07:38:97S

115:09:21W

I tell you it's Blazing Saddles on this boat at the moment, Andrew produced his stock in trade Hash for dinner involving some cans of baked beans we picked up in Panama - Grillin' Beans….lethal.  I let fly a loud one in the saloon and was so surprised I stepped backwards into the slops bucket and banged my head. No wonder we're all having trouble sailing straight with this kite up. 

We now have good trade winds and have been flying the kite for a couple of days, too exhausted to bother with fishing, getting this sail up and down is too much. 

As we crouch around the radio each day we listen over the crackle to the fleet across the ocean, very WW 2. We report to each other important events like finding the lost kettle whistle, but universally it's the lack of fish.  I think it's all to do with all the plastic in the sea. There's a gyre the size of Wales in the Pacific. We guard our plastic religiously washing, crushing and stowing it in the hopes that it'll find a recycling plant somewhere. 

  

Last night our two guardian angels sailed all night as the kite was being particularly tricky, I wrapped it and Andrew had tennis elbow, pathetic really, so today Harry and Imo got a long sleep  to recover and team Lax took over.   We just hung out in the cockpit, forgetting to do the log and raiding the fridge.  Disgraceful, like school kids when teacher has left the room. It was good though and we managed to clock down the miles between us. Ali and I made bread, the best loaf yet.

The broken sleep does mount up but now we have got past the half way mark the numbers begin to tumble and everyone will re energise. The sailing so far has been fantastic. 

When you come on watch, Hebe kicks up a fuss as you take over the helm, like a spirited horse she immediately begins to bolt off to windward then swerves back again collapsing her kite. It's crazy then she settles down to her new rider and behaves.  We're creeping back up and are satisfyingly ahead of the other Discovery's again and neck and neck with our old rival Alpharatz. Though this, of course, isn't a race its all about the journey….. yeah .. yeah!  

We are now pretty familiar with the other 38 yachts in the fleet and good friends with quite a few, so it's fascinating to learn about the crew juggling and changing in Galapagos….personality clashes that have been festering have a chance to escape before spending 3000 miles together. There were quite a few, made a good topic of gossip and intrigue in our little world. Nothing more fascinating than human nature. 

. . So this is Hebe saying all's well Over and Out Roger Roger. Copy that.