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Firefly - More champagne sailing!



The wind is slightly stronger today (around 22 knots, so its force 4 to 5) and coming from the East to South East. This is too much for us to use the spinnaker but sufficient to goosewing the jib and sail very comfortably down the waves. Occasionally our surfing speed is over 10 knots but normally around 8, not quite enough to break the 200 nautical a day milestone (requiring an average of 8.33).

We are often asked do we find it lonely out here? - and if you don't, why not?. Apart from enjoying each others company and of course Barney's e mailed jokes, we speak to the rest of the fleet, some 35 boats twice a day on the long range radio and we are keeping in more regular contact with the three boats close to us Ghost, Tulasi and Boingo Alive, via VHF. So we have our own little community out here keeping us company. We have a range of skills to share amongst the boats from doctors, nurses, marine, telecoms and mechanical engineers (not much call for Architects or Farmers!) so also good support services if needed. So in comparison with living on land our sailing village is communicating and functioning very well. Added to this the stars and increasingly large moon mean it never actually gets dark and every evening at sunset we watch for the green flash to occur, wondering if its a myth invented by west facing coastal bar owners trying to sell more sundowners! - However, David is an expert in these matters and claims he has seen the green flash three times previously when he circumnavigated with the Clipper Race.

One of biggest challenges today is we have lost the whistle on the kettle; it disappearance was noticed at 1200 and it can't have gone far - but we have just spent the last few hours looking for it. This is not just a normal kettle - this is a posh AGA kettle so this is a serious situation. New boy David is the chief suspect, Peter and Paul reasoning that they have already sailed 10,000 miles without losing the whistle.

Despite an early morning setting of our line we still have no fish!

Paul, David and Peter

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