Light airs, flat seas and sunshine

16:50 UTC 15/11/07 23'03N 21.50W Wind ENE1-2

Almost perfect sailing. We'd happily take another 10 knots of wind right now, as things are a little slow, but we're making enough miles, using the engine for about 5 hours a day and enjoying calm, warm but not too hot weather - about 27 degrees.

The sun rises at 7:30 and sets at 19:30 and shipboard life only extends to daylight hours, the night is a sequence of two hour watches and sleep. In those 12 hours of activity, we cook and eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, clean the boat, keep up with small maintenance tasks and find some time to read, sleep and sometimes write. It's not exactly stressful right now.

The dolphins have been back, a few at night time and a couple more just now, their appearance brought all the photographers onto deck only to have the canny creatures lose interest and swim lazily away from the disappointed paparazzi.

Dinner tonight is a vegetable thai curry, currently taking shape in the galley and smelling fantastic, although there is enough for eight so we will be eating leftovers in the near future. Last night's dessert deserves a mention in despatches, it was my mother's fruit cake, carefully prepared and shipped out to us. Ian, needing gluten free, had to avoid what was probably the ultimate in forbidden foods for him, but the rest of us found it excellent, as ever. We considered awarding the DFC but were unsure as to Mother's reaction to being called a Distinguished Fruit Cake.

Cocktails are less prevalent among this crew, but happy hour each evening usually sees a selective raid on the ship's spirit locker by each of us choosing their own drink.

All's well. Adieu. N

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see:

http://www.sailmail.com