14:54.0N 43:49.1W

Moaning Myrtle (our hydrogenator) has been a little troublesome over the past 24 hours, as we have been passing through some large patches of floating Sargasso weed.  So we are getting into a routine of clearing the weed from the propellor at frequent intervals.  Charlotte is keen to fry some of the weed in some butter for dinner as a starter, but there has not been a great following from her fellow crewmates!  The flying fish continue to dazzle us with their wave hopping skills, but there has been no sign of any larger marine animals.  (The weed has denied our fishing pursuits).  We have had a visit from a couple of Tropic Birds, and a lonely Little Egret, which are at least 900 miles from land.

Pete’s cooking skills are rivalling Gordon Ramsay, with a truly excellent chorizo risotto for dinner. This was accompanied by a good loud dose of Robbie Williams. (Pete singing with his earphones in whilst cooking scared off the birds)!

We have shifted to ‘Bravo’ time now, as we were becoming tired of eating breakfast in the dark. Fortunately, we need not worry about jet lag, as the lively seas and warm temperatures have prevented many of us sleeping for more than a few hours at a time.

We have been watching out for squalls chasing us from astern, one of which brought plenty of rain.  Very refreshing!

After a close encounter with the ‘Sao Jorge’, (a 52 ft boat in the racing division) we all agreed that life on board Betelgeuse was relative luxury.  The Sao Jorge has 11 crew in almost the same amount of space and have exhausted their fresh food stocks.  We hadn’t the heart to tell them that we are still dining like kings!

Richard

and a pic of the man himself (in full recycling gear) …...