Hakuna Matata - Slightly better progress

11/27/08
Capt Chris and Ken had galley duty for Thanksgiving dinner Thursday evening.
We prepared chicken breasts stuffed with Parma ham and camembert cheese
accompanied by a baked corn bread stuffing and steamed Asian broccoli.

Winds continued to mount through the evening. By 2300 we were up to 28
knots true and had 2 reefs in the main sail on a broad reach. The seas were
extremely choppy and the ride was very noisy and bumpy, especially for those
trying to sleep below. Even with 2 reefs we were doing 7-8 knots. This was
a big improvement from the 2-3 knots of the past few nights. This was the
first night when we really felt like you needed to be strapped in whenever
you ventured on deck. We changed the watch schedule to ensure that 2 people
were on watch together. Skies were overcast and the night was pitch-black,
but at least it didn't rain. No boats were within visual distance, although
we could see a couple of commercial craft on radar.

As of 2400 we had done 330 miles and only 2370 to go. We are one of the
slower boats in the fleet. Our rating prior to the race start was 191 of
225. We are somewhere in that range currently, but hope to improve our
position with the trade winds unlike some of the racing cats with their
streamlined hulls and rotating carbon fiber masts, we're quite a bit heavier
and less stream lined, but a lot more comfortable.

11/28/08
Winds were still blowing up to 28 knots this morning and have held steady
though the day. Seas are running 2-3 meters and we are sailing wing-on-wing
downwind. The heavier winds are really moving us along. Over the past 24
hours, we've made about 135 miles as compared to 80 over each of the last
couple of days.

We're running under a reefed main and genoa today. We've shifted our course
westward and are running rather than doing a broad reach. It's much more
comfortable for the crew. We hope this wind holds for the next 2 weeks!

Ken and Liz prepared lunch today. They made scrambled eggs with sausages,
baked parmesan tomatoes and freshly baked banana-nut muffins.

Crew is well. No whining is allowed.

Latest at 14:00 GMT 29/11/08 2249 miles to go.

Love to all..Ken, Chris, Liz, Graham, & Gareth