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Indulgence - The good, the bad and the ugly.



Friday 7th December

Current Position: N 17o 51'.516 W 40o 49'.509

Current Speed : 6 knots (motoring)

Distance to finish at Saint Lucia : 1177 nm


* * * * *

The good, the bad and the ugly.

So much for our predicated light airs and calm seas last night. Shortly after our last blog post, the rain set in. Hot. Sticky. Wet. Warm. Rain. We ate our evening meal below, peeping our heads above deck every so often hoping the squall would pass through. After a few hours it still hadn't and the wind was picking up. Time to reef our main and furl in the headsail.

I reckon the lads were on a conspiracy against me, because they all sat below and jointly exclaimed " I'd be Fffff'd if I go up up there, Joleen it's your watch". Good luck now. And all three huddled together whimpering, while I sat in the cockpit, for what seemed like an age, dumping the main continuously with salt water trekking down my wet gear. Feeling utterly miserable watching the wind gauge read, 25, 30, 35, 40 knots. Surely my watch would be over soon.

Eventually 9pm came, and Denis poked his nose above board. According to the grib files, light airs were ahead, and the wind would settle down eventually. We'll hold tough. The wind dissipated throughout the night and by the time I came back on watch at 4am, we had settled into a steady 25 knots of breeze. Overnight, we had problems with our furling headsail, which stubbornly decided it would only leave itself half out, or in, depending on which way you would look at it. In please, I hate bad weather.

As I sat in the cockpit for my second watch that night, sheet lightning storms continued on all sides, which had already been going for six hours. John, our normally steady steady sea dog does not do fork lighting. Fortunately, none were near enough to be a threat. But it was a reminder of how small out little magnetic boat was in this vast ocean. We were after all the only lightning conductor for around 200 miles around.

As the morning set in, the light airs and predicated lull set in. We've been motoring for the most of the day. Baking again in the tropical heat. I've been dyeing for a swim, and reckon a mid Atlantic dip, sans sharks, whales and super sized fish would be the right order. The washing is out, and the boys caught our biggest catch of the day so far this morning, sighing in at 5.75 kilos.

In more pressing news, which I know you have been all waiting for, the results of the shirt competition are now in. Thanks to all our dedicated readers for your input in this hotly contested competition.

Second runner up, and in a margin we didn't expect, is the outboard engine cover at 5%, sporting a tidy black Dunnes Stores 'Bag for Life'. Joint first runner up goes to Denis at 20% of the votes with John at a similar 20% of the votes. But, for the first time ever and in the majority by a clear lead is Aidan Heffernan (even though there was a blue stain in his chinos without anyone noticing) with a staggering 55% of all public votes. Aidan has won a massage in the spa of his choice when we get to Saint Lucia. Clearly it was his good looks and tropical shirt that clinched his lead.

New, new ships time is now UTC - 2 hours. We changed our watches today, so we don't get jet lag when get to Saint Lucia. Please note, when trying to get in contact with the Indulgence office HQ.

Over.



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