Sunday 9th December 2012 14:35.06N 052:07.44W

 

A mixed few days has seen us motoring for up to 30 hours, sailing at up to 12 knots and having to do a make-shift repair to the main sail when the clew ring was about to become detached from the sail – another failure by Westaway Sails. 

 

The interacting swell waves made a passable impression of England’s South Downs one windless morning; except that these downs were in continual motion, with hills rising and falling without sound around us.

 

Two days ago, Rossi caught the biggest fish of the trip so far, a mahi mahi of about 5kg, which is now part of our freezer stock.

 

Today we saw our first boat for over a week, a sailing catamaran heading slightly north of us, but the only things on the radar this evening are rain showers.  With the sea temperature now over 27 C, the nights are balmy and protective clothing has not been needed for a while.  Even the rain has managed to by-pass us - so far.

 

We are pleased to be double reefed tonight as the wind is Force 5-6, gusting 7, and the seas are  large but invisible in the moonless dark.  Progress during the past 24 hours has been good, however, with 150 miles logged and our waypoint off Barbados only 420 miles away.  It is now likely that we shall have time for a couple of days in Barbados before continuing to Grenada.