Yesterday was very tiring as we were headed by large waves. The boat was rolling relentlessly and healing as we moved forward as close to the wind as we could on a close reach. We decided to wait with hoisting the Genoa as the boat was constantly ducking and diving and large waves very rolling from the bow of the boat all the way up to the cockpit, and we would have got absolutely soaked. The stay sail that we are using is very good and with the strong wind has been perfect for the task. The repaired Genoa is lying inside and is taking up most of the floor in the main cabin. We avoid stepping on the sail as we move about resulting in us doing a series of acrobatics climbing on sofas and hanging on to rails etc..

Annya and I decided to make pizzas for lunch; perhaps not the best idea as the boat was healing and bouncing all over the place. The pizza topping went all over everything as the pizza took a flight and spread a layer of tomato sauce, “past the sell by date” spicy sausages, onions, parmesan, cheddar cheese and a drizzling of olive oil, all over us and coated the walls and floor of the galley with a slippery mess.   Not to worry, we made several more that remained more or less on the plates and they were rather tasty if I may say so myself - with the help of a glass of red wine.

Eating is a balancing act in these conditions; nothing remains on the table even though we have special anti slip mats.  You must brace yourself and hang on to your plate and drink whilst you eat. One small lack of concentration will result in big mess.  Giancarlo’s glass of wine did take flight and he spent the best of 20 minutes wiping the wine from the newly repaired Genoa.  We now have a slightly pink stained sail.  I think salt is good for removing wine and that we have plenty of so the stain will hopefully disappear.

The wind and waves did subside and by midnight the conditions had settled down to a comfortable motion.  Annya and I take the watch between 2200 and 0100; the moon and the stars provided a magnificent back drop to the sea. We are 2 persons in the cockpit during with the responsibility to keep a lookout and to steer the boat. If the conditions allow, we sit and chat and when it’s very windy the person on the helm is often incommunicado as he/she is concentrating on steering and keeping to the course.  We always wear our lifejackets and are hooked on to strong points in the cockpit.

Last night Annya started screaming and did a little backwards jump as a flying fish flew into the cockpit. The little fish was flapping about and making a lot of notice as he struggled for survival.  I swiftly picked it up and threw him back in to the sea, a very lucky escape for one small fish.  We have frequent visits from flying fish, most of them die as they land on deck during the night and we find them in the morning. Others are discovered several days later as we get a whiff of rotting fish.

When I woke up this morning a pod of dolphins was playing around the boat. Anton was playing his music and they probably came up to check out the noise. 

Liz

Just one little addition to our watch last night, Liz noticed a light in the distance so we checked to see if it was an approaching ship…it was a night rainbow.  I’ve never seen anything like it…exactly like a rainbow, perfectly arching over the sea, but without the colors.  No meteors last night, but we have started to see more animal life and a few more ships passing by.  I’ve put on my bikini in hopes that the sun will shine brightly and warmly today…wishful thinking perhaps, but I do see bits of blue in the distance.  Still missing you all bunches, much love, Annya