It’s great to get feedback on the blog from the support crew back home (that’s you lot). Jackie (Mymax) in her capacity as the official astrologist for Cape’s crew has informed us that the reason we are determined to carry on with shi**y passages is that Mercury is retrograde in Uranus for us. I’m not sure if that is a horoscope, horror-scope or compliment. Either that, she says, or it is the anticipation of warm waters and gorgeous wine (in Northern Spain that is, not the bilges) that is pulling us through. As Jackie also points out, however, such seas are probably the best way to find all those annoying little leaks (as well as the ones that threaten to sink the boat) before we test out the Atlantic – or even Biscay for that matter. Lawrence and David are fibreglassing every hole they can find now, so it’s not a good idea to stand around on deck for too long… I was wondering whether it would be worth investing in a couple of packs of Pampers for emergencies – I could jam them into awkward little places to mop up leaks on the next passage…

Wednesday was haircut day for David, Lawrence and Bryn – bareback on the pontoon (force 4–5, sea state slight, visibility good, showers later). Bryn’s mohican had definitely passed its sell-by date, and had migrated off to one side. Unfortunately, the rest of his head has got nicely toasted, so he now has a white streak down the (almost) centreline of his head and answers to Bryn the Badger…

Bryn the Badger…

Here at the Royal Cork, the Royal Mullet are a bit more streetwise than the Welsh mullet in Neyland and Lawrence isn’t finding it quite so easy to score. He got spear gun kickback from one Royal Mullet (Lawrence’s nose 0: mullet 1) earlier in the week, but he did manage to spear one for Royal Mullet Curry on Thursday night (bringing the score to Lawrence 7: mullet 1). There is also the fact that our berth can be seen from the Royal Clubhouse, and we don’t want to get told off by the Admiral for fishing off the Royal Pontoons – not when the Royal we would like to stay a bit longer anyway. I have to say though, Salve Marine (next door) has a super-yacht in residence (the blue hull) with a mast so big that it wouldn’t fit into the photo…

Mast envy…this one’s for you, Mick!

I continue to trot to the pub every morning to log on, read journal articles, try to access MedLine (database of medical articles) and work – honest. There’s a charming old bloke and me waiting for the pub doors to open at 10:30. He has a double Jameson’s and dry ginger and I have a coffee (with one of those nice little Italian biscuits…). He shakes while he reads his paper, and I read papers and shake silently as I laugh at what it must look like from the outside…

We heard from Cape’s PR agent – Amy in Swansea. She sent us the team photo and asked if we were ready to return the models and the waiter.

The babes on the bow team photo.

I must admit it’s been pretty squished in here with all those babes and the guy in the penguin suit, so we’ve decided to send them back – they didn’t pass the bailing-with-baby-bucket part of the RYA Competent Crew practical anyway…