Endeavour of Cork - Day 14 - Wednesday 30th Nov

Well, everyone seems to be contracting verbal (or written) diaorrhea now that we're nearing land - I'll find myself out of a job soon, with all the other bloggers around!!!

Another hot and steamy night last night, with very little wind, again right behind us - so another night motoring. Although I think Anais managed to get a bit of sailing in, but it didn't last unfortunately. This morning the wind hasn't filled in as it did the last few days, so we're STILL motoring. Yah boo.

I had to decamp from my bunk at some ungodly hour last night to the saloon, where I found a very welcome bit of breeze coming through all the open hatches. God help us all if it starts raining again and we have to close hatches - we'll suffocate! I finally got a few hours of sleep - the first in a few nights - while balancing precariously on the saloon sofa seat - one arm hanging on to the wooden rail behind and one knee jammed up against the water jerrycans stored below the table to prevent getting bounced off onto the floor. If you get tired enough it's amazing where and how you can sleep! I think we're all starting to hit a wall at this stage, everyone is tired and worn out with the heat. Myself and that sweatbox cabin have definitely hit the end of the road - if I have to go up and strap myself to the mast to sleep for the last couple of nights then that's what I'll do.

But we're all on the countdown now (barring unforeseen accidents or incidents, but lets not even go there) - I've prepared my last official meal on board, and have only two more clean-up-after-Conor marathons left. I have five watches left to do (or maybe four if the weather Gods look favourably on us). I'm sure the others are all counting down in their own heads, with their own personal benchmarks. We're all crossing fingers and toes for a daylight arrival at St. Lucia - I'm sick of arriving into places in the pitch dark! Again, that's down to the weather playing ball for us though.

After the high excitement of the fish catch last night, we all dined royally on a delicious veggie curry and fried dorado fillets (and yes, even I thought they were delicious!) prepared by Anais - and then basically crashed and burned. Today everyone was up a bit later than usual (might be something to do with it being not quite as punishingly hot after sunrise, thank goodness) and has bounded into action. Anais is off up the mast again to fix a line to the slightly damaged spreader, Denise is like a whirling dervish with a bottle of Dettox in her hand cleaning anything that sits still long enough (if I sit here much longer I'm expecting a Dettol face wash soon). Huge credit to her for keeping the boat in order, and clean, and basically a home for us all the whole time - I've seen firsthand how boats can descend into a waterborne version of Trainspotting, but that has never happened this time. Well done Denise!! Anais (while still at ground level) made some very welcome coffee while I was on the sunrise watch, and Dermot served me up some curry bread (don't ask) with honey. Delicious!

We're looking forward to a fresh fish-finger lunch later - thank goodness for anything but ham and cheese at this stage!!!

Right, time to go and see if the spinny is a runner, and get that engine shut off for a while.

Endeavour, over and out.