D+17 Weather

How fickle the weather has proved! Although I am grateful for our pleasant passage, it has been frustratingly slow. We have nights of flailing sails and banging blocks as they lift with the breeze before collapsing again onto the deck. The daily forecast shows that we are in a trade wind stream, but that doesn't seem to play out in reality. Eventually, a steady breeze built, enough to keep the spinnaker aloft. That, along with a flat swell, meant that we had an undisturbed night's sleep at last.

It is hugely hot today and we are desperate to arrive so we can all take a swim in the enticing waters. We were joined today by a pod of around 20 spotted dolphins and a single storm petrel, all well over 1000 miles from the nearest shore.

It is amazing to think that this area of Atlantic Ocean is the generator of the bad weather we experience at home in the UK. At 18N 40W we are sailing an area with weekly disturbances which deepen and move northeast before developing into proper low pressure systems, complete with strong winds and rain. Where we are, they just cause a loss of wind, a few more clouds, and are more of an inconvenience than anything. Another is predicted for Friday so we hope to clear south by then.

Before the start of the race, we had expected the fast boats who can make 200nm a day to be arriving in Barbados today. We had hoped to follow them five days' later on 150nm daily. Yesterday we fell short of that for the third day running as we managed a paltry 130nm but are moving better now. We need some solid days of 160nm+ to make up the lost time.

The children have been working on their fitness outside school hours, with Elizabeth able to traverse the boat without touching the floor, and inventing a "boat triathlon" and exercise class, complete with press-ups, dips, burpees and weights. They've also been preparing a selection of small home made gifts for Christmas day. I have made crackers to put them in, constructed from cereal packets and the Panerai tissue paper from the celebration box. Elizabeth collated some corny jokes and both children are decorating paper crowns to complete the contents.