|
Overnight saw less than perfect sailing conditions. Light air and a reasonable swell made for a bumpy ride and poor sleeping conditions below. A bit of rigging creativity allowed us to carry 5 knots of speed from 8 knots of wind speed. Overnight showers and heavier rain meant we all got to fully test our foul weather gear. Day light brought the end to the showers and more positive winds, so we are now making about 6 to 7 knots on a ENE direction.
Dining reached new standards last night as we have the first fresh baked bread which earned Vince his boat nick name 'Nigela'. He nearly got the name of Delia, but as he produced such a fine pair of loafs, Nigela seemed more appropriate.
With Vince earning his name, this leaves Liam as the only un named crew member - but with a week to go, there will be lots of time for his name to arrive. We also established naming rules, allowing us to alter or completely change names based on current or future performance or events.
Fishing from Eclipse remains unsuccessful despite other boats having snagged the odd tuna. The only thing we reeled in today was a rather cheeky seagull who took a liking to our surface lure and hooked himself through the lower beak. A bit of gentle reeling in and tender team work allowed us to free the beast and see him fly back to his friends.
Our nature tour of the mid Atlantic continued with a couple of near sightings of whales - one frankly a little too close up and personal for our liking. These are BIG critters, making Eclipse look like a toy in the bathtub. Barkus (also making the crossing) reported being mobbed by a pod of dolphins who were rounding up a school of 3 foot long fish, chasing them both in and above the water in a display predatory acrobatics.
All for now ........
- Liam
|
