Tuesday, November 27, 2007

We have made excellent mileage since leaving Bermuda last Thursday. We have only 235 nautical miles left before we arrive in Falmouth Harbour, Antigua. We expect to arrive Thursday morning. Our average speed has risen to 5.7 nm, but the last few days in the trade winds have been faster than that. Right now winds are ESE 21-27 knots – a lot lighter than the gale force winds of yesterday. The barometer reads 1018. Our position is 22 05.78N 062 28.59 W. Water temperature is 81.6. We spent much of yesterday below in the cabin trying to stay dry. Today the seas are still sloppy, but not so much as to regularly soak the cockpit. There is little to do in terms of projects – it is just too rough. We can sit in the cockpit, though, and that feels wonderful. Not much to report: one flying fish carcass on deck, no ships or other vessels sighted within the last 24 hours. One cargo ship came up on the AIS, but it was 12 miles away so we could not see it.

One of the delightful things about warm weather cruising is that our only "gear" outside of shorts and shirts are the lifejacket, harness and tether. No long johns or foul weather suits. We have not worn shoes since Bermuda – quite a luxury for us. Of course, hats and sunglasses are necessary, as is sun block.

Many vessels contacted Herb on the SSB yesterday. One boat was in Trinidad. Another in the Canary Islands. Another in the western Caribbean, closer to the Panama Canal. Our attempts to join the conversation have failed, but it may be due to operator error. We need to get out the instruction booklet. It was quite enjoyable to listen to others describe their positions and to be able to identify their location on the chart. It seems amazing that we can listen to someone thousands of miles away. Thank you Mr. Marconi. One boat who called in was about 40 miles from us, so we did hear the forecast that the trade winds would lighten over night – the prediction was right.

We did not eat much yesterday because of the rough seas. Today, we will continue to try to eat the remainder of the perishables – mostly yogurt and cheese. Maybe we will have a hot meal tonight. We have pasta left and some Trader Joe's Indian food. It is hard to cook as the seas toss the boat, even with the gimbeled stove. It makes crackers quite appealing. It all depends on the weather.

Team Welcome.