Distance run last 24 hours, 174 nm. Miles to Grenada 697 nautical miles.
Time for some Falcon Atlantic pampering… it’s Spa Day Saturday!! Everything in life however has a price, and the cost of entry to Bev’s parlour of wellness is a preliminary and, it must be said, hefty session of boat-a-robics! A deviously crafted set of deckhand-themed, pulse-raising exercises turn Falcon into a sweatbox of cardio torture; ‘grind the winch’, ‘sweat the line’, ‘haul the sheet’, ‘climb the rig’, and ‘gybe the pole’ all part of the repertoire to inflict lactic pain and uncontrollable hilarity in equal measure. Fluff a move however, and a collective call of ‘hit the deck’ requires a penalty 10 press-ups from the defaulter… not so easy in a 2 metre rolling sea!
Unsurprisingly, the boys failed to make the grade for spa entry, so face-packs, nails, moisturisers and other such grooming malarky were the sole preserve of the weirdo with the cucumber-covered eyes; in short, Bev became evermore beautified as the lads continued to become increasingly salt encrusted!
The real highlight of our day came in the form of a quartet of avian visitors. The Falcon wildlife appreciation society was rapidly convened to welcome the four juvenile herons (?) to the boat; It appears our flying friends have a sarcastic sense of humour; whilst James was trying to capture three of these magnificent fellows in flight, the fourth stealthily landed on the solar panel some 18 inches from his head and misdirected camera lens; the humility multiplied several fold given Photo Monkey’s RAF tactical reconnaissance background!
Overnight our little aviators settled down for the night atop the bimini. Later, in the dark hours of the night watch, skipper Ade was spooked by a headless feathered body, swaying to the rhythm of the boat, on the side deck by the cockpit… it was George (so named as one of the Beatles) with his head firmly tucked away sheltering from the wind! By morning, only George remained for the free ride west. He has become increasingly bold in his moves around both boat and crew, and some captivating photos have been taken of him in the cockpit; we are, at least for a while, a crew of four aboard Falcon!
Finally, with less that 700 westward miles left in our passage, we have again adjusted and synchronised all watches closer to Grenada bar time… priorities are set for a landfall hopefully within in a week!
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