Very light air during the day threatened to push back
our ETA at St. Lucia on Thursday by more than a couple of
hours. We first tried the a-symmetrical kite to give us some
additional power, but it forced us to sail a bit too high a course for our
destination (we will visit Cuba on some other occasion!), so the afternoon
watch changed it to a symmetrical spinnaker and correct our course to
a 270 degrees or due West, a bearing straight for the two
Pitons. Winds are picking up to to a nice 20 Kts as I write this and
our current ETA is now around 2 PM local time Thursday.
Another treat this last night at sea is the fact
that we have a relatively late moonrise and clear skies dotted with millions of
stars, an equal delight for the amateur
astronomers as well as the purely romantics among
us.
Conversation these last few days remains dominated by
what to expect in St. Lucia, what to do first when we get there, where to stay
onshore or how traumatic a return to "normal" life will be for some.
Even if the experience will have been different for each and everyone of
us, the impact will have been profound for us all. We are
already talking of a reunion a year from now, perhaps sailing on a smaller
sea than the Atlantic Ocean, e.g. the Med or the North
Sea.
Another highlight of the last full day-sail was Laura's
ascend to the top of the mast to inspect the
rigging and take some great pictures and videos. Not for sufferers of
vertigo, but obviously an amazing experience for those who
don't.
Position: 14.28.835N: 59.17.275W