Position           20:28.03N 021:45.58W

Date                2359 UTC Thursday 25 November 2010

What price north east trades?  The day started with light winds from the North West that gradually filled in during the day so that by dusk we had a reasonable 12 knots true which allowed hourly runs of about 7.5 nm. 

The 1400 radio schedule provided some useful opinions from those who are familiar with this route and as a result I have plotted a waypoint 50nm to the North West point of the Cape Verde archipelago which we are currently able to lay comfortably.  This will allow us the option of turning west at that point or if necessary continuing SW to avoid the depression that is forecast to form to our north west.

I tried bread making this afternoon. I would like to be able to report a success but that was not the case and I am not sure what went wrong.  It may have been the fact that just as I started the wind picked up and bread does not like being bounced around.  Suffice it to say that if any ARC yacht reports hitting a semi-submerged object it may well be my LOB (Loaf over board).

Catering is following the ripening of fruit and veg.  We currently are facing a glut of ripening avocados.  Lunch was therefore very pleasant crab and avocado tortilla wraps with salad.  Our bananas are sitting there looking smugly green and refusing to play, no doubt waiting to make a full frontal yellow attack when we least expect it.  Dinner was an excellent chicken korma curry complete with freshly cooked pappadums.

The moon by the natural progression of things is rising later each day so up to midnight we are plunging along into darkness.  We can see the lights of at least five other yachts, they being easier to see in the dark than during daylight as most yachts now carry their sailing navigation lights at the mast head. Just after midnight we overhauled one of the lights and passed some 200m away without knowing who they were; real “Ships that pass in the night”. It definitely helps break any monotony during a night watch.