Day 24

Sadie
Mon 16 Dec 2013 17:32
16:32.326n 52:05.674w
 
 
Distance to Antigua     566 miles
 
Distance Run today     144 miles
 
Course  300
 
Speed 5.8 kts
 
 
Sailing update 
 
20 knots and all's well on Sadie. 
 
We are taking advantage of the reduced wave height and the fact that we have rolling waves rather than a vertical face of angry water heading towards us to take a more northerly course slightly across the face of the wave fronts.  This will help if the wind kicks later as we will be able to keep our stern to them.  In the meantime it's our great circle route and the quickest way to go.
 
It feels more like classic ocean sailing today and things are far more stable.  We can sleep, cook etc without keeping one hand for the ship and the other for yourself. 
 
Domestic 
 
After some criticism of Jez's breadmaking for the last couple of days from Tim, it turns out that the oil goes in the bottom of the saucepan to lubricate things whilst the yeast does it's stuff and the dough rises.  It is apparently not that helpful to spend 5 minutes kneading the oil into the dough as the result will be a fatter crew and "funny looking bread".  
 
Whilst further supervision and training is not required, it should be noted that the bread still looks and tastes all right to 2/3's of the crew.  Even after yesterdays unscheduled seawater addititive !
 
Dave - plans to bottle tuna are off as we are in weather too rough (and in fairness too hot) for experimentation.  Recipe coming home with Tim for use in prep for next voyage.
 
And we got the last of the water out of the boat this morning from the lockers where it has seeped overnight. 
 
Natural History.
 
4 flying fish collected from the deck this morning but 3 were tiddlers and we had already had a bacon and beans breakfast as we discovered them.  So they went back into the briney.
 
 
Todays responses:
 
Ellis / Richard and others - Tim shares your pain over Spurs and AVB
 
Richard - Great general updates - thanks
 
 
 
 
Sadie