CELEBRATION
Flinns
Terry/ Nicola Flinn
Thu 7 Dec 2006 12:06
|
19:03.000N 38:00.000W
Thursday 7th December; Day12.
At 6am local time, we passed a significant milestone on our ARC voyage: we
were half way to St Lucia, 1363 miles completed, 1363 miles to go.We had "Half
way There" by Bon Jovi blasting from the stereo as well as several other songs
with half way in the title.
So it's party time, and tonight we're holding a garden party to which
everyone is invited for BBQ steak and jacket potatoes. Dress swimming costumes
and flip-flops, bring your own drink, especially water, but
unfortunately we can't put you up overnight as accommodation is a bit
limited.
The fun-meter is still stuck near 'high' especially as the skipper approved
a very quick shower on Day 9 and we enjoyed an extended visit from a Whale on
Day10. It was Eric who spotted it first, about 20 feet away, swimming
parallel to us.
It was a lovely, sunny morning, we're doing 6 knots with 25 knots of wind
right behind us and a really big rolling sea.
We all dived for our cameras, thinking that as per normal, the whale would
quickly disappear. But no, there it was again, right behind us, staying very
close to our towed generator - oh dear, hope it's not hungry!
After a few minutes, it moved out to our starboard and made a pass right
under the boat, rolling onto its side, displaying the white colour on its
pectoral flippers. It's a Minke Whale, about 10 metres in length and it
occasionally lifts its head and snout out of the water.
Again and again it swims under the boat - oh dear, hope it's just
inquisitive and not frisky!
It stayed with us for about 15 minutes, took a 10 minute break and then
came back for another visit.
To see the whole body of the whale, suspended inside a big wave, backlit by
the sun, was a truly unforgettable experience.
We've used up half the water in our
tanks and we're getting a bit short of coffee and bottled water.
The fruit has lasted pretty well and the sliced loaves are still fresh, much
longer than we anticipated, so we haven't had to start baking our own yet.
Fishing has been put on temporary hold because the full moon means that the
fish aren't biting. However, as we have moved into more tropical waters, we find
3 or 4 flying fish lying on our decks each morning, but we haven't tried to cook
them yet.
Things are going well on board and despite the large swell and Force 6
winds on our tail, we're all well rested and still talking to each
other! |