Milla of Falmouth - Milla: Progress Report 12 - Mindelo / St Lucia Part 4

Hi all

Sunday. The fun has not stopped. The winds are still 18-20 knots and we
are romping along at a respectable 7-8-9 knots. Once again the curse of
the night has cast its spell. Around 0200 this morning, as we were rolling
down big waves surfing nicely, the autopilot decided to disengage and stop
doing its thing. As a consequence for the rest of the night we decided to
hand steer until day light when it would be easier to establish what the
problem was. When daylight did arrive, and after exploration in the stern
locker, it transpired that the pin which links the two autopilot rams to
the rudder quadrant has sheered. Another job for the the 'to do' list.

So for the remaining 300 miles, we will be hand steering. It is not all
bad. The seas are very confused at the moment and the winds are quite
strong which frequently sends the autopilot into a bit of a tiss requiring
manual attention. So now the difference is, it is full time.

I am now getting to the stage when, apart from the beer and shower thing,
we are looking forward to reaching St Lucia to put a stop to growing
breakage list. The wear and tear on the boat is amazing. Heaven knows what
goes ping when crossing the Pacific. You would need to take a spare boat.

On another front, the washing bag is also starting to fight back, so dry
land sounds like a good thing.

Monday. Another busy night with big winds and rolly seas. We are now
definitely in squall country - record speed today 16.5 knots surfing down
a wave. Just to finish off the 'to do' list in grand style, the forepeak
head is now blocked, bring out the marigolds!

All the best

Derek and Anita.