14:04.78N 41:59.41W
Lbb
Fri 3 Dec 2010 14:48
Anyway, busy morning! we have had the mainsail down a number of times to trim the No.2 baton to give a nicer more rounded shape to the mainsail. All done now and it looks beautiful! I also think it may have increased our useable sail area by around 8m squared.... geek talk aside, we should have more speed in lighter winds now...... hopefully!
Apart from all the fixing, tinkering and mending, which we do on a daily basis to pass the time when it's calm, the boat is also like a floating gym! For those of you who know us personally, it will be no surprise that we are carrying with us, a treadmill, an exercise bike, 1 set of fixed dumb bells, (1kg, 2kg, 3kg, 4kg & 5kg), a set of free weight dumb bells up to 12kg each, a gym ball, press up/chin up bar, power bands etc etc etc.... I'm pleased to say, they all get used every day. I don't know about the rest of them, but I'm averaging 400 press ups and 1500 sit ups a day.
So although we are going to arrive in St. Lucia just in time for the crew to get on a flight and go home again, at least they'll all be brown and toned for christmas!!!!!
I hear the weather in the UK is disastrous??? 1m snow, freezing cold, airports and trains grinding to a halt! Its pretty much the same story here at 14 deg (800 miles) north of the equator! Its pretty parky! and the rain never stops, in fact we had snow and hail this morning! . . . I am of course lying! It's around 35 degrees C and the sun is sooooooo strong! We all got caught out yesterday by it and got a little bit burned! Andy applied sun cream so badly (thick in some stripes and none in others) he looks a little like a sun burnt zebra. The rest of us, as we are rock hard, didn't wear sun cream so at least we just look like we accidentally fell into the sun!
I'm kidding, it's not that bad.....I can almost hear my mum and all the other mums, wives and girlfriends tutting their disapproval! You'll be pleased to hear we have all applied suncream today! So if we don't wash again, we should now be ok until we get to St Lucia!;-)
I have a foreboding feeling that we may arrive the day after my birthday, which means no drinks, no cake, no candles, just me and a bunch of red people bobbing around in the ocean! Oh well, i'll have to eat twice as much christmas cake this year!
No dolphins, whales, fish or other boats for many days now! Just us and a whole heap of water so not much more to tell you today really.
Love to all from all aboard
Team LBB
Oh yes, one more thing! All the guys are now flying solo on their watches! Myself and Robert have moved ourselves out of their watches and now we just check on them every now and again (or when you hear so much as a creak from a winch on deck;-) So proud of our little crew coming of age!
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Bruce is enjoying some EM waves! Love to family and friends