Penultimate Day
Position: 14:19.400N 58:30.034W Very squally night, wind shifting 90 degrees
regularly and for a while we were sailing in circles to stay ahead of it. Each
time we made a sail change it was time to undo it again. Eventually we decided
to motor out of that zone as it was very demoralising especially when the hours
on the Time To Go clock are increasing instead of decreasing. The night was quite
wet and the showers were heavy, the full moon disappearing behind heavy black
cloud at regular intervals. We can track these squalls on the radar to see
which ones are on collision course. Some of them were travelling at speeds in
excess of fifty miles per hour. This was the most rain we have had on the trip. Its time to refrigerate the champagne, we are getting
very close to the finish line now, 142 miles from the north west coast of St
Lucia, then a couple of miles further to the south lies the finish line. I am
not sure I am ready for it to end just yet. Time has passed so quickly, I am
just getting the hang of the sextant, still have plenty of reading material and
plenty of music on the iPod has not yet been played on my random setting. The
only things making me yearn for land is the fact that we ran out of tomatoes
yesterday and a cold beer would be nice after more than three weeks. We should make it by Sunday Mass which brings me
great relief as the prospect of my saying another one on board, writing the
sermon and baking the unleavened bread does not fill me with joy. Tom and
Jeanot expect the Mass in Latin also which puts a little added pressure on me.
The last supper tonight. We have been unshod also for all of that time apart from
on brief forays up the foredeck for digital protection. While on the subject of
shoes I read an interesting quote yesterday: Never judge a man until you have
walked a mile in his shoes. Then at least you will be a mile away and you will
have his shoes. We have reached the biggest milestone yet, the crease
on our Atlantic chart, far from the lump in the sea we expected, as we crossed,
it was marked by a deep valley of water. I can only deduce from this that our
chart had been folded incorrectly. Sleep has become deeper and deeper for all of us
throughout the passage, specialist tactics are now required to awaken both
Jeanot and I. Normally I am awake as soon as someone even considers waking me. We saw a plane today which caused much excitement as
it is the first in two weeks. The issues facing us now are: 1. Which way up to we fly the St. Lucian courtesy
flag 2. On the customs declaration do I put Tom down under
crew or livestock? 3. Do we drink the gin in the hold to save us
declaring it? The only thing rhyming with Cerys Is an English word called terrace Out under these skies We now realise We should have called her “Furled Boozing
Pub” (it rhymes with World Cruising Club, ARC organisers) |