Slow progress through the afternoon - we put the cruising chute up again but could only manage 4 knots in the very light winds. It is still blisteringly hot. Decks need dousing with water every half hour or so - as they get too hot to walk on..

 

By late afternoon we were motoring again..

 

Barry the (bad)  Barracuda, despite carefull cooking was not great eating - he was dry, very meaty, but lacked flavour - so we do not recommend this as dish of choice for future Trans -Atlantic Sailors.

 

During the evening a zephry of wind filled our sails and ghosted us along and we steadily increased speed through the night on a flat silky sea - on a broad beam reach, fetching up to 11 knots by 4 am - exactly what we needed*

 

The Days run was 163 Miles. With now less than 1499 miles to go to St Lucia, we are now over half way. The next stretch should be more straightforward ( no butter to watch and corners to turn ) and ought to be quicker as we approach an area of more reliable winds. The whole ARC fleet are behind schedule and Matchmaker has probably "lost" 2 days from her timetable.