(Blog No.35) 1/2 way today!

Catou
Paul and Sylvie Tucker
Sun 5 Dec 2010 13:46
15:48.83N  33:28.41W
 
Sunday 5th December.(Day 14)
Noon Position:                  15 deg 49'N   33 deg 28'W
Daily Run:                         114'                    
Average Speed:                 4.75 Knots (20.4 hours of motoring during last 24 hours)
Total Average Speed:        4.59 Knots
Total Distance Covered:   1545'
Distance to go:                 1598'
No. of motoring hours:     56.9 hours
 
Quote for the day:  "Culture is like jam.  The less you have, the more you spread it!" (Sylvie's Mum).
 
We have added over 300 miles to the route by heading south. (So have most boats I think), so the 1/2-way mark will be passed today!  There is a bottle of champagne in the fridge ready to celebrate.  Lets hope the 2nd half of the crossing is less frustrated by the wind!
 
And still we are awaiting the Trade winds - but they are starting this morning!  Sorry to keep going on about these winds - but it is the big issue out here!  Yesterday we received an updated overall weather situation report from ARC HQ weather man assuring us this time that they really are coming and will be establishing themselves on Sunday/Monday. 'Hold on... be patient... no need to get more frustrated' etc etc... he tells us all.   We had decided to motor for 24 hours (using up valuable fuel of course) and have been urged to head further south still (you will note yet another large kink in our course line over the last day).  We are heading SW to latitude 15deg 30'N which is much further south than is normally needed. Apparently the boats further west and south have already picked up the trades - only we boats further north still hunting for them!  We have been downloading the GRIB forecasts from US and they have been agreeing with ARC info as well.
 
Hasn't been a lot to tell you over last 24 hours.  Domestic day on Saturday.  It was Dhobi day for Sylvie and I, so a special dispensation had to be granted to use about 20 - 25 litres of water.  Catou looked like a laundry with all our clothes hanging along a rope strung fore-aft  in the rigging along the starboard side.  We had to string it up, since there is so much salt on everything on deck from the spray. We also cleaned ship again, taking advantage of the calm weather. 
 
All Saturday the water was like glass - hardly a ripple. 
 
We miss the moon!  When we left Las Palmas, a full moon rose each evening, and we had glorious moonlit nights for about 8 or 9 nights, but it has waned and we haven't seen it for some nights. Last night the sea was so flat that each of the brighter stars had their own reflection in the water - looked very pretty, but doesn't help us get to St. Lucia.
 
Big event for Saturday - a three masted sail cruising ship suddenly appeared from the east. Almost on a direct collision course with us (hadn't seen anything for days, and then when you do, it's on a collision course). I called them up on the VHF and we had a chat.  They were bound for Antigua with cruise passengers on board. She was called Sea Cloud ll.  They couldn't set their square rigged sails either without the Trade winds.
 
We swam (well- had our usual drag behind the boat at about 6pm!).  We found a bottle of rum in the liquor locker, so Ben & I had a rum & Coke for a change. Wow! the stuff was strong - I slept like a baby after my watch.
 
Sylvie's finger is still hurting.  We take the splints off each day and check it.  It must have been fractured we think.  Less swelling but quite bruised, and a little more comfortable in the splint.  Seems to be the best thing to keep in the splint for now so she won't bump it on anything.
 
Eh Oui! Toujours en mer est c'est TRES frustrant!!! On en a au moins pour une autre 14 jours quand on pensait arriver vers le 12 / 15 decembre.
Les conditions sont exceptionnelles cette annee. Pas ou trop de vent ou bien dans la mauvaise direction.
 
Mes doigts sont un peu mieux (je me suis prise les doigts entre le cordage et l'arche. Une chance que je n'ai pas ete coince entre les poullies!!!) , mais je suis certaine que mon annulaire droit a une jointure cassee. Je me suis faite une 'bequille' avec des bouts de bois. L'enflure est moindre mais c'est tres bleu et disons tres sensible. Mon majeur a perdu des bouts de peau mais est seulement abime. Cela ne m'empeche pas de faire mes gardes mais laver la vaisselle et  cuisiner s'averent un bon defi.
 
Nous atteindrons mi-chemin cet apres-midi. La bouteille de champagne est deja dans le frigo!
 
On nous predit du vent a partir de cet apres-midi. Les emotions que nous vivons sont extremes: joie intense suivie de grands decouragements.Mais tout cela est normal quand on est a  la merci des elements. En general, notre moral tient le coup et nous trouvons le temps de rire et de se compter des blagues.
 
Je vous laisse en pensant  tres souvent a vous tous. Le temps est beau et le froid et la neige que les anglais ont en ce moment ne me manquent pas du tout!!!
 
Grosses bises des Tropiques.  
 
Hopefully, tomorrow we will be much happier bunnies and be hurtling along westwards towards St. Lucia eating up the miles.  Best wishes Paul, Sylvie and Ben.