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Adina - Day 20 and some big rollers in the fairground of the Atlantic



So Day 20 on Adina...golly it's starting to feel like groundhog day! Where is that finish line??

Most used expression today had to be "Wow - look at that one!" in reference to yet another mountainous wave rising above the stern. Winds of 25 plus knots all day long and big Atlantic waves.

On a cheerful note, we haven't seen dolphins in a few days now so they enlightened the mood and squealing ensued. Putting a gopro on a boat hook to capture them nearly resulted in the gopro being lost due to the force of the water. But they were magnificent - belly rolling and putting on a real show.

Cooking right now requires real courage and with the heat is a guaranteed sauna session. Lindsay knocked up some duck pancakes - ok, it wasn't Harold and it was chicken. Harold did partake in a photo shoot. Very funny tying him on the wheel and seeing him swing from side to side - he looked like he was having a real blast. Music keeps us going and Lindsay in particular enjoys a sing-a-long.

Cockpit plummeting is the new sport. We can lie on either side of the cockpit but get a rogue wave and you end up on the floor in a heap with a few bruises. Each and every crew member has partaken!

We're now eating our heavy weather food which is good old Waitrose "Look what we found" - it's surprisingly cracking stuff and keeps us warm and nourished. Neil even managed a great oil and dried tomatoes bread.

Overnight the winds built and so did the waves - 28-35 knots and even a 40 knot squall. Squalls kept rolling in one after another. Adina has a games type console for the navigation and we take 20 minute turns navigating the autopilot trying to keep the boat on the best course possible. Sleep was pretty much impossible as Adina was tossed around. Truth be told you worry about the strains on the boat and we still have 2 more days of this. Susie got 'pooped' by a wave which is a term for a wave coming over you. Wet, wet, wet.

At dawn our towable water generator came out of it's bracket - we managed to grab it and put on it's funnel to stop it spinning but a wave grabbed the propeller and line and with a big snap we had lost it. Unhappy boat owners - it had done us so well.

So a new day and more high seas forecast. We're hanging in here but everyone is longing for the finish now. We'll soldier on - not long to go. New quiz. Five words that you think crew members of Adina won't want to hear or will miss... can't wait to see what people come up with. And thank you again for all the comments - still much loved.

Adina sailing down the mountains of the Atlantic.



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