Bermuda to Flores, Azores 5 ... just bob-bob-bobbing along

37:35.81N 40:11.41W

19^th  June 2015

423 Miles To The Azores

10,380 Miles from Ramsgate by log.

Day 1               74 miles            (15 hours)

Day 2               115 miles          (Part motoring)

Day 3               141 miles          (All motoring)

Day 4               116 miles          (Part Motoring)

Day 5               161 miles          (All sailing)

Day 6               172 miles          (All sailing)

            Day 7               149 miles          (All sailing)

Day 8               121 miles          (Part Motoring)

Day 9               129 miles          (All sailing)

Day 10             119 miles          (All sailing)

The arrival lottery stands at:

            Paul 21^st AM almost definitely missed

            Norma 21^st PM probably missed

            Jen 22^nd AM outside chance

            Steve 22^nd PM Still in with a shout

            Willem 25^th A late bet, could be a winner if the winds go light

            Adamant 27^th Now that is just being a bloody pessimist

Why not have a guess yourself it is a great game for all the family (Guess the ETA © Spectra 2015, 1 or more players aged 5 to 80, sorry Roger)

            Day 10 completed and all going well apart from the fact that we have run out of eggs. That makes sixty that we have eaten since leaving Wilmington! On a brighter note we have hardly used any toilet paper and the heads remain in pristine condition, perhaps there is a connection that I am missing? On a more serious note we are just about finished with the fresh food. Apart from potatoes and onions which always last a long time we are down to a couple of carrots, half a cabbage and a squash After that it will be tins, packets, dried fruit and the contents of the freezer until the Azores.

            Ramadan has started and so Adamant has gone all nocturnal with his eating habits but apart from that the normal routines continue apace. Yesterday to break the monotony and as the wind had died I offered the chance for a mid Atlantic swim, we only had one taker. So here are the stats, (picture evidence to follow), Latitude 36.36.39N, Longitude 44.47.82W in an area near the Corner Seamounts and with a depth of 5000 meters Jen dived over the side. I would like to say she surfaced in a shower of translucent bubbles and glided through the water like a sea nymph but the reality was a lot more splashy and had a certain “OK done it, now get me back on board”  ishness about it. But credit where credit is due, Jen is now a fully paid up member of the mid Atlantic swimming club. While on the subject of things that swim we have been joined on several occasions by pods of spotted dolphins and have also sighted two turtles drifting by busily chowing down on Portuguese Man-O-Wars. It is quite surprising that the dolphins can survive in this barren ocean as evidenced by the results of our fishing, there are in my humble opinion no fish out here.

            After a very light wind day the wind settled in to the South around midnight on the 17/18^th and has blown a fairly consistent force 3-4 ever since which means we are trotting along happily at between 6 and 7 knots without any fuss at all. That is until the wind drops to force 2-3 when we slog along at 4 knots. The all natural polishing of the brass work down below is steaming ahead. With Adamant determined to keep his mind off food during daylight hours he is like a man possessed, if it is metal it gets a squirt of lemon juice and an attack with the polishing pad. I am doing my part by eating his share of the Snicker bar stash and keeping him honest by reminding him on a regular basis that lemon is a food so he can’t lick his fingers or take a tea break until the moon comes up. The flags of all nations have been sewn onto the bunting lines by Norma and just need the addition of the Azores and Portuguese flags to be a complete set of all of the countries that we have visited on our little trip. Steve and myself have repaired the latest ravages to my stay sail, spending a happy hour yesterday morning on the fore deck gently bouncing up and down whilst sewing a section of ripped sacrificial strip. I made the mistake of mentioning, in casual conversation as you do, the internal workings of a yacht winch within Jens learning bubble, and so now we have added servicing all of the winches to our jobs to do list. So far Jen and myself have stripped and serviced two single speed and one double speed winch on the mainmast, so just 8 to go then!

            Last night was the calmest yet and we all had a good nights sleep as Spectra ghosted along at 5 Knots on a smooth ocean. That’s it for now I am Mummy from 2pm onwards today and so I have made the bread up this morning, after sending this it should have risen and be ready for the oven. Calm seas, the smell of baking bread and the sound of Adamant scraping away at the latest bit of tarnished brass as we gently close down the distance to the Azores, life is sweet aboard the good ship Spectra.