Tilly Mint ARC day 14 - bedtime

Tillymint.fortescue
Sun 6 Dec 2009 00:09

16:23:97N 054:14:00W
 
405 miles to go and around 52 hours of voyaging left. Winds picked up today and we keep up around 7 knots. We would have been faster with the Genoa but this lady is still sunbathing on the side deck, generally getting in the way. Biggest risk is that a flying fish will land in the folds of sail and we won't spot it til it's gone pongy!
 
As days go this was a lovely gentle day as long as you were languishing up top. Any activities undertaken down below carried a serious health warning as it was hot and bouncy. The galley continued it's unarmed combat, although an eager queue developed to stand by as the freezer door was opened. I've never known so many people be so keen to have frozen peas with every meal!
 
We had a little diversion today when Skipper and the boys tried their hand at a spot of celestial navigation. I'm happy to include a photo of midshipman Fortescue taking  a sighting through the sextant from the poop deck. After much data gathering and mystical calculations a position was obtained - only 45 miles adrift from the GPS. An impressive first attempt which earned powder monkey Hugo extra grog rations ( as he'd made the best guess in our sweepstake as to how far out the celestial position would be).
 
We rounded the day off in true nautical fashion watching a James Bond film. Steve is up top standing the first night watch, Skipper is getting his beauty sleep ready for the watch change at 9pm and I'm perched at the chart table listening to the tuneless bangs and crashes that constitute the galley symphony; all percussion and no melody
 
Tomorrow will be a brand new day, winds are forecast to strengthen so we're looking good for arrival very late Monday night. Not ideal to arrive in the dark after the bars have closed, maybe we'll have to sail round in circles waiting for the sun to come up before we cross the line......then again maybe not!

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