15:08:8N 044:49:1W

 

Sunday 7th December 2014

Another Red-Billed Tropic bird sighted, according to the pilot that is the sign we are getting closer to the Caribbean. Still no other boats seen. We are surprised no ARC boats have come our way, we can see the horizon just under five miles away, that makes seventy five square miles we can see at any one time.

 

Dominoes

Yesterday our evening entertainment was a high competitive game of dominoes. Denis showing his true colours emerged from the darkness to win a game. Bruce’s Machiavellian approach was no more successful. But Stuart’s clever thinking tactics enabled him to block my play on several occasions. We all ended winning a game a piece. Bill managed to play one game while helming. We were playing by head-torch light on a swaying cockpit table, enjoying the slidey shuffle before, taking the game to the non-slip mats.

 

During the night the wind gusted up to forty knots, forcing us to put in two reefs. Bruce wasn’t best pleased being awoken fifty minutes before his watch, but quickly realised there can be no compromise to safety and just got on with it. The strong winds enabled us to have a day of many miles: 147nm covered in the last 24 hours.

 

Miles to go: 1000nm, as at 1742GMT today.