MONDAY 21st MARCH 2011
Right now, it is a beautifull night as I type this blog, The Moon is full in the sky and not a cloud to be seen, the sea is flat, there is little or no wind, so we are motoring our way to Grenada, we expect to pass Tobago today around midday, leaving it ( and any pirates) to port. Its interesting to study the Islands around here with names such as " Pirates Bay " that says it all about the history of the place and the Carribbean in general stretching back hundreds of years, and to think that there are still pirates around today. WOW.
If things, like the wind and current do not improve soon, then it looks as if it will be in the middle of the night tonight when we arrive in Grenada, and if things slow down even further, then it could be daybreak or early morning Tuesday.
Yesterday morning, Suzanna developed a severe toothace, and was in an afull state, and " Murphys Law" we are at sea,
however, Aileen had a small bottle of this stuff callec "oil of Cloves" and got Susana to apply a tincher of it to the tooth, and low and behold, it did the job, so at least no more pain for a while,
The weather all day yesterday was just magic, we flew the "Kite" for the first half of the day, or almost upto 2pm, when the wind died down and we had to motorsail. Putting up and taking down the " KITE " with just the 3 of us on board (even in light conditions ) was a major enough undertaking, After all , this spinniker is 3.600 sq, feet and it takes two of us all we can do to just lift the thing a couple of feet across the deck.and then , there are all these ropes and lines everywhere, and trying to make sure that nothing is twisted before we start hauling up the sail takes a good 10 minutes or more, and still things get twisted, ohhhh, no, not again, ! where's the dog...............
And, the spinniker bag is almost shot, like the spray hood, it has suffered badly from being left on the deck in the salt water and searing heat. the trouble is this, the whole thing is too big, so putting it down below takes up too much room and its too heavy to be lifting it in and out of the " lazarette" ( the boat boot ) , so it just lives on the fore deck, just in front of the mast,
Still. skipper loves that sail,
Anyway, the day went on, lots of reading, chatting, snoozing and naps, a couple of fags here and there, and alls well,
Aileen rustled up dinner, mainly consisting of Sat. nights fragrent chicken , and the left over cold roast beef for skipper plus more of Pauls " baked beans" It was all very good , if not excellent.
As sunset arrived, the huge orange Moon crept up again over the eastern horizon, filling the boat with a warm glow of happiness.
That all for now.
signed :- Stephen Hyde ( Skipper )