Jo - 14:29:26N 59:55:18W

Thursday 11th December 2014 It’s been (and continues to be) exhausting. God knowshow two handers or single handers do it! At the moment the heat is as sapping asanything else. Picture frying burgers for lunch when the temperature is 33°Cbelow decks. Despite airing bed clothes/ sheets they still feel limp and clammy;nice! I can understand some people back in the UK not exactly sympathising withthis viewpoint! There is a party mood coming on with less than 100 nm togo. It’s been a good ride, but our attention has definitely turned to arrival.We’re preparing ourselves and the boat; form filling (Ebola, customs, sailinginjury report form and YW Atlantic gear test questionnaire), repairs andmaintenance as well as trying to stow everything back in its original place nowthat we’ve used 80% of. read more...

Jo - 14:49:21N 57:25:71W

Wednesday 10th December2014 ....only 2 more big sleeps and weshould be there! However, at the moment we are ‘bobbing’ again; around 10 knotsof wind and a boat speed of between 4-5 knots.  The wind is just north of east and weare on a heading of about 225 (SW), trying to keep the boat moving by sailing150 off the wind under poled out genoa and main. It has become unbearably humid,with interludes of colder rain showers which are very refreshing. Yesterday PM we decided as the seawas relatively calm, we’d tackle the broken forward heads (WC).  By a process of elimination, we deducedthat the problem was a blocked pipe between the WC and the holding tank. Arelatively easy problem to fix you would have thought. Without going into toomuch detail (!) between a coat hanger and a shower. read more...

Jo - 15:40:95N 55:10:88W

Tuesday 9th December 2014 Many thanks to Rally Control for identification of ourmystery fish, described as “some type of Jack, possibly amberjack?” Apparently,Thula also reported a similar fish on Sunday. We are now 350nm from ourdestination and sea weed has made it impossible to trawl any longer. We made therash decision last night to eat the semi-defrosted chicken on the basis that twofish were insufficient for four hungry sailors and as we had another 24 hours tocatch another two, we should wait. 24 hours later it looks like the two finespecimens will end their lives as humble fish cakes! As an aside, Ian reportedour first sighting of a sunfish this morning. The recycle elves have been hard at work again in thecockpit sorting and sifting; essential hygiene in this stultifying heat. It. read more...

Jo - 16:37:79N 53:20:18W

Monday 8th December 2014 HowSamuel Pepys did this for all those years I don’t know! One thing is for sure,even though he was pre the internet, more happened in London then, than happensin the middle of the Atlantic now! No dolphins, no whales: just flying fish anda new one; sea weed. Actually we saw that for the first time a few days ago, butI was holding back on it in case we needed a lead story! We’d (no pun intended)like to know where it comes from? Experts as we are in sea weed, our first guesswas the Sargasso Sea, however, the currents we are experiencing are from thesouth and the Sargasso Sea lies to the north, hmmm. There are no fish in this sea or else I’d have caughtthem on a daily basis, right? We’re using squid type lures on the surface and 3’down but still no joy. Are the. read more...

Jo - 17:12:31N 50:45:47W

Sunday 7th December2014 Either one pot dinner or salads tendto be the easier options when cooking aboard. However judging the quantity a potwill hold when assembling dinner is often hit or miss. Last night we were wellabove the plimsoll line of the skillet used for the chicken Provencal and muchas I tried to reduce the sauce we suffered the odd spillage despite the factthat the stove is gimbled. Cleaning behind the stove will be one of those choicejobs when we arrive! We have also discovered another of those unwritten rules ofthe sea that conditions will always deteriorate as soon as anyone starts toprepare a meal. We now are fairly well acquainted with the ‘safe zones’ forplacing cooking items, however, there will always be that rogue wave thatcatches us out. It was sometime after the. read more...