Another day, another lull. There is an insignificant breeze on the beam but not enough to get us moving under plain sails and too shy for the spinnaker. "If only we had a cruising chute!" Oh, but we do, only James left it at home as he didn't think we'd need it. Oh well. Despite the low speeds today (and probabaly tomorrow too), we should still arrive December 27th and look forward to a decent breeze again.
It's really quiet out here. We've not seen another vessel for ten days since we left the vicinity of the Canary Islands. We are off any recognised shipping routes as only yachts travel to these latitudes in search of fair winds. Our competitors have been well out of sight for a very long time. Lookout becomes more sparse but we do have an alarm set on the EchoMax. We did receive a radar sweep last night from something but it never got close enough to register on the AIS, let alone for us to actually see it.
Last night was exceptionally clear. We all watched the sun sink into the far horizon but failed to spot the green flash. We have now passed 45W and so ships time has slipped another hour to GMT-3. Even the wildlife is quiet in these conditions and we only have our daily flying fish for company. They clatter about when they land on deck until they can be flung back into the sea. James had a shock last night when he stuck his head out to feel the wind and a flying fish hit him on the cheek.
Well James after the festivities of the birthday r u sure it wasnt the little mermaid and not a flying fish. The only yachts moving faster r the leaders - all boats around you u struggling as well.White Dolphin will arrive Barbados tomorrow - to a screaming reception of schoolchildren. Why r u throwing the fish back and not cooking them - as no mention of food today thought u would appreciate some fresh food. Today sunny and mild - although there are flood warnings over entire U.K with more rain forecast for tomorrow. love mum xx
ReplyDeleteIs that a first to be hit on the face with a flying fish. I thought that it was normally a wet kipper! Love D and J
ReplyDeleteJust had our longest night and daybreak has come (so the clocks say) with heavy rain so it is still dark. There are worse places to be than in light winds West of Barbados. But why are you the most northerly boat in the fleet? Lots of love Dad xxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot harder to keep track of progress at the weekend than it is in the office. Can't just dip into the blog, grib, or race site like I do in the week. It looks like the next 12 hrs are going to be a bit wind-less for you, but it seems to pick up after that. Last day of Christmas shopping today. Yippee. I agree with Gordon; there are worse places to be...
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