24:05.3N 61:58.6W

Day’s run to midday 6 miles in calm sea, little or no wind. But current conditions are much improved, with Neroli under sail again making 3 to 4 knots in a 8 to 9 knot breeze.

Despite the frustration of being becalmed, we managed to get plenty done and to greatly enjoy the day. Highlights included Champagne, smoked salmon and foie gras at sunset – one of Charlie’s planned surprises. Then we enjoyed an evening at the movies, with Neroli’s sound system blasting at high volume as we watched Concert for George – the George Harrison memorial concert from the Albert Hall in 2002. It ended with Joe Brown (complete with ukelele) singing “I’ll see you in my dreams” and of course we thought and talked of another George and his delight in that instrument and that song.

Picture this: a calm tropical sea; Venus so bright that there was a reflection along the water – only usually seen with the moon; no other vessels within dozens of miles; and we’re gathered to share great rock music from the 70’s, along with another component of Charlie’s birthday celebration – gluten-free brownies complete with candles.

We passed a frustrating night with a few wafts of breeze, though none sufficient to coax Neroli into serious movement. Motoring isn’t really an option because although we aren’t trying specifically to maintain the purity of a sails-only crossing, we can’t afford to burn fuel now in case we need it for the final few hundred miles into the Azores.

But around 10:00am a breeze sprang up, lethargy gave way to energy, and we were soon making a gentle 4 knots. We’ve sustained that and it feels great.

One important item to report: after several days of trying, we are now listening to Herb Hilgenberg over Single Side Band (SSB) radio. Herb lives in Canada and for many years has been running a free one-man weather forecasting service for sailors in the North Atlantic. He pulls in forecast information from every conceivable source and every day his current “clients” call in, report their position and intentions, and receive his bespoke guidance on weather systems and wind. We can obtain forecasts over the web via our satellite dial-up, but given the slow data transfer it’s very limited: Herb does a great job and is a legend among those who sail in these waters.

We’re one of perhaps 20 boats currently on his list and the process takes a couple of hours – everyone listens to the whole series of conversations so that they can build up a complete picture. SSB depends on bouncing the radio waves off the ionosphere and is by no means a certain or easy form of communication. But it’s the only way to reach Herb and for him to reach us. Allan is acting as the radio operator and tomorrow we expect to get our first Neroli-specific forecast and route advice.