Dear Family and Friends,

 

24th April 2015

 

Thank you to Mike who has let me know some of our positions have been off course. It is very easy to fat finger the computer keys as we are heaved about in the swell. I can edit the plots from terrestrial wifi. Just to confirm though we are not heading for Pitcairn and there’s no mutiny on board!

 

For Stuart and those of you eager to taste a Caribbean treat here is the Banana Fruit bread recipe:

 

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix the following to a crumb like texture:

1 3/4 cups flour

2/3 cups sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup butter

3 very ripe bananas mashed

 

When the above is mixed, add in the following ingredients and blend well:

1 jigger of banana liqueur (I used Ponshe a fruit aqua vie from Madeira but imagine rum would do nicely)

2 eggs

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/8 cup candied orange peel (I used homemade marmalade)

1/2 cup of glace cherries

1/4 candied pineapple (I used some candied exotic fruit mix)

1/8 cup chopped citron (mixed peel)

1/4 cup raisins

 

Pour into a greased 9 x 5 inch baking pan, I lined mine with baking parchment as the loaf tends to be a bit frail, and bake for 1 1/4 hours. Let it cool in the pan for 1 hour. Take out and leave to go completely cold, wrap in foil and keep for 24 hours before serving, (if you can wait that long!)

 

Enjoy!

 

On the culinary front I have to report that the bread mixes have not made it through the tropical heat, disappointingly the bread didn’t rise and has gone to join the fishes! Wonder how fast it sank, we are in 4,500m of water! Estimated weight 850gms, answers on a postcard please!

 

As I write we have 468 miles to go with landfall Monday/Tuesday depending on our time of arrival, as we will lay off if it is dark on approach to Atuona. It’s surprisingly hard to delay an arrival, and you tend to be at the mercy of the swell if you go slowly. I am hoping for Monday afternoon.

 

All our best,

 

Lynne and Alan