Day 25, 15.03.2015

Gryphon II is storming across the mighty main at 7-8 knots with goose-winged sails and a fine following wind of 14+ knots. The wind was very strong during the night and we had to bend our course as the current tried to push us east further out into the Atlantic swells.

The last few days have logged in either side of 150 miles which pleases us no end as Trinidad feels nearer and nearer. We have about 210 miles to a nice marina berth that we booked by email yesterday. We also have a sail maker ready to come and visit us. It is the same company that put a new sun-strip on our genoa when we were in South Africa; the work was good and they were efficient so we are pleased to have found them in Trinidad. Oh the joy of modern communications; if this had been our first Atlantic crossing in 1981 then all arrangements would have had to wait until we arrived. All those years back, arriving in Barbados after crossing the Atlantic, we had to go to the Cable and Wireless Office and queue up to book a phone booth to let our parents know we had arrived safely.

As it is we shall have to be in and around Trinidad for about 4 weeks whilst the sail is made but we shall also be able to visit Tobago. The rip in the mainsail, which has held out nicely with a running repair, finally put paid to our going to French Guyana but we are not much bothered by that as it has been a long haul from Cape Town which we left on 7^th January and is currently 5,528 miles back. There have been some very enjoyable stops along the way so we shall be very happy to avail ourselves of marina services, clean up the boat (salty thing) and experience some flat water.

We still consider Grenada as the end of our circumnavigation but that will have to wait. In the meantime, Trinidad here we come!