Writing this (in my notebook) at 23:50 without a torch – there is a full

moon. Temptress is pounding along at 6 or 7 knots surfing at 8 or 9 with the

seas roaring around us. Every so often boat and waves get out of sync and

water slaps the starboard quarter with a bang then rises up to be blown into

the cockpit. George has been left solely in charge of helming as none of his

human companions fancies another soaking. Your scribe managed two today when

lured by the sun onto the helmsmans seat. Joe is drying our his Quinns shirt

yet again after a dousing post supper despite the new “dodger” made from our

sail number banner tied to the starboard rail.

Soon after breakfast (sausage and beans plus the obligatory Bimbo Thin)

Squiddie morphed into Squid Vicious with the addition of a small weight and

a triple hook in addition to the big single hook already in place plus a few

extra beads to tempt any nearby fish. Despite all this we have still failed

to land any catch except a few tiny flying fish that flung themselves on to

various parts of the deck. Just before supper our 3rd bite of the day was

being reeled in when 2 or 6 ft or dorade or tuna (depending on who tells you

the tale) was lost to a crashing wave. Supper was pork chop surprise, the

chops having a definite whiff were consigned to the ocean and mince was

cooked instead. tomorrow we plan to open the remaining vac packs of meat in

the fridge and cook any viable contents to prolong their life. There are

still a few more packs in the freezer but the end of fresh meat is in sight.

Fruit salad for pud was a hit – over ripe bananas, mango, pineapple and kiwi

fruit with the juice of a dubious lemon, sugar and cinnamon.

In the noon to noon lottery Kevin was the winner with 160 nm and having

washed down our tuna filled Bimbo Thins with a can of Tropical (beer in its

loosest sense) the crew began devising the rules for beer can pooh sticks.

It may be a race to see whose can sinks quickest or is could be a scientific

experiment about the placement of holes to encourage rapid drowning. Either

way the marlin spike has never seen so much use!

Finally Paul deserves a mention for his sterling contribution to the

domestic chores, his back still precludes much more than helming which we

aren't doing for the previously mentioned reasons so he has adopted the

washing up, refusing all offers of help. And the skipper deserves a plaudit

for remembering Valentines Day but there was no candlelit supper or flowers

just a frequent enquiry of his Naviguessser as to whether we can bear away

yet? The response to which is always; it is unlikely as we are already

heading towards our destination. He really doesn't get that there is little

more southing to be made or seems to account for the huge magnetic variation

in these parts. With a bearing to waypoint of 284 and a course over the

ground of 275 (all magnetic) we may have to head up a bit but for now the

Naviguesser is happy we'll hit Grenada and not Venuzuela or Tobago.

It would be nice to not need fleeces and oilies at night but the forecast we

downloaded this morning indicates the winds are set to continue and we

should make a fast passage.