Cleone - Leg 16 Day 7 - Ghosting Along

Light winds equal hard work.

 

Especially if you are trying to keep the boat going.  Cleone is at her best in heavier weather, but she has a large spinnaker, and it is possible to keep her going down-wind in light airs.  But my goodness it is hard work.  As the wind backed and died throughout the night, she rolled to and fro, and the spinnaker collapsed and wrapped then filled and freed itself.  It was a good thing we did not have the mizzen staysail up - no doubt we would have had a complete cake and ar (no, not that word again - Ed) party.  As it was, the three helmsmen managed to keep Cleone going throughout the night and the miles ticked by.  Despite there being less than ten knots of wind throughout the night, we never made less than five miles in any hour, though it was a close-run thing in the wee small hours.  This morning is slightly better, with maybe ten knots, and a wonderful cloudless sky.  All being well we will be arriving at Cocos tomorrow morning, probably just behind or in company with Chantelle, who loves the light weather.  And there to greet us will be Kealoha, Branec, Faraway, Into the Blue and Baccaleiu; those who stopped to celebrate Christmas should then join us on Friday.

 

Apart from that, we have success to report!  Alex caught a huge Mahi Mahi.  As landed it must have weighed some 2 lbs (sounds bigger like that rather than saying it in Kilos), and provided a delicious lunch - straight from the sea into the pan.  Lightly coated with flour, seasoned with salt, pepper, shallots, green onions and garlic (Pan Fried Mahi Mahi with Grilled Green Onions was the very original name given to this dish - copywrite and patent pending GA Armitage), and served with Brown Bread on the Side.  There is a growing (literally) problem, though.  Thus far Norfy and the Skipper have managed to lose weight when at sea.  But things have changed for the worse during this leg!  The Skipper is on lunch duty today - Boo.  But Norfy's on supper duty - Hooray.  On balance, we will probably survive, particularly as the Skipper was introduced to the full-on Breakfast Tortilla this morning.  Actually it was a Breakfast Burrito, but who's going to split hairs like that when at sea?  This may not be California, but we're getting all the trimmings.  Meanwhile, we are working hard on Alex's English.