Attempting by pass surgery in a 24 knot wind and 3 to 4 metre waves is not to be recommended but Bob really had come to the end of all other possible options.  It involved an Apollo 13 moment when we were all scuttling around trying to find “a tube of approximately yay diameter in plastic or metal” to make the bypass possible.  Searching through the First Aid kit, the kitchen drawers and our cabins yielded a mascara lid and a biro casing.  Unfortunately the procedure just did not go very well and, rather than make matters irretrievably worse and kill the patient, Bob decided to let things rest.  We will sort Gerry out in Antigua (if we get there!) and in the meantime hope that the engine is sufficient to give us the minimum power that we need (and that it doesn’t catch whatever Gerry has ailed from).

The weather yesterday and all of last night remained cloudy with intermittent downpours.  We spent most of the day hunkered below laughing at whoever happened to be getting drenched on watch.  (The crew were really glad to have their sou'westers and very good they look too, so thank you Elizabeth and Rory!)  The waves have become really quite large but are very gentlemanly so don’t cause too much in the way of problems or perhaps we are simply getting used to being shaken, rattled and rolled. 

We are making good progress but still have 454 miles to go.  We are definitely not going to reach Antigua for Haley’s birthday.