Page 81

18 May 2001

Nat drove to the airport with the innkeeper(/proprietor) and I left for the hospital at 09:00 a.m., where I had an appointment. For some days (now), I have been to control because of an infection on one leg(/of my legs). (It turns out that, edit) It's a staph infection and we've been waiting for the right moment to cut (in) it. No anaesthetics(/drugging). I don't (really, edit) know if it's because they didn't have any or that it doesn't work(/can't be used) on something that inflamed, but d... it I felt(/could feel) the knife(/scalpel).
Medical treatment(/help) is free of charge and medicine likewise.
I received 80 pills I have to eat(/swallow) during the next 10 days and a colossal(/gigantic) pile(/heap) of bandages, rinsing fluids, etc.(/and so on). And I had to sign(/put my signature on) my journal because I broke off(/stopped) the treatment. He didn't think it was a good idea(/much of) being alone on the sea for the next 10 days, but he did however give me instructions how I on a daily basis had to pull 5 centimetre bandage out of the wound, cut it off and rinse around it.
The nurse volunteered to go with me to inspect my wound which I declined(/turned down). I could imagine Nat's face when we arrive at Papeete, me and my private nurse.

I promised to have the doctor in Papeete phone (there) when I arrive. I'm not really enjoying this. It is almost as if he is anxious(/curious) to see if I would ever make it(/arrive there).

I checked out just as easily as I did checking in and went back to the boat. There is a rough(/tremendous) sea at the anchorage which almost made me feel sick.. Maybe(/Perhaps)
I have been on land for too long? It's probably(/most likely) because of all the medicine.

I changed the bandage when I got(/arrived) back on the boat. It was soaked(/wet through) and couldn't hold back(/stop) the blood from running down my leg. It looked awful.

I had to climb the mast to mount the radar reflector and the brail(tracing line) for the foresail that fell(/came) off when I nearly lost the mast. I ought to have changed one of the upper shrouds. It looks (rather, edit) poor at the bottom(/below), but I don't have the energy (to do it) with this damn leg of mine. It's f...... sore(/painful).

I hope that I'll be all right. I'll lead(/take) two halyards down on one side to support the mast. If it(/that) doesn't work, I have to climb the mast. I can only be hoping for flat(/level) water........

I have just made the(/my) Waypoints for the trip, all from the book "Routes Of The World" and have decided to wait until tomorrow morning. I'm completely exhausted(/worn out) after that walk and climbing the mast. I promised the doctor to keep the(/my) leg at rest and not be walking on it, and for the first time here I had to walk all the way back to the boat (4.5 km). There wasn't any traffic in this(/my) direction around noon. (Though,) They always stop to offer a ride. It's simply the custom(/usual thing to do) (around) here.

I haven't got a map over the group of islands, just a general map that covers most of the southern Pacific. Moreover(/Besides that) it doesn't cover(/include) the Tuamotus. So I have decided to sail(/go) round instead of running the risk of (suddenly, edit) ending (up) on one of them(/the islands). In that(/this) case it'll also(/furthermore) be easier for me to relax (read: sleep). And I have to arrive at Papeete in daylight, since I don't have a map of that place.


19 May 2001 (Leaving for Papeete, Tahiti)

I was sleeping at the anchorage because of my leg and the fever. I felt quite poor(/unwell) and wasn't feeling at all like sailing. I was almost unconscious from tiredness(/fatigue).

I set the alarm to (sound at) 5 a.m. and felt that I was (feeling) better, so I picked up the anchor and left the place(/anchorage).

I had to dismount my "big" engine and tried sailing(/going) with the small 2.5 HP. (That's) The most troublesome(/difficult) on board Trojka is that I need(/have) to dismount that(/the) engine to be able to install(/mount) the Windpilot. It can be quite annoying manoeuvring(/handling) it when there's a rough sea.
It actually turned out pretty well(/good) using the small engine. It took some time to gain speed but in fact it manages to sail(/keep) Trojka at 4˝ knots. But the propeller(/screw) isn't far enough down in the water. So after some time I decided to dismount the engine. As usual there was a rough sea and(/so) it couldn't reach, then installed my wind steering, but the wind changed from poor to none and after a couple of hours of drifting (around) I installed the big engine and went by that for the next 21 hours.

I spent 48 litres of gas so now I only just have enough for the entering at Papeete.

Incredibly, after all the antibiotics I take, I still have a fever. And the wound didn't look too good (either). I was told to pull 5 centimetre bandage out of the wound and cut it off on a daily basis. But everything was so festering that it "ran" out. So I took(/pulled) it all out and started cleaning the wound internally with some cleaning fluid. I scraped and rinsed(/cleaned) the wound externally with iodine and ???, which I received from the doctor. Then dipping half a metre (of) bandage in the same fluid and "stuffing" it on my leg, closing it well with sterile bandages. I'm hoping for it to be better tomorrow.

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From Esbjerg, Denmark to Tahiti aboard a Junker 22