Christine's Atlantic Circuit
Peter Lansdale
Sat 26 May 2018 15:15
46:42.5N 022:16.3W
 
Just as in life, when you can be sure of death and taxes, in long passage making you can be sure of calm patches, and boy are we having one now! It could last several days, when did someone swap all the lows that should be coming through for high pressure systems?! This is frustrating at the best of times, but when you cannot help but start to anticipate your arrival (see Lynn's blog yesterday) it seems doubly so. I just hope we are paying our dues now, and will not have calms (or gales come to that) when we get close to the channel.
 
However the conditions are not without their compensations, the fact that for the time being, just to make progress, we have decided to burn some diesel, means that we can have a hot shower. Readers of a more sensitive disposition will be pleased to know that is one each! (actually if there was only one, judging by some of the comments, i would being frog marched into it. In addition Manuela continues to be delighted by the sighting of any whales (actually the rest of us enjoy seeing them as well but Manuela is extra enthusiastic).  Sometimes it feels like we are in "Moby Dick" re-make as the cry of "there she blows!" goes up. The light conditions mean we can spot the whales even easier and further away as our view is unencumbered by swell or waves. There has been some catching up on sleep, and my personal favourite, skipper has been baking again;the results are truly impressive and inspiring- I think i have picked up some useful tips on the baking as well as on the sailing. 
 
 
So let's do the prediction of ETA thing, just for fun, the management accepts no responsibility etc. So in the voice and tone of an by election returning officer:
 
Ian (pessimistic candidate) 3rd June afternoon
Lynn ("please not another week" candidate) 2nd june afternoon
Manuela ("what do mean we will be later!" candidate) 31st May evening
Peter ("well that is only 150 mile days" candidate) 1st June afternoon
 
We shall see who gets the closest, but whoever that is, I for one will be buying the others a drink, as it has been a brilliant experience and they have been such great crewmates (ok guys you can let my arm down my back now,  please!)