Wednesday  Nov 16th ……   Still on passage to Barbados 14 34.21N 54 12.43W

Today’s blog by David

We like sailing under skies like this:

…… these are ”Trade Wind Skies” – what we all signed up for.

We have spent 10 days trying to navigate around the north of a bunch of weather tracking across the Atlantic. We had been heading up on starboard gybe for some days to keep out of its way but as the wind veered we realised  were getting closer to Bermuda than we were to Barbados and so had to gybe onto port about 24 hours ahead of plan.  

When we gybed, the foredeck crew had to learn to ‘drive on the left’ -  having been driving on the right for 10 days.  The process of gybing seemed to take for ever. Here Richard is just ‘hanging out’ while someone takes a decision ….

Eventually the wind got so light that we decided to raise the spinnaker. This too we had to do the “other way round” with varying degrees of enthusiasm. William at his most enthusiastic paid for it with a rope burn ……. but was ministered to by Nurse Caukill (sic) who created a special set of ‘Peter and Paul’ fingers:  

We had a lively night. We delayed a sail change too long and ended up (trying to) take down a spinnaker in too much wind – pretty damn near broaching (this made for an entertaining spectacle for any mermaid by-standers) and throwing Keith broadside across the cabin. Fortunately no-one was hurt  but during the fracas David is “Certain” (Simone knows what that’s means) that “something” went over the side.   A complete roll call and inventory of important bits this morning has not identified the missing object.  (The question is not “Where did you last have it?”, but “What did you last have?”.  Alas, “No-one knows, tiddly-pom.”)

This morning it is raining….….

Having turned a day earlier than planned we are now ducking in and out of the weather – trying to do the best course we can (presently we are on the way back to Bermuda) – and trying not to get too wet!!  

Fortunately, from the radar outlook, it appears that God may on our side – there is hope of a dry journey through the watery wilderness that is the Atlantic Ocean! *

(Errrr ..  Who is that who is looking for a DRY journey? Ed.)

Meanwhile ……………….. the crew have been getting to know each other a little better:

Hmmmmmm…

Note:

*     Actually, the ‘road’ through the rain shower (for that is what you are looking at) is a shadow caused by the forestay blocking out the radar’s view.