Sat 5 December
Weeds are any plant growing in the wrong place, and 16 00N 051 43W is certainly the wrong place for us. After two days of weed dodging, hooking, clearing and setting out the watt&sea, we have had to admit defeat and hoist it out of the water. Our hydrogenerator is now weedundant! This morning we are surrounded by thick trails of sargasso weed; spindly tentacles interlocked like a child's construction toy. We are sailing through a weed-slick. Faced with this onslaught, we have had to pull out the hydrogenerator from the water to prevent it becoming clogged with weed. Moaning Myrtle has done a superb job and we are all sad to loose her valuable services. With just four days to go before we reach St.Lucia, we can manage our power requirements via wind, solar and alas our diesel engine. Our water tanks are full so no need to run our watermaker and we will turn off the freezer. Comfort levels will decline but not our spirits, boosted by a bacon and egg breakfast after our early morning tussles with weeds.
We are sailing below the rhumb line today - that is the shortest distance to the finish, not to the nearest Saint Lucian rum bar, although they may become close to the same thing soon! Big waves and 18-23 knot winds mean that we have no choice but to fly our white sails, as the rock "n roll motion would quickly destroy big blue, our large spinnaker. Yet we are hopeful of more spi fun if the winds drop back before the end of the trip.
Last night was another testing night for the helms. No moon until 3am, and partial cloud cover made for a hair-raising ride down waves in to a pitch black night. "Like driving down a motorway with no lights on and a blindfold!" said Helen in our quote of the day this morning. Luckily our reactions and shoulder muscles are now toned and able to cope with these trials set us by the Atlantic ocean.
This is the crew of Taistealai signing off for anther day of ocean weeding at 15 58N 051 45W with 541nm to run (that is less than one fastnet!
Chris, Helen, Will, Jem (and the penguin)