Fw: 25:12.90N 18:29.20W

Gaudeo
John and Prue Quayle / John Quayle
Mon 19 Nov 2007 07:47
Famous last words: after boasting about spanking reaches and the like yesterday, we soon became headed and becalmed so our old friend, "iron sail",  was again put to work. Before then however, we had covered 139 miles over the first 24 hours.
 
Pleasantly warm conditions and the smooth sea allowed everyone to laze about reading, sleeping, fixing things, washing clothes etc. such is stress of on board life. This year`s installation of an efficient water maker means that water which was previously a precious resource may now be used more liberally with the result that Gaudeo has never had such a well turned out crew.
 
Weather forecasts obtained via satellite phone suggest that it will be another 2-3 days before the wind turns in our favour, thus with such extensive use of the engine, thoughts turn towards a possible refuelling stop in the Cape Verde Islands - rather a nice prospect.
 
Happy hour last night produced a number of confessions: JS mistook a cloud bank for the Great Orme; JL who has a reputation in matters oenological had asked for " vino rosso" instead of "vino tinto" in a Tenerife restaurant, a detail which may bewilder you dear blog reader, as it did his shipmates; masterchef, JS, apologised for what the crew considered to be a faultless and superb creation-  special chicken burgers with two varieties of mojo sauce (red and green pepper based ), haricot beans and Canary potatoes (papas) which according to gourmet standard were prepared in boiling sea water.
 
Previous accounts referred to night watch attire which may have perplexed some as to sanity on board Gaudeo - remember the khaki shorts worn over stylishly tailored olive green thermal trousers, modelled by RB and clashing with his dark purple "Crock" footwear. Following registration at fashion patents offices, it may now be revealed that far from being an aberration of latter day Donald Crowhurst behaviour, this is a thoroughly functional outfit. Amongst the many essential items he carries in the bulging pockets of the khakii shorts are: a torch; a Leatherman multitool; camera; personal EPIRB; hand held GPS; list of emergency telephone numbers - I am not at liberty to divulge other details.
 
Given that there is little need for on deck games at present, some members of the crew have enrolled on a foundation course in astronavigation offered by JL. In the first lesson they learnt that Jupiter is a planet and that Venus is the early morning star - such stellar progress guarantees proficiency after a circumnavigation, but what does one expect from a course which is free and when the students are only a day behind their tutor`s self learning.