Position -21.36.01N; 32.48.28W

Watermusic
Tue 4 Dec 2012 11:03
Last night the boat was going as if she was on rails.  Flat seas, 20-30kn wind at all times and a speed ranging between 6kn and 10.  The night before, Sunday night, the boat also felt like she was on rails – but at least one of them was broken!
 
After catching our first fish of the voyage on Sunday we scoured our library to realise that we didnt know what it was.   Landlocked from Barnes couldn’t identify it either – claiming asking someone to identify a fish without its tail was as difficult to do as to identify a human without seeing its face.  Well, we did identify the beast as a Dorade, also known as Dolphin (not flipper type) or a Maui Maui.  We ate it on Sunday night and it was delicious.  Mike – we have kept the tail for you to identify it properly and will give it to you when we get home.
 
Then into the evening and night when we had breaking seas coming from all sides – little rest all round.  Graham airborne most of the night in the forecabin.  Made slightly more difficult by having quite a lot of traffic around us – we had two yachts within 10 miles and seem to be crossing a main shipping artery from E Coast USA down to S Africa.  A good look out kept.  At least the Nav lights are now working effectively and (pro-tem) the damp problem is sorted out.
 
Yesterday morning things looked like they might calm down a little.  Caught another Dorade – this time we knew what it was!  Fish was about 2* the size of the previous fish (reckon it is about 8-12lbs) and
so ate the fillets last night and will have a curry tonight with the rest.  I am now banned from fishing until we have eaten what we’ve got and the fresh chicken still in the fridge.
 
This morning dawned at 0800 our time and we see that we have completed our first 1000Nm non stop from Las Palmas. If the wind holds and we are able to maintain the track we set our selves, then we have about 1700 Nm to run.  It would appear that, with a poled out genoa alone, we are maintaining a steady stream of days runs of 160Nm – so a target date for arrival is not unrealistic.
 
Crew seem happy – skippper’s back now ok and he’s happy – therefore everyone else is.  Grace pining for some boredom – must be all those e mails about bridge coming her way.  However the sun is now shining and, as I type in silence, I can hear non stop chatter from her.  Not even Graham can get a word in edgeways – something must be going right.