Titania Day 7 update: Unwelcome visitors and National Crate Day

Titania
The Dobbs family and friends
Sat 1 Dec 2018 18:04
18:13:44 N
33:56:02 W
 
Distance to finish 1581 nautical miles (we are nearly half way to St Lucia)
 
It's Day 7 and Team Titania have settled into a rhythm of watchkeeping, fishing (Freddie, Nick and Todd), fixing the boat (mainly Todd) and turning the larder contents into delicious meals.
 
A few awards for the trip so far:
  • Best meal.  Dead heat between the Todd's mahi-mahi sashimi and Nick's guacamole.
  • Fastest half-mile.  This is our take on Top Gear's "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" rebranded as "Cruising Sailor on a Swan 68" devised by Richard as a way of getting Freddie really, really focused.  The winner was our French correspondent Pierre Moitessier (last seen doing yoga on the foredeck).
  • Least well spent half-hour.  Recovering the KitKat that flew into the well below the wheel when we lurched off a wave.  Had to resort to lancing it with a spear fishing gun.
  • Most unwelcome visitor to the boat.  Flying fish.  There are lots of these around, particularly at night, and they can be pretty hazardous with two near misses last night.  One brushed Freddie's arm as it crash landed in the aft cockpit and another tried to get into bed with Richard as he was sleeping in the centre cockpit.  Please send your bets to the boat email on who will get a full-on hit first.
 
Simon
 
Today is also a very special day because today is the first Saturday of summer in New Zealand, which is "NATIONAL CRATE DAY!!!".  I have spent the last week educating my northern hemisphere crewmates about this remarkable day. For those of you who don't know what it is, it consists of buying a large crate of beer, which you start drinking at 12 midday on the dot in the sun with your mates. Today has been no exception on Titania, but we only managed to squeeze one beer each out of the skipper... For safety reasons.
Happy Crate Day! Crate Day is a Great Day.
 
Todd