Today started out as most, again no wind, so we motored for the last 3 hours until daybreak, then on Suzanne’s watch we hoisted Old Blue, then as the wind went forward of the beam we hoisted Code Blue and then the main and were making around 6-7kts and that was it for most of the day. The wind was pretty much from the SW at 250 and we want a course of 280, so are being pushed 20 degrees higher on 300, 100M north of our rhumb line, which puts us heading for South Carolina, so at some stage we need to tack.

 

It seemed hotter today and we did a spot of sunbathing, put the bimini up to offer some shade and had a single egret land, who Hollie named Elvis, on the boat which promptly sat on Suzanne’s head. We tried to offer it water and fish, well salmon actually, but it was not interested, it just walked all around the boat and looked in every corner for fresh fish.

 

We turned off all the nav gear to save the batteries and they now seem much happier, fired up the water maker for 2 hours and even that leak has become a drip. Maybe I should Reiki the boat – can you do that ? – doesn’t seem right though – better check with my Reiki Master.

 

Middle afternoon – excitement – the fishing line peg went off again – ho hum – it often does at high speed – the starboard one had already gone earlier – so hardly worth looking. Then as I move around the cockpit I notice a fish thrashing about on our line 40 metres behind us “Fish, Fish, Fish” I shout and that means Actions Stations – slow the boat, open the bomb doors, get the gaff hook, gloves on, life jackets on, out of the cockpit, wet the decks (to stop the blood staining the teak decks) organise and brief the fish handling team, cameras rolling – OK let’s haul in.

 

At first the fish didn’t seem to have much fight, but as it got nearer we could see it was pretty big, then as it came our of the water it was all we could do to lift it over the side and into the bomb bay. It was around 20-25kg and measured 1,40 metres. Just as we were congratulating our selves on landing that – guess what – we hooked a second one and had the same effort to bring it on board – again the same size and weight.

 

Hollie has a North Atlantic Wildlife book and Steve identified them as Wahoo as Suzanne set about filleting them both, (the fish not Steve and Hollie) we had huge sides of fish which we washed in sea water and sluiced off the decks and then had to sluice Suzanne clean and shower her off on the aft deck. That night we had fresh fish cooked in butter with a little garlic and coconut and allowed ourselves a glass of wine (OK you’re right it was 2).

 

We had a very civilised evening, the boat was roaring along under main and Code Blue as we sat enjoying our “hunter gatherer” experience, but we dropped Code Blue and ran with the yankee into the night expecting the wind to increase, which it did and gave us a very rolly bumpy night.

 

It is frustrating, first we couldn't sail direct to Barbados, because the wind was dead behind us, now it is dead in front of us and we still can’t sail directly to our destination.

 

 

TELEGRAM THANX FOR WIND PLS SEND IN RIGHT DIRECTION STOP S2 CREW

 

1,597M to go to Bridgetown, Barbados.

 

Suzie Too and Crew