Into every life, a little rain must fall
Day 16 of our journey started much like the last few days with plenty of sunshine and relatively calm seas. The crew kept busy cooking creative meals out of the remaining fresh food, including the last of the fresh fish. To the delight of some and disdain of others we tapped into our hot dog supply for our dinner protein. Surprisingly after more than two weeks at sea, we still have fresh vegetables and fruit to enjoy on a daily basis.
In anticipation of our arrival in St. Lucia later this week, the crew began a deep clean of the ship, which will likely continue into the next few days. All were pleased at the relatively clean and tidy state of the bilges and sail locker (credit goes to Paul and others who have ventured into the bilges at various times to hunt down rogue fruits and vegetables).
As we neared completion of the cleaning tasks for the day, several strong if not large squalls appeared before us and an all hands was called to pull down the spinnaker as heavy winds approached. Unfortunately the storm came on all too fast and we suffered a tear to the kite that rendered it unusable for the remainder of our journey.
However, due to the quick response of management and crew, we were able to raise our Yankee and staysail in a matter of minutes in order to take advantage of the consistent winds. As a result, we lost very little time and have picked up speed on our journey to the finish line. We are now charting a course due almost directly west to Rodney Bay and what I’m sure will be several well deserved rum and cokes on the beach.
Matt, Nicky and Helen