15.45.9N 53.06.7W

Boat time 03:20, the graveyard watch.

Mr Kipper (pictured) is our backup generator. He has worked dutifully from the sea-washed aft deck since two days out, when our primary generator failed. Unfortunately, Mr Kipper swallowed one too many mouthfuls of sea water and after a short death rattle breathed his last yesterday, despite earnest intervention by surgeon Tubby (also pictured). The passing of a faithful servant is a sad moment you may think. However, when in good health Mr Kipper droned on noisily and endlessly, and we came to hate the bastard. No love lost then. A burial at sea, without ceremony is being considered.

The astute reader will have noted that we now have no primary or back up generator, i.e. no generator. Power management has become an issue. Did you ever see the film Apollo 13? To put your minds at rest, your resourceful and intrepid crew has temporarily wired the engine’s alternator to the domestic battery bank. We now have the necessary power to do useful things, like navigate. This set up is working well and we are confident it will get us to St Lucia.

Talking of the finish line, we have been narrowly pipped to the post by Capricorna. It was a photo finish, them beating us by a mere 650 miles. Our self esteem remains intact as we gave them a 20 min head start in Las Palmas! Seriously, Capricorna is racing machine which generated much interest and anticipation at the start, and they have proven themselves.

Back in the world of regular boats, we now have 3 consecutive ‘200 miles plus’ days under our belt. This is truly good progress.