2000 Monday 17th Day 8

We played “where the whiff” for another two days – it was indeed a passenger and a well hidden one at that. A squid, no less, had somehow managed to get on to the top of the coach roof and conceal itself on the coaming round the port saloon hatch. And then expired. Day time temperature 28 degrees plus sunshine. At least three days old. Pooh! Talking of passengers, does anyone know what a kind of cricket approximately 4 inches long and 2 inches high at the withers could be? Giant Locust? 1000 miles from Africa? Madeleine met it in the cockpit. Told it not to come inside. It came inside. She then photographed it, moved it from the saloon to  a shelf outside the cockpit and then took it some water (What!) but worryingly, it had disappeared. But where? Glad I was in my bunk! It’s not that I’m squeamish; I’m just easily frightened.

 

2300 Tuesday 18th Day 9

A very slow, grey, cloudy day. Little wind. After much re-rigging we had the Cruising Chute up but not enough wind even to keep that flying. But what a great sight in the middle of nowhere and amusing to see the boat speed exceed the wind speed from time to time. Gave up the unequal struggle and motored for a while. Weather forecast suggests better conditions tomorrow. Clock back 1 hour today so now 2 hours behind GMT.

 

2000 Wednesday 19th Day 10

And what a beautiful day it has been; sunshine and sailing breeze. Not much to report. we are tacking down wind in roughly 50 mile sections so our track is a big zig zag on the chart. Slow going but more comfortable than running dead down wind not least because the wind direction swings over 30 degrees or so. However, we are now about 60 miles south of our “preferred track” so hoping to make this back tomorrow when the wind should move into the South for a while. Mind you that forecast is now nearly three days old, so we’ll pull down a fresh one tomorrow. Our forecasts are from Grib US and so far have proved to be remarkably accurate computer predictions. Perhaps this is because there are no land effects to mess up the model. Yes folks, out here we have the purest weather in the world – 24/7!