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Challenger 4 - Challenger 4 Day Nine



Finally heading in the right direction….

It’s been an exciting 24 hours here in the mid-Atlantic! Yesterday we had a beautiful day of sailing and a gorgeous sunset – followed by an evening of squalls, winds blowing from 3 to 21 knots, and even an all-hands call early in the morning to take down our Genoa sail (otherwise known as a cold shower for all). The night watch was active as we weaved our way through storm systems, saw some incredible lightning (accompanied by no thunder at all) and tried to find a breeze wherever we could. But fortunes change easily on our journey and today turned into a wonderful day of sailing that saw us break out the spinnaker for the first time in five days. We are now on a south and west heading pointing us directly toward St. Lucia.

As of this post, we have travelled 1,456 NM, which puts us very near the halfway point. We’re all looking forward to a proper afternoon party tomorrow to celebrate our progress so far. It’s truly hard to believe our voyage is nearly half over!

Around the boat we’ve settled into our routines and responsibilities, both on and below deck. We did a targeted search and destroy mission for our “unhappy” fruit and vegetables, resulting in a show and tell of all the strange forms these once fresh items are now displaying. The highlight is a pear that slightly resembled the beard and hair of our crewmate Sam.

Today was Day 3 of Tony and Bruce’s epic fishing effort, using only rudimentary lines and lures while we travel at speeds in excess of eight knots. Despite the lack of immediate success, we have been promised “the fish are coming.”

Matt, Nicky and Helen

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