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Resolute of Thames - Green is more macho than fuschia pink



Gosh am I grateful that we are not a pink dot. I would find that difficult to live with. Green and last is good.

It is now 21 days since we left Las Palmas and 11 days since we left Cape Verde. Having just re-read our last 2 entries it is apparent that our whole world has shrunk to the size of a 41 foot boat. After the last tomato drama yesterday I am today faced with the removal of a dead and rather squelchy yellow pepper from the netting. This is going to require some fortitude as it is our last yellow pepper. Fortunately, peppers are not revered by Gilly-Mate in the same way as tomatoes - which I guess is why it has been left to me to deal with. However, I shall miss him as I had a curry planed for tonight with his name on.

In other news. The sun is shining and, despite our weather forecaster's continuing tricks we have a gentle wind from around the North which is, most of the time, strong enough to provide meaningful progress through what is quite a large but very rounded swell. Altogether an ideal day. The wind still does not have the consistency of a trade wind and seems to vary considerably in temperature - one moment warm and dry and the next positively cooling and damp but no rain. This, undermines our confidence in it remaining in place - not totally unfounded as we did have about 4 hours last night with no wind - but it did result in a little extra sleep. Oh, and I almost forgot, we saw and spoke briefly to another yacht this afternoon and he was not on the ARC! (Shh don't tell our game-makers but he is part of a rival scheme and seems to have had kinder weather makers).

On that note - I understand from this morning's radio net that our forecast originates in the US. I now get it - if you constantly say the winds are anything from the North and throw in the odd NNW / NE / WNW down here you will be 100% right 100% of the time and in the US that is what matters. The trouble is, from my perspective, it lacks the fidelity required when trying to decide how best to manage, in the short term, what little wind there is. For example, even during the current disturbance to the trade winds not once has the words, so often featured in the UK Shipping Forecast, backing and veering been used by our US colleague. Fiendish - note to self, next time, assuming there is a next time, pay somebody British to do weather routing. Thus, any fiendish tricks will be readily frustrated or is it confounded? (2nd Verse of The National Anthem refers.)

Continuing with the weather theme we understand that the Southern UK is enjoying a wonderful late autumn day with leaves still on the trees and amazing colours. Yep, just a twinge of homesickness. But - when you get old you will regret the things that you did not do more than the things that you did do. So stiff upper lip St Lucia is only 905nm away and it is all down hill from here.

God Save The Queen! (and the Radio 4 rendition of the Shipping Forecast)

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