Subtle Changes
As the miles to go figure diminishes and we can say with some confidence that after today we have only two more full days to go before we reach St Lucia there is a discernible shift in the crew's focus. Thoughts are straying ever more frequently to the arrival itself (which is going to be unbelievably exciting), flights home and reuniting with family. We seem now to be in some settled weather that is allowing us to head directly for the finish line under main and poled-out genoa and it looks as though it should continue, so we are fairly confident that we shall arrive early Friday morning. This will allow our younger crew members to catch the flights we booked for them originally and get home to their husbands, wives and children as early as possible and exactly on schedule. The captain is thinking more and more about seeing his own wife, who is expecting to arrive in St Lucia by air the next day. Were it possible, absence would certainly have made this heart grow fonder.
Weather and the ship's company
Only one more squall to report since yesterday, and yes, true to form, it was the dawn watch (Jake and Jeff) that caught it and were duly drenched again. Nobody said life was fair – as I write, however, all are dry and the sun has got his hat on – factor 50 all round.
Happy hour post Desert Island Discs
Now that we have heard everybody's selections and in the absence of a karaoke machine (Thank god, muttered one of the crew) last night's happy hour was an opportunity to extend the crew's musical education (Not again, the same voice muttered). So the traditional G&Ts were taken to the strains of the Bombay Bicycle Club (A different kind of fix), followed by the haunting Choir of Young Believers (Scandinavian thriller addicts would have recognised the title music from BBC4's The Bridge, Hollow Talk).
Company
It sometimes seems as if we are totally alone out here in the rolling ocean and it has certainly got us wandering whether we have chosen a particularly eccentric course (where are all those 200 or so other ARCers?), but, as if to disprove at least one of these thoughts, yesterday we had another pretty close encounter with a commercial vessel – this time an oil tanker on its way to Lagos, Nigeria, the Moray. All these encounters seem to take place at night, with the first intimation the springing up of a triangle on the chart-plotter, heading at vast speed straight at us. Luckily in all cases so far the ship concerned seems to have been keeping a good lookout and we have passed safely.
Food and Andrew losing his marbles
Dinner last night was another Jeff Taylor triumph, a pan-fried meaty fish (translated on the last Spanish menu on which I saw it as Stone Bass) with crispy sautéed potatoes and onions and the inevitable cabbage (the only fresh vegetable that is now left, but very nice anyway). In anticipation of this feast the captain had earlier shared with Lucinda (probably the only crew member who could be trusted with this information) the location of the secret wine stash and had allowed her to move a bottle to the open wine store. I have only just realised that we then FORGOT TO DRINK IT! There'll be some making up to do tonight.
Encoded message
Finally this encoded message was intercepted this morning – of unknown origin for unknown recipients – we pass it on just in case it means something to anyone:
“Squeezy cuddles to Arthur and Hugo from Mummy”.
Footnote: *Tuesday Afternoon – Enough with the musical references! For those unsure to what this one refers it is a track from one of the greatest albums of all time, Days of Future Past by the Moody Blues.
Andrew, Lucinda, Jake and Jeff
Noon, Tuesday 11th December, 2012