14:45.670N 059:00.531W

Whisper
Noel Dilly
Thu 29 Nov 2012 16:29
"Splice the Mainbrace" - 29th November
 
We are very nearly there!  As we passed the 100 miles to our next waypoint, only 20 miles from Rodney Bay (St Lucia), the Captain called "splice the mainbrace" and we all enjoyed a small tot to celebrate.  We only have one more night watch each to do. I am the luckiest, as I have the 16:00-20:00 and then the 08:00-12:00 neither of which can be called a night watch!  I did the 05:00 - 08:00 this morning which is my favourite, it is such a lovely start to the day to watch the sun rise and the stars disappear.  This morning was particularly enjoyable as Venus and the sun rose together in the east whilst the moon and Jupiter were setting in the west.  It was a most glorious sight! 
 
We have seen several more birds this morning an indication that we are getting closer to the land.  An entirely new bird spotted on this trip is the Brown Boobie (no giggling Mia - seriously it is true).  It is a beautiful brown and white sea bird, rather like the Gannets we saw in the European waters.  We have seen several now, they like to fly around us a few times before continuing on their quest to find food.  However, this morning we were privileged to have one circle us and then watched him fold his wings and spectacularly dive down into the sea, he reappeared on the surface with his catch which he ate before taking off again. Quite an amazing sight.
 
All being well tomorrow will see us in Rodney Bay! All the worries about having enough food and water will be over.  We have had plenty and some left over too!  We have read in the Caribbean Pilot that Friday night in Rodney Bay is Party Night!  I think there will be some celebrating going on! 
 
This has been a bit of a "Shake Down" cruise, so a day or two will be spent doing one or two repairs before we can relax and enjoy the islands!