Hello All

 

This is the Owner again. I wonder if some of the crew are pulling their weight when it comes to letting you all know what is going on down here. Firstly let me sympathise with you about your weather which we gather is somewhat wintry whilst we here are suffering with heat exhaustion or perhaps it is the usual post lunch stupor after a glass of wine.

Yesterday’s fish has produced the two best meals of the trip so far being simply fried fillet from Malcolm and a fish pie today care of Alasdair both with input from our culinary genius Charlie who still knows where everything is hidden on the boat – I just wish he would tell us.

Yesterday saw our first tropical rain shower which gave us all the opportunity of a fresh water shower on deck – not a pretty site. Photographs will not be available from your usual website! After that we had a steady sail overnight with small spinnaker up during which time we cross tacked with another unknown ARC yacht whose lighting system had the on watch crew thoroughly confused – they thought that it was a pirate ship – as if in the middle of the ocean.

After a light spell this morning we are now bowling along under a spinnaker which may be (fingers crossed) the start of the trade winds. To find them we are at 14:47 degrees North, some 5 degrees or 300 miles further South than would be needed in more normal years.

More rain today allowed a second shower when one of our number (the eldest) was described as looking like Golom, that is old and wrinkly. Again not a pretty sight but made the rest of us feel pretty good. This shower also allowed Bob to practice the art of rain water catching with a tarpaulin. According to him he lectures regularly on the subject of mid Atlantic survival and water catching although you would not know it. His efforts yielded a pint after 20 minutes of torrential rain. Still we managed to wash a sheet in it. Well done Bob.

That’s all from me as I am due on watch soon. Our watch system is 4 hours on, 6 off with 2 on watch at all times. Watch changes take place every 2 hours. We act as crew for the first 2 hours on watch and helm for the second 2. I hope you have understood all that. I am still getting to grips with it after 11 days.

Regards

The Owner