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El Mundo - Sunday 2nd December



A stormy and storming night. We are being chased across the Atlantic by a F6/7 breeze with El Mundo crashing, surfing, and barging her way through turbulent seas in a direct line for St Lucia.

We are now regularly clocking 200 mile plus 24 hour runs and in a couple of hours or so will pass the first 1000 mile milestone. At this rate of progress and provided the breeze holds and the boat stays together we should be half-way to St Lucia late Tuesday afternoon which is just over seven days since departing Las Palmas. Amazing progress!!!

But all the boats around us seem to be doing equally well. We have been playing dog-tag with two other Oyster 56's both of which are currently less than a few miles away. We have been holding the more northerly course in the belief the better winds will be there but it looks like we shall have to turn more south soon to avoid an area of zilch wind in the middle of the Atlantic - how can that be? Surely there is always wind over the ocean?

In fact we have just changed the sail plan to give a more comfortable and stable ride for El Mundo and her crew. Instead of running before the wind, we have altered course slightly to bring the wind round onto El Mundo's port(left) side. This tends to help keep the boat heeled to one side rather than bouncing around all over the place, rolling from side to side making moving around the boat rather like an adventure training course. It is quite difficult to describe what it is like running before the wind across the Atlantic in heavy seas. But let me try and give you an idea:

When you have the chance get yourself down to Thorpe Park outside London. There is a ride there called The Vortex. It is a favourite of my son Rupert and hismates who like to sit on the front seats - god knows why? Anyway Vortex lasts about 45 seconds and consists of one being strapped in a seat and being flung around tight loops and curves sometimes upside down and generally confused as to direction and alignment to the horizontal - Rupert loves it! Anyway, try it - I have done it once and thought I would have a mild heart attack; there is a photograph of me with a slightly glazed expression and fixed grimace as the ride hits one of the more extreme corners. Then don't get off, but do it again....and again....and again.....and again.....and again for five days, non-stop. And then try it without the seat straps. Well, that is something what it has been like on El Mundo (and I expect every other ARC boat) since we left Las Palmas last Tuesday.

If what we and other ARC crews have been experiencing was a ride at a theme park, it would be closed down by the health and safety police! But we are all well. Robert completed his first day as Mother yesterday and the brownie's at elevenses were a triumph! And I forgot to mention Dee's Eton Mess the previous day which was good enough for any Heston Blumenthall restaurant! Nick has been promoted to the position of Sailing Master for exceptional skill and dedication over the last few days - every boat should have a Nick.I am going to try and find a way of cloning him for the greater benefit of the yachting community.

Now for today's El Mundo brain teaser.Question Number 4. A vinyl record measures 32cm across. There is a 1cm margin around the edge and a centre label, which measures 10cm across. There are 30 grooves per cm. How far, within a couple of cm's or so, does the needle travel if the record is played from start to finish? Have fun - conditions of entry and how to respond are detailed in our previous blogs.

As always love to all ashore who matter to Jonathan, Dee, Nick and Robert - you are in our thoughts and hopefully we are occassionally in yours.This is yacht El Mundo - ooovvvvvvveeeeeerrrrrrr aaaannnnnddd out!


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