Jubilate Mare - Highs and Lows!

Welcome to everyone who has chosen to log on to read this. Where shall I start? I guess where I left off would be a good idea.

Well, shortly after the initial euphoria (we should have known it was too good to be true) things started to go down hill. A familiar sound of flip, flop, slap, could be heard as the cc struggled to deal with the inadequate amount of air around to fill her. Then the wind died to nothing. So we reluctantly wound in our beautiful, rainbow sail and motored overnight. Up she went again the following day and all was well, this is it we thought (foolishly!) plain sailing straight to SL. Winds are looking good and we are maintaining a great pace to make up for lost time.

An uneventful, pleasant overnight sail under a full moon, enjoyed by all watches and squalls avoided. Pete and I had been on 4 to 8 so i retired to our cabin only to be awakened by, what can only be described as frenzied activity. All hands were on deck and it was suggested that i went back to bed. I didn't need to be told twice. Not great in any stressful situation that is always a good call! By all accounts this was another event best dealt with in daylight - so that at least was a plus in the unwanted situation. As I understand things (and I'm sure Pete will add a post script if i get something wrong) part of the new rigging, the bowsprit, failed completely - as in split into two, taking a big stainless steel thingy with it. The crew took just an hour and a half to get things in order and all equipment safely back aboard. But they had tp dump the sail in the sea to acheive that. Good job and no mean feat. We will have to dig out the snuffer if we are going to fly the cc again. On the plus side, wind has picked up and we are making good speeds under white sails.

Good news - we shall pass the half way point later this evening and are still on target to make landfall around the date we hoped. Meals continue to be varied and delicious and Pete is baking daily, as our supply of bought bread has been exhausted. We know we are in the tropics because of the steamy heat, and squalls.

Bad news - no more bananas and I didn't get any. Grrrr! I used the wrong attachment to mash the potatoes last night and overheated the gadget-thingy - it may not be repairable but at least I have added a little job to Pete's list, I wouldn't want him to get bored! Boat is very rolly so lee cloths have to be used. Lying side by side, in the same space, is not an option if you want a good night's sleep.

Fishing is not going well, we've lost three lures in as many days and NO fish! Actually Pete says we did have fish They were enormous and just ate the lures

I shall up date you all tomorrow as to whether or not we manage to pass the mid-way mark without any further dramas to deal with. Bee at sea