Mischief - Log Day 9: We have the wind!

27 November 2017 0830 position 19 deg 15.3'N 27 deg 22.8'W

Day 9 in the Big Brother Boat ( Mischief )

I came on deck at 0500 to relieve Alf, as we are doing two hour solo watches whilst we motor in flat seas, and Alf was delighted to report that the wind had now shifted and was now coming from BEHIND the boat!! WayHey! This means that we are at the far side of the calm patch and the high pressure zone is now giving us winds from the East and North of East - trade winds! They have not established in any strength yet and we continue to motor on 230 degrees (SW). The wind should fill in later as we head further into the high, its just a matter of how far down South we need to go to get the proper breeze. At least its a start. We have wind, and hopefully not from the vegetable chilli we had last night!

When Alf treated us to his presence this morning he was wearing nought but his budgie smugglers. How could girls possibly resist such a sight I ask? Dave reckoned by keeping their eyes shut. Yep, that would work. But Wendy has kept her eyes open and didn't scream.......watch out Dave, competition!

At 0930 the wind had risen sufficiently to make it worthwhile setting the code 0 set on the end of the spinnaker pole, goose-winged and then we also unrolled the genoa which set on the exhaust wind from the code 0. It works a treat with full mainsail and we are now hitting 6 knts on 210 degs but as we have had to sail higher to the wind to power up the VMG (speed made to destination) is only 2.5 knts so we're still not really sailing fully in the right direction. The wind should build later and with any luck head around to allow us to point more directly to St Lucia whilst still dropping further South to find the stronger wind suggested in this mornings' grib files.

I have been sleeping in the saloon last night off watch with this 2 hours on 6 off pattern and Wendy noticed as I got out of my bunk that I was covered in feathers. I can only surmise these have come from my sleeping bag, otherwise I am turning into a duck!

We have been sitting on deck in glorious sunshine this morning content in the knowledge that we are on our way again and hopefully have the more difficult weather patterns out of the way. Whilst we have all had a guess at the right way to go and voiced our various opinions, Alf has had outside assistance it has transpired from his sister Dodo in Sweden who has been keeping an eye on which way to go from afar. As we have successfully negotiated ourselves out of the mire having motored for only 24 hours (could have been an awful lot more if we had gone too far West) we decided that Alf should be presented with the Treacle Miners official hat for services to navigation......but as proxy for Dodo, his sister!! Handshakes all around and congratulations on receiving such a high honour indeed.

So conversation turned inevitably to the sail budget and a cruising chute downwind sail. The question as to wether Dave actually needs such a sail or merely wants one is a sore subject as the budget is there to cover all eventualities including a possible diamond eternity ring for Wendy. She has stipulated 1.5 carats, so to allow Dave more room in the budget for the desperately needed and wanted chute I presented her with 1.5 carrots there and then. She didn't seem too pleased with this compromise but never mind.

1600 and the wind is filling in from the North East and we are heading on 240 degs now, brilliant. We have 7 knts and VMG of 6.2 knts and promise of a lot more to come. Happy days! Crews Union suggested that we may be going too fast to fish effectively as we still had the fishing line over the back, but Neal refused to reel it in on the basis that "I'm not touching Dave's tackle!" and on that basis too I concurred as did Alf, which left Wendy as the only one willing to touch Dave's tackle - but she didn't know how it worked! It's marvelous the things one can learn on a sailing boat.

We have started to rock and roll gently now, a taste of things to come from experience. Spag bog for tea and all is becoming right in this our little World.

Hi Ho!

Charlie