leak over the head of the bunk, and when i took the fall, although I was on the windward side, we were rolling so much going downwind in the last gales’ leftover sea of 15-20′ that this could have happened from the leeward bunk also. It seems that only when I get into the sleeping bag and get warm, do I get real sleep.

Another gale is en route, this one looks severe, will try to get organized for it early, we’ve had a windshift already, totally unforecast on grib files, so don’t know what the future here holds.

Yesterday, received christmas greetings from schools in Poland, China, Australia, so that is always the best.

a bientot,
Rich