Challenger 2 - Challenger 2 Day Nine

Hi to you all, we hope you are all enjoying the regular updates. Today after our lovely breakfast from white watch we all worked on deck for the final push to stitch the Yankee one. Success!! Then we did a sweep stake to estimate how long the repair would last!!!

Lunch was salmon with a variety of cheeses including the boats favourite blue cheese, Ollie is delighted it is being used up! The wind the last 24h hours has changed direction from south East round to the North. We are looking forward by Wednesday/Thursday to having the wind behind us pushing us to St Lucia.

By late morning we celebrated getting half way, covering 1410 miles, this meant Party time!

At 3pm we all got dressed into our 1960s flower power party gear, Monkey (Skipper) gave his speech and said we were his best crew then handed out party gifts. The Mother watch baked lovely cakes to celebrate. With great hilarity photos were taken whilst Thomas tried to steer the boat. The crew blew up balloons and attempted to sing Disney songs. Terry and John embraced their feminine sides to compete with the girls. The crew are really getting along with each other it feels like one big family and learning from each other.

All are settling into our daily routine with washing lines for our washing to assist with our speed. We are all looking forward to our meat ball dinner tonight.

Becalmed during the night leading to flogging sails and the insertion of two reefs in the mainsail. At daylight the Atlantic Ocean resembled lake placid in the spring, so fishing lines deployed with the hope to achieve fish supper!!

70 miles sailed in 24 hours, crew fit and well enjoying every moment.

St Lucia here we come, should be a breeze!!

Kathryn

p.s. Love to the Smaller family