Follyfin has clocked up 10,000 miles! This milestone was passed on Monday night, too late to celebrate. Instead the skipper spliced the mainbrace after supper yesterday, Tuesday, when the crew was issued with a ration of Port... thought to be too small by some who shall remain nameless.
So far we have had weather ranging between variable 1-2 and almost flat calm to force 6-7 with 3m waves. The record for most miles in 24 hr is 165, the least about 75. A voyage of contrasts! Apparently most other boats in the fleet are heading south whilst we are bucking the trend by forging south westwards. Hmmm, hope that's not a mistake...
Calm seas make cooking easy, so chicken with olives and fried fillet of Flounder (not caught by us - no luck on the fishing front so far but we continue to hope) were easy to prepare. Not so the lamb tagine, but we managed in the end. No good lettuce to be had in Tenerife so we have been having thinly sliced cabbage to make salad. Actually surprisingly good. Sweet navel oranges were the first fruits to start going off and lemons are following suit. So oranges all now eaten up and hot lemon drinks very popular - at least with cabin boy and first mate. Lucky we ordered half of all the citrus fruit to be 'green'.
The days are sunny and warm but breeze a little chilly. The nights are cool but not cold. We have had everything from completely clear and star-studded to total cloud cover and pitch dark. Last night we saw the sky lit up by lightning over the Cape Verdes about 500 miles to the south west, where a cyclonic gale was forecast. As I finish this post, I await our midday daily forecast from the rally control with interest.
So far we have had weather ranging between variable 1-2 and almost flat calm to force 6-7 with 3m waves. The record for most miles in 24 hr is 165, the least about 75. A voyage of contrasts! Apparently most other boats in the fleet are heading south whilst we are bucking the trend by forging south westwards. Hmmm, hope that's not a mistake...
Calm seas make cooking easy, so chicken with olives and fried fillet of Flounder (not caught by us - no luck on the fishing front so far but we continue to hope) were easy to prepare. Not so the lamb tagine, but we managed in the end. No good lettuce to be had in Tenerife so we have been having thinly sliced cabbage to make salad. Actually surprisingly good. Sweet navel oranges were the first fruits to start going off and lemons are following suit. So oranges all now eaten up and hot lemon drinks very popular - at least with cabin boy and first mate. Lucky we ordered half of all the citrus fruit to be 'green'.
The days are sunny and warm but breeze a little chilly. The nights are cool but not cold. We have had everything from completely clear and star-studded to total cloud cover and pitch dark. Last night we saw the sky lit up by lightning over the Cape Verdes about 500 miles to the south west, where a cyclonic gale was forecast. As I finish this post, I await our midday daily forecast from the rally control with interest.
Bravo! as of this morning, Follyfin is in the top 5 boats closest to Martinique.... hoping the others going south don't know something about upcoming winds that you don't know.... and no cyclones please. Smitchxxx
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