Thursday, 16 February 2012

DAY 23

Position: 13:42.64N 56:36.18W

Great excitement from the crew today! - not one but TWO red billed Tropicbirds in close formation round the boat…and squawking at Alfie as they flew past. He thought it was Archie at first, doing his cockerel bit but it wasn’t.

Then it was lunchtime and a decision was made to do a rerun of the Tesco’s Broccoli and Stilton soup with croutons, this time without spilling it all. Success! …by dint of not letting go of the mugs for one second.

As it’s been a tootling along sort of day with lighter winds, another decision was made to replace the signal halyard that had parted. This is where the courteousy flag for the nation being visited is flown - from the starboard crosstree. To arrive not flying it would be viewed as highly discourteous, but how to get a new halyard (rope) up to the crosstrees? The obvious answer is to go up the mast, but with the rolling going on, and age of the likely candidate, this was not too enthusiastically welcomed. So a second plan was unveiled - lob a weighted line up over the crosstree from the deck. And to do it, the handy bagged throwing line with weighted end was to be utilised - why not?! With the Skipper hanging on to the boom with one arm, and swinging the heaving line with the other, Alfie watched despairingly as Skip lobbed it over everything else but the crosstree on the correct side time after time. Being impeccably polite, Alfie said nothing. But finally, with a whoop, it was over and the Skipper burst out singing ‘Wild West Hero’ by ELO. So now, proudly, a brand new flag flies ready for Barbados Customs and Immigration Dept’s sceptical eye.

Then it was Teatime, and there being so many eggs left over it was omelettes or else. At 30 degrees in the cabin, Skipper had to go outside to cool off for a bit..and there spotted a big black squall coming up from behind, slightly to our south. But its passed harmlessly to the south now, so no showers for us. Nightime is here, and the watch system will shortly start - our penultimate if things go well.

Numbers: 138nm yesterday Wednesday 15 Feb.

100nm so far today, as of 1800.

184nm to run to Bridgetown, Barbados.