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Pannikin - Day 14-17





Sunday 8th December - Day 14
Throughout the night we kept the spinnaker flying which gave us some boat speed but certainly not enough to break any records, and after sail for so many miles without seeing another boat we passed two within half a mile which gave us some comfort to know we are not out here all by ourselves.
Once again quiet conditions greeted the crew in the morning and by mid morning the breeze dropped right out forcing us to start the motor again, much to the displeasure of all on board. The smooth seas made it possible for Steve to bake some scones for morning tea and fresh bread rolls for lunch. Yumm. Andrew then cooked up some very tasty rissoles to go on the bread rolls. Losing weight on this trip does not seem to be a high priority on Pannikin.
The UV strip on the old headsail started to come adrift so Paul, Andrew and Di got the sail repair kit out again and stitched it up. What a great crew!
As the afternoon went on the sea became smooth and glassy with light clouds on the horizon made a beautiful sunset to the west, so we cracked a beer and enjoyed a very special evening on the Atlantic.

Monday 9th Dcember - Day 15
The forecast was for more wind to the west of us so we kept the motor going until just after midnight when we were able to set some sails and by dawn we were happily sailing along at 7 to 8kts. There were some rain squalls blowing through which kept us on our toes as the wind can dramatically increase as they approach. They also kept us pretty wet but that didn't matter as long as we were making good headway.
Andrew has finally relaxed after two weeks and is keeping us all amused with his singing, writing his memours and joyful antics. Paul thinks he has been drinking salt water.

Tuesday 10th December - Day 16
A day of spinnaker sailing and making good speed while we ate and slept our way across the Atlantic once again. This pleasant sail was too good to be true and we hadn't broken anything for a while. The wind slowly picked up and we were considering taking the spinnaker down when a gust hit us and we were not quick enough to ease the sheet so Pannikin rounded up into the wind, which made her lay over to the point where water ran up the deck and into Di's cabin window, soaking her bed. All hands on deck to get it down, but once we furled we found the halyard (that rope again) had jambed in the block at the top of the mast - BIG Problem. After a couple of trys at different things we were able to forcefully pull it down even though the halyard was still jammed. The seas were too dangerous to climb the mast, so it will have to wait till we get to port to be fixed, so we set a head sail and continued on westward.

Wednesday 11th December - Day17
The wind and swell continued to increase which was good for our progress, but not so good for comfort aboard with Pannikin rocking and rolling along. Simple things become major tasks when the sea gets up, just walking to the galley and making a cup of tea can be a bruising ordeal. Sleeping also becomes difficult as it is like your bunk is on a roller coaster. The sea conditions also meant we have to hand steer as the autopilot has difficulty holding course which makes the crew work that little bit harder, but they take this all in their stride and moral is still good.
The countdown is on as yesterday we passed the 1000nm to go point and we are moving well, so we hope to be in St Lucia in six days time.






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