La Cigale - Day 16 - 4 December - Robin Hood and the Merry Crew

"I've run out of books Mum!" Words any parent stuck in the middle of the Atlantic dreads to hear from their 12 year old son, when there's still over a week away from shore! That means a week to go until we can download more Terry Pratchett Discworld on the kindle for him, or the sequel to "Insurrection", a fictional biopic of Robert The Bruce. So we turned to a magazine I had picked up in La Rochelle with an eye on home ed - The 100 Most Important Dates in French History. Francis is totally into it because there are references to battle after battle, many of which feature in his "Total War" computer game, and he hopes to pick up a few strategies. But today our eye was caught by Eleanor of Aquitaine, as each evening I am reading a chapter of Ye Olde Englishe version of Robin Hood to the kids, and tonight's instalment is headed "Robin shoots for Queen Eleanor". We read in the magazine that Eleanor divorced the King of France, then conspired against her second husband, the King of England, so Robin best be careful where he aims!

Robin Hood is, in fact, the anthem to our whole sailing adventure thanks to Rich, who sailed with us from La Rochelle to Lagos, setting lyrics charting our travels to the tune of the classic television series following the exploits of the merry men in Lincoln green. And Helen is from Lincoln too. How about that?!

Actually Helen had her own escapade this morning when locked out of her cabin in just a towel, to Catherine's utter bemusement ("Helen, why are you sitting on the steps in your towel?!"), after the door slammed and locked. I offered to climb through the cabin hatch, then realised it would be less a case of lithe Maid Marian in Sherwood Forest slipping through nooks and crannies, more Winnie the Pooh in Hundred Acre Wood, particularly that time he reached for a pot of honey through a hole in the tree trunk and, thanks to his big tummy, got stuck half way, legs akimbo... Luckily, in the space of time it took to work through those scenarios in my head, the Skipper had sprung the door open with a nail, and modesty was preserved all round!

In other news, huge excitement that Incidence have offered to remake our bespoke gennaker, which is fantastic news and we are incredibly grateful. It does mean a trip to Martinique when we get to the Caribbean. Oh well, if we have to.. ;-)