There is little wind right now hence the update!!

Peter at the wheel running down wind

Joey also enjoying a few moments of perfect conditions

We have sailed / motored 287 miles since leaving Gibraltar and are currently at 34’ 20 N 010’ 10 W about 400 miles North East of the Canaries. The wind is 2 knots from the south at present and we are waiting for a new low to come in from the West to give us some wind.

First 24 hours we had great winds and made excellent progress under sail. The engine was turned on yesterday around 16.25 and is still running now. The ocean is quiet and almost no swell the sun is rising and another sunny day is in store :o)

We have had a couple of problems; the biggest one was one of our brand new 22Lt fuel container seal failed filling the cockpit locker with diesel. We found this out just before dark on Monday and spent a couple of hours trying to get rid of the diesel from the locker and all the spinnaker sheets and guys. This resulted in much of the 10 Lt of spilt fuel ending up over the side or on the deck. Lazy Dawn now has its own Ice rink and we are all trying our best to learn to skate and stay onboard. All the other cans have been checked and restored in upright locations. We will have to wait till port to properly clean all the lines and deck. It makes flying the kite interesting as you pull on the guy and then stink of diesel.

Manning watch is much easier with the 3 of us, we have tried a couple of methods and for the light winds find the 2 on 4 off is best over night for all of us, leaving the days open which means we get 8 hours sleep in 2 lumps of 4 hours. So lets hope the winds will be favourable and we can keep this routine going till landfall.

Dolphins are back on the bow and the fireworks at night are amazing once more!! The stars are incredible and we are all ramping up our knowledge to further our Astro navigation. The sextant we bought in the UK seems to work well as the first sun sights have been taken and more will be done today!! Thanks to a really good guy who did the deal closing his auction early to allow us to take it with us on this trip. Thank you Peter and hope the leg improves soon!

Due to the light airs a full menu is still on offer and with the fridge operational we are eating like Kings and Queens (Joey?)!! Even Chris has been at the galley making a signature dish of Chicken green curry from the basic ingredients!! Peter and Jo have both finished books and we had to listen to the Battle of Trafalgar talking book as we passed by the Cape and Cadiz.

Hi to all at home and work!!! We will keep in touch and keep the update flowing once we know where we are!!!

Don’t forget the Iridium SMS’s works so keep in touch!!