Xplorer of Hamble - Xplorer - Half Way Across

Today we are going to celebrate being half way to St Lucia – just over 1400 miles to go.

After 2 or 3 days of fairly rubbish wind and too much motoring we’ve now picked up a good easterly which is pushing on at a steady rate. We are back to the unending broad reach and enjoying it. We have another bit of weather instability to get through tonight which might bring light wind again and a brief period of rain or showers but its generally looking more hopeful for the next few days. We are down to about 14 degrees north and still heading a bit further south before we finally make our turn towards St Lucia.

We are into a good routine on board at this point but we have had a discussion about the least enjoyable bits of an ocean crossing. The front runners are

- removing inadvertently defrosted and rotting prawns and meat from the freezer

- being downwind of the holding tanks when the heads are in use

- removing used toilet paper from the fishing line (its all we’ve caught so far)

- doing any form of washing up especially when Tom or I have cooked (Tom didn’t realise that you had to stir the Chilli and it is alleged that I use very available knife, pan and cooking implement when I’m cooking)

- delightful smell of polyester shirts after two days

- looking under my bed in the food drawer and wondering what else may be found festering.

- motoring, especially the looks of childlike disappointment on Tom and Anna’s faces when the engine is turned on

But the thing we all live in fear of is getting the glare from Anna for any one of a number of possible misdemeanours. These include asking repeatedly where things are stored (me), improper use of the Dymo machine (Tom), use of electric winches for minor sail trimming at night (all of us), use of the Wind Vane auto pilot wind shift alarm (Tony).

We have to put up with all of that but sailing in t-shirts and shorts in the middle of the English winter isn’t bad. The dolphins and the night sky make it pretty spectacular.

Peter Bamford