Day 2 was announced for me by the whine of winches above my headat daybreak as the crew enthusiastically tackled the hoist of the new Parasailor. Up she went without any fuss and flew beautifully. The sail is made by the market leader for paraglider wings and has an airfoil cut into the centre of the large sail. It is performing very well in the lighter airs and of course we are hoping to see some strengthening! Given our "adventure" with the sails predecessor when crossing the Atlantic we have been super diligent at preventing chafe with Kevlar wrapping and moving the sheets from time to time. By evening, we were so comfortable with the sail that we opted to leave it up for the night!
The crew on this leg have been fantastic. Scott, the Kiwi skipper has exerted super-human efforts to ensure the boat was in great condition for the voyage; his partner Alx, from Puerto Rico keeps the below-decks spotless and provides the daily culinary delights; Jerry, from Tampa, FL by way of Cork, Ireland has been sailing competitively all his life (5 Fastnets, amongst other offshore races) and is the US rep for Parasailor. He knows his product! And Charlie, from New Orleans, skippered the first Sapphire, including our first Atlantic in 2009. Although motley, the crew are already truly a team and sail Sapphire to the optimum.
During the day, we decided not to continue on our heading for Jamaica and gybed south! The day also saw us lose what must have been a very big fish. Not only did he break the line, he stripped the gears from the reel as he fought to escape. So, no fish for dinner, but a very nice chicken curry. The evening was a tropical dream, balmy airs, with a warm light washing the sea from a full moon in a star-lit sky.