OK now the wind has totally gone :(
We were motorsailing for a bit but now we're just motoring along as the wind is less than 7kts and dead on the nose. It's very depressing and not the flying finish to our crossing we were hoping for.
Also a bit disappointed ARC didn't send position report today, but now we're motoring anything could happen to our ranking. They say there is a motoring penalty and we have to record the number of hours per day under power but I don't know if it is a penalty as such or more just an equaliser with those boats who choose not to motor???
We are starting to see more yachts as we all converge on Saint Lucia now, we saw 4 today and spoke with them all on the radio. Good Fortune told us about their encounters some whales that stayed with them for two days! Possibly it was the same whales but soon after our conversation we saw two whales swimming at a distance and then shortly after that we nearly ran over one as they swam so close to us. Just like Good Fortune said, it too swam around our stern to get a better look. Such graceful creatures, lovely to see them.
We also spoke with Kantara, a british yacht who was asking for cooking gas, unfortunately we didn't have spare but in talking with them we also discovered they had no engine which also meant no electricity, woah! And now there is no wind they're going to have a very slow finish indeed. Another yacht asked if there was anything else they needed but they said no and were in good enough spirits.
Mike: Even though we're now motoring, we waited a lot longer than most boats in light winds before engaging the engine. So much so we had a boat motor up from behind us for a chat on the radio and then continue on. Most likely we've lost many places now. However, the silver lining with motoring is that its charging our batteries all be it at a very slow pace. Fred, Phillip and Ale (Phillip's girlfriend) are with us until the 15th of Dec and we were hoping to do some sightseeing before dropping them off at the airport on the south of the island. Therefore we need to work very fast once we arrive to get our batteries and chargers quickly sorted. Ale is actually waiting in St Lucia since Monday for our arrival, I notice the closer we get the bigger Phillip's smile becomes!