Editor CJH
Good afternoon all,
It’s another beautiful afternoon out on the Ocean, clear blue skys and warm shorts and maybe a tee shirt if your modest, Whit favours the topless approach, just hoping he doesn’t progress to bottomless!
The spinnaker has been flying constantly for 30 hrs, we are on a dead run on a bearing of between 225 - 240. The reason for the variance is that a high pressure system is positioned NW of us and we are trying to skirt around it’s SE corner. We can’t sail on preferred course (240) as it is too deep on either gybe. We gybed from starboard to port just after sunset to track slightly further away from the high pressure but sadly further from the direction we want to go! It was a very quiet night as the strength of night winds decreased, I’m guessing we averaged only 3 knots (20 miles) between midnight and sunrise (no a lot with c.2500 miles to go). The moon set at about 0300hrs as I took my watch and I was blessed with a moonless star filled night, the ones I love. I spent most of my watch stargazing, trying to identify different constellations, individual stars and planets (and reading about them). An appreciation of the stars distance from us, usually several million light years, the facts about our solar system planets, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus etc, I find truly awe inspiring and it makes my mind boggle into philosophical and theological issues. There is time at sea and especially on deck on your own, at night, for your mind to run free (dom). All sorts of thoughts appear in my mind and images (don’t worry I’ve not been taking anything…yet!), but who needs anything when you out here? Well, except fine food and exquisite company, speaking of which, Whit (Ian) is excelling himself on the cooking front and served up a superb cauliflower curry (apparently the cauliflower was going off) enhanced by Whits own herbal and spice additives. Surprisingly he is even rivalling the renowned transatlantic yacht chef, the great, Jane Robertson/Williams but we shall reserve final judgement until we reach St.Lucia. The Crew are in trepidation as Simon Whitaker has volunteered to cook tonight - Mushroom Stroganoff but fortunately he is under the watchful eye of his younger brother!
I have apparently become anal over the rubbish. We do not throw anything that isn’t organic waste overboard. All rubbish is put into empty plastic water bottles by cutting it up, to get through the neck, and then compressing it with the wrong end of a wooden spoon. This technique has two advantages; firstly it is amazing how much material you can get into a single bottle thereby reducing ; secondly once sealed they contain any nasty smells. I learned this methodology from the late Francis Williams on my last crossing in 2013. At the time I too thought it quite an anal activity but it seems to have rubbed off, with small anal refinements including different bottles for different materials so they can be recycled when we get to St Lucia (Gold Star from chief environmentalist And can crusher) Ian Whitaker. On this subject I’m sad to report that Stu had to confess he had put tissue in the hard plastics bottle and had to retrieve it. As Simon said not everybody is perfect!!! (Apart from the skipper of course).
Speaking of Simon so far his fishing exploits have not yielded the supply of fresh food promised. We are slightly concerned as we were relying on him for days 22, 23, 24 etc which at current rate of progress look likely!
The day has been spent relaxing in the cockpit with no sail adjustment necessary. The water maker is working well and so far Ian has calculated it has cost him about £1000 per shower, he is therefore making maximum usage to get his monies worth, meanwhile Nigel has been keeping the crew entertained with all manner of tales.
The crew are happy and relaxed and well fed, the rhythm of the sea is building.
Love and best wishes from us all to yo all
21.30.96N 022.13.80W