It's been a nice day with consistent wind, except
for an hour around midnight when it became light and a small squall came
through. The log is 2660, so just shy of 180 miles in the last 24
hours and about 175 miles to run.....looking good for a morning arrival in
Rodney Bay.
It was a good day...found
the fresh water leak first thing in the morning, it was a faulty high pressure
release valve on the hot water tank, cunningly hidden by an overly long drainage
pipe that exited into an obscure part of the bilge. Removed the offending valve,
soaked it in vinegar for an hour to clear any calcification (scarily effective),
lubed it with PTFE and refitted it successfully. Even though it was a small flow
of water, we lost 500 litres of fresh water but the water maker produces about
150 litres an hour, so it wasn't too difficult to replace.
Amanda had spent an hour helping me to
untangle and repack the spinnaker the previous day, carefully tying the sail
with cotton (as no wool on board) and coiling the torsion cable. In a lighter
patch of wind yesterday morning, we hoisted it and kept it flying all day
(before returning to goose-winged for the night watches), so it's all now
thankfully furled properly and stowed. It gave us some great speed for several
hours, though there precious little north in the wind, so we were on
a heading somewhat north of our desired course.
We caught one more Dorado....still no sign of that
illusive tuna. Dinner was chicken provencal, served a little late due to the
spinnaker drop and re-rigging the pole.
Today is the anniversary of the installation of the
first set of traffic lights in London, outside the Palace of Westminster,
resembling railway signals and lit by red and green gas lamps. It's also the day
that Henry VIII executed Thomas Culpepper and Francis Dereham for having
affairs with his wife Catherine Howard. And more women issues for royalty in
1936 when Edward VIII signed the historic 'Instrument of
Abdication'.
We can smell the rum punch already.....!