Tuesday, 10 Dec. 14.47.96N 55.50.75W

Alcedo
David Batten
Tue 10 Dec 2013 21:40
Last night was a very disturbed night for all, particularly David B. The wind went up and down like a yo yo, varying from a reasonable 17/18 knots to 35+ with the worst variation being 12 to 37 knots, on Jane's watch of course. So it was roll up headsails, unroll headsails, roll up, unroll with a big sea throwing the boat around so everyone trying to sleep was having an equally frantic roll around in their berths. There were squalls with rain as well to add to everyone's delight, so it was open hatches, close hatches, open hatches, close hatches as well as hanging onto whichever side of one's berth one could. These trade winds have not finished with us yet.

Today has been much better, with the last squall over by breakfast and a lovely sunny day since. Venetia did have such a hairy time over her lunch time watch that she did not put on "no hands Hans" and had to have lunch after the watch. She did manage a couple of truffle chocolates fed to her by Jane to keep the wolf from the door.

All was going well this afternoon, with Jane having a record breaking watch of 19.5 miles with the boat steady and the wind consistent. Sally was hoping to do the same, but a loud bang as the sail tie holding the genoa sheet block onto the starboard aft cleat gave way which put paid to another record. Rather remarkably, although the sheet bent the pushpit, nothing else gave way and the sails were rolled up very quickly to allow David to fix up a replacement of a stronger combination of sail tie and dyneema. So we are on our way again and with less than 300 miles to the waypoint off Pigeon Island, we are hoping for the best and arrival sometime on Thursday.

Alcedo

Sent from my iPad