Thursday, 3 May 2012

Maintenance and thoughts of shore based delights - 3 May


Just under 10 degrees north

The work on the boat continues. We've finished servicing all the winches now. This morning Nautica watch have dropped the main sail and replaced the telltails (small ribbon-like strips attached to the sail to help you identify the flow of air across the sail). We are also rethreading the spinnaker halyards in the other direction. The jammers have been serviced, but unfortunately I didn't get to see that so I'll have to try to get on that one in New York so it's another string to my bow.

Yesterday, although we are motoring, we were upwind with the main up, in quite choppy conditions, so a few people started feeling queezy again. By 3am, when I came on watch this morning the sea was like glass again. We were treated at dawn to a spectacular cloud display. The towering clouds on our port side looked like cardboard cut outs against the lightening sky.  As our view became lighter still, we could see the alto-cumulus cloud covering several squalls and intermingled with wispy vertical cloud showing upwards convection. The sun then rose from behind these, quite delightful to have seen it.

Breakfast was then a treat, as Chantal had made a light fruit loaf, instead of plain bread, which made a lovely change.

We are now off the coast of Costa Rica, with 350 miles to go and beginning to anticpate the taste of a cold beer and steak.

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