So here we are, exactly 2 weeks in and the trade winds have finally filled in and are whisking us across the atlantic in a near direct course to St Lucia!

We have an easterly force 5 and are making a solid 10 Knots + VMG.... At long last! So all is well on the sailing front. The gennaker has been fixed as best we can and is ready for her next outing should the wind back again, but if I'm honest, I don't see it happening. If anything I think the wind will veer slightly and return to its current course repeatedly if it's going to do anything. It is however quite variable which makes holding a steady spinnaker very tricky indeed.... In fact you might say its infuriating, especially in the middle of the night when you can't see it. Grr!

Anyway, good ground is being made, but will we make it for my Birthday?? Maybe just as the pubs shut at this rate. I think we will probably arrive late on 8th or early on the 9th but either way, terra firma is a matter of days away now, not weeks any more and the bottles of beer rum and wine that go with it are literally hours after that!

So I got to thinking today how surreal life becomes when every day is relatively the same. Somebody mentioned groundhog day the other morning, and it really is like that. Not that its a bad think. In fact I'm a big believer that routine in a yachting sense is what keeps you sane. There is nothing out here but each other, and apart from a few chats during the day, we really only all get together for dinner every evening. Personal space is at a premium and everyone values a bit of alone time just to get your head in order and reset your brain a little bit.

Also, being on a watch system and not getting more than 4-5 hours sleep every day plays its part. Your brain never gets chance to make sense of the days events, digest, process and file them in a useful way. Its just leaves them hanging around in you conscious ready to be mixed up and confused with the next days events. I think this is part of the reason for the groundhog feeling, because apart from writing this blog, which forces my to chronologically order the events, I couldn't tell you what has happened when. It really does just feel like one almighty loooooong day!

Strangely I haven't had one single dream since the first night. I watch the same episodes of alan partridge every night when i go to bed. I never get past around the first 5 minutes and then BANG! I'm awake again for my next watch. One of the guys said arriving in St Lucia would be odd. They said it feels like they've been institutionalised on a boat.

I know what they mean. I am fearful for the first person they see ashore and the first question they ask them is, "Eh, which cabin were you staying in?".... Or the first person they see eating something, they wander straight up and say, "Thats for evening meals, not lunches!"

A few things that I know will stay with them for at least a few days are....
How much electricity and kettle, toaster and dishwasher use.
They'll be conscious of how many times they flush the loo in a day.
They'll be taking shorter showers.
The won't be leaving nice Global knives in the sink to rust.
They'll wander round in the dark at night so as not to ruin their night vision.
They will unplug phone and laptop chargers when they aren't being used.
And finally, as you may have guessed from the above, they won't be sad to see the back of me;-)

Love to all from all aboard
The crew of Lady Boy Bob! (spelling is hard when you're tired;-)



PS. Just a quick note, we went another hour back last night, so we are now 3 hours behind the UK and 4 behind France.