This morning, at 10.15hrs we will leave our slip on
Ordnance Island Bermuda to begin the next leg of our voyage. We will set a
course for Horta on the island of Faial in the Azores, 1800 NM away on
the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Free Spirit is in good order, with a new
patch on the Genoa sail for protection against frictional wear against the
upper spreader and a new genoa furling line. In light of the problem encountered
on the first leg with flooding of the anchor locker, Ian has devised a cunning
system, involving the application of Marigold Gloves, for
preventing the ingress of water through the anchor chain ducts. And we have
reprovisioned with sufficient fresh food to last several weeks should this
be necessary.
The island of Bermuda is enchanting and we have
all enjoyed our stay immensely but it has had a strange effect
upon Louis who has adopted a bizarre nocturnal
lifestyle. Each morning he returns to the boat bleary-eyed sometime
after dawn. His missions remain a miystery because he will say nothing but
he has been observed scrambling over rooftops in the town of St.
Georges in the dead of night. Our fear is that he is developing
vampire tendencies as a consequence of some wierd Bermudian influence and
it has become clear that we must get him away before it is too
late.
Log authored by Peter