A quiet night and a quieter morning

Tuna fish cakes and curried banana and pear was a highlight last night

This morning eggs bacon and beans followed by mango juice and grape jelly

We are definitely eating better as the seas become calmer- people are volunteering themselves into the galley with greater enthusiasm...

This morning we spent a while rigging the gennaker only to find it had a split in it so back down and away for the time being. Now we are motor sailing for the first time since day 1.

A thin sun is endeavering to break through the grey dome of cloud that has covered us all night blanketing out any moon or stars. It does feel warmer so we are down to only 3 layers!

We have decided to head direct for Start Point then into Dartmouth so will not lose time by calling in at the Scillies. Thus Monday evening or Tuesday morning are looking to be likely possible ETAs. The forecast is for mostly gentle N- NW breezes with a brief 9 we hope head breeze tomorrow morning if we do not head north enough.

Cara is winning the most enthusiastic crew award at present as she has clocked on for duty an hour early on 4 occasions so far. Either that or she can’t tell the time when she checks her watch in the middle of the night. Once in the cockpit it seems not to be worth going back down below to undress and then dress again an hour later so we benefit from her company for a full 5 hour watch, which is of course always a delight...

Spotted a solitary light on the horizon last night which may well have been the uncommunicative other yacht that must be heading into the English Channel. Now we are off the Bay of Biscay and the west coast of France but The Scillies is our nearest landfall, being now only some 320 M NE of us. Start Point is 409M away. We have been recalling the (other) famous sailors who must have sailed these waters heading for the Western Approaches- Drake of course and our Dart Valley living Walter Raleigh of course- would he have brought that pesky pack of 5 woodbine fags back with him from the Americas if he had known what trouble they would cause? Or maybe the government would have encouraged him anyway for the revenue. The spuds were nice though so he wasn’t all bad. Nelson of course would have done this trip a few times I guess having sailed to the Caribbean for his hols or was it to dust up the French and the Spanish?  

All well and good progress- Cottage Pie tonight and Sunday roast tomorrow

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