Jun 2, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
10
28°23'N/54°50''W MIDDAY
Peaceful
night making a steady
4-5 knots with a
SW wind. Chris & Stuart
collected 7 litres
of water in a rainstorm
today. At 9AM we
hit a large squal
with 18 knots of
wind, pouring with
rain - six grown
men standing on the
deck covered in soap
suds having a freshwater
shower. 50 litres
of rain collected.
Weather now cloudy
- seems we've hit
the edge of the bad
weather that is north
of Bermuda but it
means we have fair
winds and are making
steady NE progress.
After agreeing to "go greek" with
the loo paper after
the toilet fiasco,
someone has forgotten and blocked the outlet again. Chris and I have spent most
of the day trying to make it work again - still waiting for the culprit to own
up! A lot cooler after sundown.
Jun
1, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
9
27°17'N/55°40''W
MIDDAY
Still
hot during the day but
full sailing gear needed
at night - certainly
colder after sundown.
Travelling NE to avoid
the high pressure (and
thereby zero wind) so
circumnavigating the
Azores high avoids us
being sucked into the
centre. Night shift record
by Chris and Stuart 17.9
miles.
Serious hoovering, deck scrubbing and head cleaning performed by rota each day
and Chris has completed a full engine check. Sunbathing and reading as usual.
Jo will be pleased to hear we had Tulip ham with dijon mustard & honey glaze
and elby wheat followed by grapefruit, orange & raisin compote in a warm
caramel & pernod sauce. Hope you girls are enjoying your TV meals.
May 31, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
8
26°21'N/57°40''W
MIDDAY
Winds
light, weather hot. All settled
into their routines -Keith
diary writing, Chris making
a spinning lure from silver
foil, David on lookout and
trimming, Glen baking and
Stu still engrossed in the
Da Vinci code. Running the
engines to generate power
for the weather/log emails
and we are restricted to
90 minutes a week - one email
can take up to 10 minutes
- so still rationing the
airtime. Light winds have
meant we have lost a couple
of days but hopeful that
as we reach the trade winds
we should be able to pull
a bit back. Have now turned
the corner and heading eastward
towards the Azores. Everything
cooked in sea water - can't
taste the difference and
all finishing our plates
and asking for more.
May
30, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN
- DAY 7
25°18'N/58°38''W
MIDDAY
Still
light NE winds, hot, no rain.
Bathroom up and working, though
not without its problems. Wendy
has spares standing by in Horta,
Azores. New league table in place
for the night watches. Champions
at the moment are David and Stuart
with 14 miles on a 4-hour watch.
First "day off" for
the Skipper (on standby). Each
crew member gets this day off
once in every five days. Welcome
rest after busy days and disturbed
sleep. Chef Glen working his socks off - last night's Casolet (harricot beans
in tomato sauce with sausages and bacon) is the best so far - complete with Vadrouille
coleslaw. Using up credit on the email very fast - limiting usage now - weather
reports must take priority.
May 29, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
6
24°03'N/59°05''W
MIDDAY
Another
99 miles! Weather sunny, light NE
winds. A few spots of rain - chased
the cloud on the engine but couldn't
catch up. Still heading north waiting
for the trade wind to kick in. A
few more days and we will "turn
right" and head for the Azores.One
of the heads is blocked with a calcium
deposit and we are slowly dismantling
the bathroom to get to the pipe to
clear it. Good job we have a second
head. Because of this we are operating
the "aft deck bucket showering
system" - using David's sea
soap - much more refreshing than
the bathroom. Hopefully mileage will
be up tomorrow, wind forecast stronger.
May
28, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
5
22°33'N/58°55''W
MIDDAY
Weather
sunny and hot. Wind NE 5 knots.
No reefing required last night- winds very light. Currently ghosting along with
the spinnaker up at 2.5 knots. Moving east now, away from Bermuda, where winds
are reaching 40 knots with bad weather. Change of course in line with another
yacht we have found, via the SSB radio, who is also heading for the Azores. No
rain today.
Last
of the bread thrown away now - onto crispbreads and french toast.More than enough
provisions to get us to the Azores. Glen's special today fresh pineapple pancakes
with cream ... ...
May 27, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
4
20°54'N/59°46''W
10:00 LOCAL
Good
blow last night with 21 knots ofSE wind -
boat handled well and safely with a reef
in the main sail and a smaller jib. Still
hot and sunny with the odd brief shower -
crew have set up a rain catching system with
funnel, tube and bottle off the boom - it
will supplement the laundry water. Note:
fresh water is NOT a problem - they just
like their 'experiments'!Good menu today:
breakfast-cereals, fresh melon, tea/coffee,
Lunch: egg and bacon rolls, fried bread,
cheese and biscuits, Afternoon tea: scones
with jam and cream, dinner: mackerel risotto
with beans. Was hoping to lose weight this
trip - seems unlikely. Wind picking up again
- hope for 100+ NM tomorrow.
May
26, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY 3
19°36'N/60°31''W
MIDDAY
Current
course 057 degrees, speed 4.5 knots. Weather
sunny, good visibility. Everyone settling into
the routine.Glen's galley up and running with
a 'help yourself' breakfast, a light lunch and
main evening meal. Daily helper assigned to Glen
to clear and wash up. 2-6 watch cleans the decks
and checks for wear and tear. We have a third
person on standby for twighlight and dawn. All
enjoying the routine on a rota basis. Wind vane
steering already a godsend.
May 25, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
2
18°22'N/61°18''W
MIDDAY
Wind
SE 12knots, no cloud. Made good progress today heading
approx NE at 4-5 knots. Stopped the boat at about
16:00 yesterday for a cool down swim.Watch system
working well. Boat covered ad hoc during daylight
but at 10pm we have a two-crew watch until 2.am and
then another until 6.am. This way Chef and one other
gets a full night's sleep.Rain at 1.am - deck shower
for all and washing the odd tee shirt.Picking up
the weather service loud and clear - looks good for
now.
May 24, 2005 - ATLANTIC OCEAN - DAY
1
18°01'N/61°46'W
Very
light winds so we have decided not to stop at Barbuda
but head straight for the Azores.Crew have had a "sweep" to
guess the date of arrival - ranges from 20-32 days.
We hope to average 125 miles each day from now on.
Progress slow - we are in a high pressure system with
very light winds - making less than 3 knots even with
the repaired spinnaker. Keith (Indiana Grandpa) is
crew member of the day having received the most emails.
Landed another large tuna - fantastic meal by Glen
despite 1000 midge bites. Still unbearably hot - hopefully
it will cool down offshore.
