Current position 15.53.65N; 45.28.24W

 

This was not what I signed up for firstly strong winds and rough confused seas and secondly torrential rain!  Graham (Widow Twanky) has delighted in the rain storms tipping all his clothes out onto the cockpit floor for a good old soaking and then we find his boxers folded neatly inside pillow cases inside the pan cupboard!  Earlier in the week Stephen had asked for a fish fileting board so he didn’t have to use the scuppers to filet all the fish we caught – Tim immediately asked if he could be one of the board members and so the Fish Fileting Board was convened!  Unfortunately the board has today had to stand down due to the constructive total loss of all lures!  The cook has resigned due to ill health (and humour) which started with our first sighting of the trade winds which turned out to be a southerly storm force 10 which was not quite what we expected, and involved the crew thankfully tied on scrambling around on the foredeck taking down the sails. The following morning Tim owned up to the fact that during his watch later that night the boat had done a 180 degree turn back to the Canaries – the cause of the problem was understood to be the autopilot but quite how this dramatic change in course remained undetected by him for so long remains a mystery! Last night rain -  buckets and buckets of it fell all night and a queue quickly formed at the drying cupboard. Right at this moment we have a repeat performance – Graham has taken advantage for a shower on the foredeck but having soaped up the rain has now stopped! 

Having reached latitude 16 deg N we  turned due west and are now less than 900 miles from Martinique.  We are now in the trade winds – blowing 20k from the NE – but dont seem to see much sun or anything other than 50 shades of grey (clouds that is).  We were told that the rain squalls would be heavy and last for 10 minutes.  That doesnt seem to be the case and (see above) the only way to stop the rain seems to be to get Graham fully soaped up!

 

Tomorrow, no doubt, we will enjoy tropical sunshine and short sharp bursts of rain....