Leg 1, day…not sure.

I’m not sure because I’m not counting down the days until I can chew proper food again. I’m not sure because changing my clothes and catching a whiff of myself doesn’t elicit a gag reflex. I’m not sure because I’m not stuck in a carining carbon tube where even sleeping is a challenge. I’m not sure because my skin doesn’t feel like biltong, nor does it require a full body wipe down in baby wipes once a week. I’m not sure because my hair cut doesn’t look like I jumped into a ceiling fan (equator crossing haircuts) And I’m not sure because I’m busting for the loo three times a day!

In fact, leg 1 so far has been quite easy on my body. As I write this, I’m kicked up in an apartment over looking the Dubai skyline. Tomorrow, I will hop on a plane to head to Cape Town where I will get a few days surfing in before our ship Azzam shows up on a cargo vessel and we are back to work. It was terrible misfortune that allowed us to miss doing the first leg of the Volvo as well as a real bummer for those of us who have not done this leg before. I, along with the rest of the boys, was pretty gutted when the mast came down just hours after the start. We pretty much knew that the leg was over for us at that point, but there is a long race ahead yet.

The team remains positive. The guys are probably more hungry now for a win then ever before. And we know our boat is a weapon. The giants of the race are gaining strength in the first leg to Cape Town. But no doubt we will be dubbed ‘giant killers’ on our arrival into Abu Dhabi.

Follow Gadling Blogger Nick Dana as he sails around the world in the Volvo Ocean Race with Team Abu Dhabi here.