Rhumb - Day 13 - Sammy the Snake is back

Following a number of cracking days racking up the nautical miles, we can report that Sammy returned, albeit rather briefly, during skippers watch between 2 and 5 am last night. Brian endured what he termed as the mother of all squalls, with a wind shift of 65 degrees, torrential rain. Sails backing, winds up to 38kn and then down to 1kn, and up again. Our course suffered quite a bit during this onslaught, hence another reference to Sammy.

Prior to all this we had a bit of a celebration the evening before (Thursday) when we passed the half way point (measured by longitude). Bubbly and nibbles at around 9pm.

Just before half way, Tim and I had a bit of a sentimental moment when thoughts of home and loved ones loomed large, so apart from our usual inane ramblings, we hit upon ' The homesick, lovesick, mid Atlantic Blues', only problem is we haven't got to the second line yet, with the 'bridge' looking an impossibility. Still, we will continue, although we have to say that with the 1000 nm mark due anytime, all spirits have swung into countdown mode. Seems a bit crazy as it's still a heck of a long way, but an important milestone nonetheless.

The great winds have we are experiencing, sadly have a down side. It is now with the Atlantic at it's magnificent best, that the sea state takes it's toll on crew, as we are all experiencing quite a high degree of tiredness and general fatigue. There is also little time to settle, even when lying down, as Rhumb tries to contend with the swells and muddled seas which occur at times. Having to run the engine for power generation for up to 7 hours a day breaks the peace too. It's a tough old challenge, tougher than anticipated.

We had a stab at astro navigation this morning using the sun as our observation point. Gave up after the second sighting at noon as the boat was bouncing around so much. Will try another time if and when the sea state settles down.

Our current course hopefully will lead us direct to the top of St Lucia and Rodney Bay, and if this pace continues, we could be in late Friday or Saturday. Saturday most probably, but we don't want to count the chickens too soon as the wind could disappear again. That said, we have more of the same for the next 2 days at least. Faster pace also will help to ensure we have plenty of fuel and water for the remainder of the passage.

That's it for now, Rhumb over N17.53 W42.31