We assumed that we had only a few cockroaches but nevertheless felt we should eradicate them before transporting them out of Africa. We have a container of Boric acid for this purpose but liberal application around the galley and under the floorboards failed to do the trick. We kept encountering two or three each day. Jon on Hecla recommended cockroach hotels that are shallow cardboard boxes with non slip entry ramps at each end, a packet of attractant in the middle of the floor, the floor itself revealed to be highly sticky once the protective film is removed. We have put the hotels all around the boat and to our amazement we have caught several dozens of cockroaches and continue to do so! Catching them is a bit gruesome because they can stay alive for days, stuck fast to the floor but still jerking and waving their long antennae around. We have every range of size from half inch adults down to 1mm newly hatched, which suggests that not only are they a breeding colony but they appear to be laying eggs even in their hotels.

Last night Annie went into the heads and a moment later there was a blood curdling scream. Assuming we were sinking I went to investigate only to find that Annie had trodden on the cockroach hotel left on the floor. It had stuck to her big toe and the hotel with its writhing mass of residents was not going to be removed easily.
So far the wind has held up perfectly and last night we continued to make steady progress at between five and seven knots under genoa alone. The wind has come around to the south east which gives us a better angle to the wind as we continue on our more northerly course. The wind has also dropped a little and so we could not delay poling out the staysail any longer if we are to maintain our 6kts average speed. With the genoa out to port and the staysail to starboard we regained our 6kts and combined with the much quieter sea state things feel more stable. As the wind drops over the next few days our speed will come down a little but then wind and speed should pick up at the weekend.

After gybing yesterday I was reminded of the benefits of having genoa cars (the deck level block that the sheet runs through on the way back to the cockpit) that can be moved fore and aft along a track with a block and tackle arrangement that also leads back to the cockpit. Without the pulley line adjustment from the cockpit it is necessary to go forward along the side deck and move the car forwards or backwards as required. The reason each car is moveable along a track is to allow adjustment of the angle at which the sheet pulls back on the genoa. Generally when sailing close hauled into the wind the angle needs to be one that pulls back evenly on the foot and leech (back edge) of the sail to keep the sail as flat as possible. This requires the car to be moved aft. When sailing downwind, as we are at the moment, the genoa sheet is eased to give the genoa a fuller shape. Without moving the car forwards at the same time the pull of the sheet will be greater along the foot of the sail. With less tension in the leech of the genoa the sail will twist forwards at the top, spilling the wind and making the sail less powerful. In strong gusty wind this can actually be an advantage with the sail spilling the wind in the gusts - in effect de-powering itself. At other times the power of the sail can be restored by moving the car forwards. This has the effect of increasing the downwards pull on the leech, giving the sail a fuller (more curved shape) but not allowing the wind to spill out at the top. Without the pulley system the crew has to think ahead and move the leeward car forwards before tacking or gybing, otherwise the tension in the sheet will prevent this. I usually forget.

After yesterday’s post Emilyluna confirmed that they also had been passed by a cargo ship not showing on AIS. This morning we have a Maersk container ship showing up so it looks like all is well with our AIS.