Bimble - Day 7 Bimble Log

So what has the day brought on ‘Bimble’……Lucy is getting KEEN, she says she hasn’t had any sail action today. So tonight is her first lone watch…..let the action begin!

I awoke this morning thinking we need a pick me up and decided make “The Kids’ something of a treat….It felt like the galley then became very busy as we had a bit of a ‘Bimble bake off’ ….Freyja made sun-dried tomatoe bread (delicious). I made a  cheese cake…..now that pretty sound fab. Well I have to fess up, it was out of a packet and the best thing about it was I decorated it with coulis and M&Ms to make the pirate face….it graced the luncheon table nicely. Unfortunately ‘The Kids’ don’t come from the same mindset of the older generations aboard, where you are served something you make a good attempt at eating it……they did not like it and so it went for fish food. I managed a small portion along with Rod, Stephen was kinder in his enjoyment of this sweet, sickly confection. I have promised them if we manage St Lucia in plenty of time then I will make my very special homemade cheesecake recipe. So I then made a what I called my ‘Grab bag choccy smear cake', I raided the grab bag for the Cadburys dairy milk which I melted over it and then dark chocolate was grated on the top. It tastes like a squigly brownie so has got a BIG thumbs up from the team especially ’The Kids'….I will say I have replaced the grab back chocolate but with 'fruit and nut’ bar….just in case.

Oh yes, ‘Sea Cloud 2” a cruise liner sailing ship crossed our stern this morning. It looked magnificent like a square rigger. She is presently on our port quarter and reminds us of pirates of old running down ships….so the cheesecake theme was very apt. She is sailing 6.7  knots so we are leaving her standing doing 7.3 SOG.

For those interested in the sailing. We crossed 20 degrees north sometime in the night. We are presently trying to stay at about 19 degrees north to maintain a westward passage towards St Lucia. Again we have had various sail plans to suit the wind as it shift or we decide to alter course with the swell. The wind speed was 18-23 knots with about 2-3 metre swells this morning and now has settled to about 16-19 knots. We have no idea where we are placed in the fleet but this morning we plotted where our friends were…..’Sea Child’ with Eric and Tamara are way, way out to the west on ploughing a fast and furious furrow to complete their 9 year circumnavigation….we are looking forward to celebrating with them in Rodney Bay. So we are pretty much neck and neck with others but we are not racing!

Freyja has just announced we have done a 1000 miles……hurrah!!!!!!! So we are about a third of the way there.

So what else….Freyja and Lucy sat up on deck trying to get a tan. Now you would think in the tropics that would be easy but it has been cloudy today and to be quite honest not like what you imagine tropics temperatures to be. Tomorrow is forecasted clear skies so lets hope they can get some rays in.

Stephen’,s Poem of the day shared at lunch

ON ACHIEVING FIVE DAYS AT SEA

Five days now at sea we’ve seen

It been great fun, but not serene.

Indeed, last night the wind did blow;

By jove t'was noisy down below.

We rushed headlong as night did darken

With trust in duck tape (!) sheets and ‘Harken’.

Our faith as firm as pious cleric

We chased on after Tam and Eric.

So what is learnt in this short space?

Apart that all things have their place

And that beware the careless sailor

During sail change makes an error!

For me desire to be more curious

To search the skies and look for Sirius

Of the fermament, the stars;

Which is Jupiter, which is Mars.

We've learnt that we are bound together;

Common purpose, three point tether.

That social platforms have no place

O’er friendships form-ed face to face.

We’ve learnt that God created oceans

not just to waken deep emotions

But to remind the human race

Of our position in His space.

We’ve learnt. as learnt our forbears 

When at sea there are just four cares:

Weather, food and when to sleep,

And which tis watch that I must keep.

So five days have passed beneath us

In our ‘Bimble’ we now must trust

For our journey is not yet past

Atlantic Ocean  - oh how vast.!

Freyja, Lucy and I feeling a little outdone decide to embark on a poem…..here’s what we have got so far, needs a little work

The seas are blue

Roses are red

We wish we were all still in bed…..

So over and out for the day, love to all

Nina Ducker on ‘Bimble’ xx