The Cabin Boy has also emerged from the silence and adds: So having elected to take the N'ly (great circle) route from Las Palmas and close/hauled thru the F6-7 SW'lies of our first depression, we got to the other side only to find the wind still in the W ... not NW or N as the met textbooks promise. To cap that, H pressure zone ahead after it. So from 27:47' N, at midn't on the 25th we began the long trek south to c17N and promised Trades. Co av 210T ie v little VMG St Lucia! Might just as well have taken S'ly route. Adding to the fun, on 24th mailasail hardware had failed so no grib files. [many thx to Neil - call me Michael - Fish Butters for routing, with occ'l assistance from Neil mini-Fish Thackray, and for forecasts from Diana 'the Admiral' Fish ] With o'all W'lies, lessening winds in so-called neutral zone between lows to N and Trades to S, and a couple of tacks at about 24:30' N, boat speed was down to 2knts max from noon 27th to 16.00 on 28th as we plodded S. At which point FW situation(no gen so no water maker after 25th) and wishing to reach St L before Xmas 2018 meant engine on. Motored c40 hrs about 245T ( to make a bit of W) thru great fat H stretching from Africa to 50W. Finally, o'night last night , some breeze settled in NE. So Yankee up 06.00 this morning, and goosewing from 09.00. Do believe we've reached the Trades...at last. Currently doing 6knts in 12knts true, so Trades quite light, and pointing just S (ensuring we stay away from dreaded H) of St L. Now just sit back and roll...