TUESDAY DECEMBER 2

 

Position at 2100 GMT: 16 deg 29.48 north 43 deg 59.09 west

 

Approx 989 miles to go

 

It’s been one of those days that yachtsmen know only too well : we’ve had to go backwards to go forwards. Low pressure 850 miles to the north west of us has affected our wind, slowing us right down at times. Add to this the increasing effect of the tropical equatorial current and it means we’re not able to point the boat in the direction we’d prefer. So we’ve headed further south instead, which has meant the distance to St Lucia hasn’t been reduced as much as on other days.

 

However, tomorrow we should be in a great position to pick up the east winds which are forecast just north of the Equator and we hope to have the big parasail up early on to help us make up lost ground and push us towards Barbados.

 

Another incredible sunset tonight; all four of us sat on deck to watch the whole sky on fire. The sun’s rays as it goes down cover 360 degrees for a time so everywhere you look the clouds are brilliant reds, pinks and oranges. Tomorrow we’ll be 45 degrees west so we’ll be putting our clocks back another hour, making us three hours behind the UK. It’s 7pm here now and dark - yet some of us are still in shorts and t-shirts.

 

We’re having a traditional British meal tonight – chicken tikka massala!