White Ocean Racing

June 11 - A more peacefull existence.

It looks at long last as if we have escaped the big nasty low which is behind us in the Atlantic. As it sits out there swirling around in an ominous fashion like a giant bath plug vortex, giving birth to baby lows all over the place, it is held out there by a nice big high pressure that is sitting in the Western Approaches. Good, we say here, we have had enough 50 knot jobs for one trip! The only down side is that we have been getting headwinds for the past couple of days, so we have been flogging away at 9 or 10 knots mostly hard on the wind, heeled over and bouncing around. Still, we passed the 1000 miles to go mark yesterday, and we are down to 800 this morning as I write. 800 miles to The Scillies that is, which always feels like we're home, then a few hours back to Weymouth if the wind plays ball! It is really good to have the boat and Weymouth on the same screen on the computer for the first time in weeks.

On the domestic front, our poor old mainsail which, if you think about it has done getting on for 8000 miles in the past few months and was already a long way past it's best, is giving up.It is literally coming apart at the seams, and the back edge now resembles Dracula's cloak in places - it's a bit loose and flappy! Now there are no more big blows it will get us home I'm sure. The worst part was that the bluQube logo on one side is coming off - I had visions of arriving at the finish line in Boston with just the "e" left, which wouldn't have been good as this was the side they photographed, but we got it stuck down again OK for the photos, but it is all coming adrift now!

I also now have a set of indoor oilskins as well as an outdoor set because we have a few leaks from the odd place, mainly the water ballast valves and the pump, which could all do with replacing or rebuilding, and the fog we have been in for the past few days makes the chart table seat soaking wet as it is all salty now and attracts the moisture, so when we have to sleep here, or sit here like I am now, you get a soggy bum - yuk! Al I need now are waterproof slippers.

Somehow, despite the huge size and variety of American supermarkets we seemed to have finished up with a rather limited menu which usually consists of porridge, cheese sandwiches for lunch (Yes, the bread is still OK!) and pasta of some description for supper, but for a change I thought we'd have some soup instead. Sam grabbed two tins of really nice vegetable soup only for me to find to my horror that the main ingredient was chicken stock - the Americans I have discovered put meat and soya into everything, and the former is not so good if you are a vegetarian - that's one reason why I couldn't do the Volvo fully crewed round the world race, I can just see a load of "hard as nails" ocean racers cooking an enormous vat of freeze dried beef stew for them, and a side order of lentils for the poxy vegetarian, how long would that last! I am happier alone anyway - just as well really!.

However, in the end yesterday we did manage a break from the routine - a continental breakfast of fruit, yoghurts, bread and honey, with soup for lunch and the last of the eggs scrambled along with a tin of baked beans for super. Back to normal today though thank goodness, I like my little routines! Sam had a Twix for breakfast though, I think he's all porridged out but too polite to say so...............

Home Home ©www.CMWDevelopments.com - All Rights reserved Home