The Doldrums get to you, that’s how it is. The name itself conjures up images of ancient mariners, lack of direction, feeling low and even tinges of madness. It’s this last one that interests me…

Whatever journey you are on over the sea the motion is incessant, it never stops and in a race the competitive element is there all the time.

So you are racing along and all of a sudden everything stops, you just sit there bobbing up and down like a rubber duck in the bath.

In the ‘other world’ outside the Doldrums we measure movement in nautical MPH in double figures, now it’s metres…now look for movement in metres, stealing whatever we can from the occasional sea breezes.

It’s the contrast … moods both personal and collective are directly linked to if the boat is moving or not. Great when we feel we are getting through it and when we’re not, “when will it ever end”.

It’s hot and humid and nothings happening, suddenly you understand how profound the phase ” in the doldrums” is. Still, we’re nearly through it and into the ‘outside world’ where the benign Southern Trade winds await us and we can measure in double figures again!

Next up… in the Doldrums vacuum the mind wanders, at least mine does, so some Doldrum fantasies to follow..”

Ricardo