ARC DIARY DAY 8 - DECEMBER 3RD 2007
Ladyliv
Tue 4 Dec 2007 00:56
Lady Liv and her intrepid crew find themselves on this day at 21:55N and
31:18W after a 24 hour run of 132nm. We are some 1724 nm from St. Lucia.
The crew are all healthy and in good spirits enjoying the fantastic trade
wind sailing.
Wow, what a day! After the Lord Mayor's Show ......diaster strikes!
Whilst resetting the rigging to alter course, a freak gust of wind catches
Capt. Bob and his wily crew off guard and in the twinkling of an eye the
spinnaker pole was no more.
The crew were gathered together to come up with a solution. A minute
search of the entire boat, for some means of repairing the damage,
produced two table legs, several plastic bottles and a roll of sticky back
plastic. We now all have our Blue Peter badges but could not manage an
effective repair to the pole. And so it was with deep regret and a tear in
his eye, that Capt Bob, with his crew at attention beside him on deck,
jettisoned the said pole to a watery grave. Photos of the tragic ceremony
are available on the ARC website, signed originals can be obtained for a
small fee.
Following the sad event a period of reflective calm befell Lady Liv. The
wind dropped. The magnificient Atlantic fell silent. It was as if there
was a greater hand a work.
Capt. Bob, once again, gathered his crew. Out came the charts, the
compasses, the GPS units, ipods, gameboys and other battery operated
devices, which we wont elaborate on yet. The combined brains of the
Captain, rig-tweaker Dave, greybeard Brian the navigator, the odd whisper
from Mike Smith were assembled. A sea shanty from Goldilocks and a well
earned round of tea and ginger nuts from Email helped oil the wheels and a
plan was hatched. Some of the more observant will have noticed that Doc
has no mention here - he was busy, quietly contemplating in his usual
position on the poop deck.
And there the drama ends, slowly but surely Lady Liv began to pick up the
pace. The elements responded and once again we were speeding towards the
Caribbean .... I love it when a plan comes together.
Todays log would not be complete without a mention of the long and lonely
nights on board. During these periods, there remains an unsolved mystery.
The common concensus is that during these periods, raiders are secretly,
stealthily boarding Lady Liv and pillaging the stores and provisions. They
seem to particularly enjoy cornflakes and chocolate - these items are
running out at an alarming rate. Fortunately, however, they seem not to
have a taste for alcohol, so if all else fails, we should have plenty to
live on.
There are other mysteries shrouded in the mirky twilight hours ........
perhaps another day!