Day 10

Ripples2
Wed 3 Dec 2014 22:26
Really? Day ten?
we are pretty much at the half way stage today, hope you are enjoying my daily blog. After the concerns for the rig yesterday we seem to be OK with everything flying as it should. The wind overnight and this morning is a steady 15 knots. Not as much as we would like as if we get twenty we will save a days passage. The boat pretty much is sailing itself now, pushing us along at seven knots. I only adjusted course once in the wee small hours by a degree or two but was dead on my feet by 4am when I greatfully fell on my bed. It was that feeling you get when you know you should pull over as your eyelids droop. It didn't help that we lost an hour crossing a time zone, ships time is now two hours behind UK.
Sat on the very comfortable foredeck in lovely sunshine eating my morning banana, I swear to god I am turning yellow I've had so many. The dolphins returned briefly as we had not seen any for days. They weren't as entertaining as the ones further east as they were crap bow wave riders, they didn't get the concept at all, they need swimming lessons from the Spanish ones.
Leopard has set a new record for the crossing of eight and a bit days, which has prompted us to hoist our spinnaker at last.it is the first outing for it and we have been waitingfor this calmer sea to try it as if we get it wrong they get in an unholy mess.
So, we eventually unfurl the cruising shute out of its condom like sack and a beautiful lilac sail bursts open, this is gonna be good....except it's not. We got no more speed than we had before and a poorer course, so back in the condom it goes and that's another pounds worth of sweat expended for nought.
The wind has been dying all day, and early evening we have resorted to diesel power. My pina colada is perhaps half a day further away than I expected this morning.


Nick
14:41.7N 33:31.0W