I need an egg. I want to see if it the expression "it's so hot, you could fry an egg" is actually true or an old wives tale. I reckon that it's true on days like today, and I now regret all the times I've complained that it's 'too hot.' Until now, I'd never experienced 'too hot.'
Annie is covered in zinc-oxide sunscreen. "Anything to beat the sun" is her motto. She wears a massive blue sunhat and has a thick layer of the white zinc over her cheeks, lips, and nose. She said that burning her lips was the most painful experience she's ever had - even more painful than the time she fell off a hauled out boat and landed 15 feet below on concrete and nearly died. Wow.
Elodie is also sporting a rather fashionable "Indiana Jones" style hat--with a sun flap covering her neck. Stacey has fashioned a scarf to her sun hat. Sam is wearing a sarong under her visor and resembles a character from Arabian Nights.
We're all in a constant battle with the heat. We're caught between needing to work outside in the sun and attempting to cool down and not melt away from the sun. We're wearing long sleeve shirts in order to hide but then we begin to overheat.
The sun might be out but I'm pretty sure if you wore a bikini right now you'd melt away.
The night has never felt so good; it's as if someone switched on the air conditioner. There's not much more breeze at night but the sun has dipped behind the horizon and the boat (and bodies) quickly cool off. Cooking and engine charging become somewhat realistic.
High heat and no wind is not only a test for one's sanity but also for one's body. Everyone things 'Life at the Extreme' means holding on as big waves pounding us, but there's another side to it. The other half the time you're dealing with boiling heat, avoiding sun stroke, dehydration, and third degree sunburns.
I can see Stacey constantly shuffling around the front of the boat to remain in the shade and everyone is wearing thick layers of sunscreen and hats to beat the sun.
We also are caught between the fragile line of dehydration and over hydration-- both of which are equally as dangerous. Most people are aware of what it feels like to be dehydrated-- headache and your body feels like it shuts down.
Over hydration is a whole other set of problems, and you don't even know when you're over hydrated. Dee explained that when you're over hydrated, your body cannot absorb the nutrients of food. That's why it's important to add electrolytes to your water - about one for every three water bottles.
Sleeping is also a bit of a challenge in the heat where your skin feels like it is melting off. In no wind, it's important to head to the bow of the boat for weight, but you can find yourself caught in a carbon heat box if someone shuts the hatch on you.
So, despite the sunshine and no wind, it's pretty 'extreme' out here as you attempt to stay healthy in these extreme conditions. Nonetheless, it is vital to stay at 100% as you need your body to be a machine to help get the boat through.