Rafiki - Only 1000 miles to go

Saturday 8th December

Emily writes:

We spent last night and this morning with very little wind. But bit
by bit we are now edging on towards St.Lucia (instead of backwards!).
We talked and decided we wanted to sail the whole way across and not
use our engine, exempt to charge the batteries. Thankfully, there was
just enough wind to ensure that the night was not unbearably noisy,
although progress has been slow. It has been incredibly hot, so James
and I are finding it very hard to sleep in our cabin at night. I
ended up sleeping on deck during Andy and Phil's watches.

This morning there has been very little wind, but we are just about
still sailing. When we were all awake (except for Andy) James, Mum
and I made pancake batter and put in the fridge to settle while we had
porridge. Once Andy had woken up, we all had pancakes with a various
yummy toppings: Nutella, toffee sauce, lemon and sugar and lemon and
honey.

After that we all relaxed - James and I watched "Nanny McPhee and the
Big Bang" and "Bridge to Teribithia".

In the afternoon we all helped to put up the spinnaker. It was a
little annoying, as the wind had just picked up enough when we were
setting it all up, but then dropped and such wind as there was moved
round to the other side of the boat, so the sail was out on the wrong
tack. Still, it was amazing sight and good practice.

After supper as the daylight faded, Mum, James and I watched the last
glimpse of sunlight disappear below the horizon. It looked as though
it was falling down into the sea. We stayed on deck for a while until
James and I went to our cabin to read our books and to have some of
King Arthur by Michael Morpurgo read to us. I drifted off into a world
of my own, dreaming of the taste of pancakes and reflecting on another
brilliant day sailing across a big ocean!

FOOD TODAY:

Breakfast - porridge and pancakes
Lunch - bread, crackers, cheese, pate, olives, tomatoes
Supper - homemade quiche, mixed veg from the freezer