Sunday 23 Feb – noon to noon 158nm

Just 455nm to go this morning at 08:00 so now into juggling sails and wind

to ensure we arrive in daylight on Wednesday. Too fast and the sun will not

be up, too slow and we may have to wait until Thursday. The crew having read

Chris Doyle have now selected the restaurant we'll celebrate in on Wednesday

evening – The Galley Bar, St David's Marina. Skipper and Firstmate are

vaguely making lists of things we need to do ashore; domestic chores such as

the laundry (all we've washed between us are a handful of tea towels, a

couple of bath towels and Joe's salt encrusted shorts) and fresh provisions,

then there are boat jobs like getting a proper fix for the broken shroud

deck fitting and checking out it's pair on the other side. Plus a trip to

the fishing tackle shop is needed and some new mugs – melamine does not

bounce when flung to the floor by a rogue wave we've discovered so we are

down to just one mug apiece.

It rained in the night just once after 02:30 – a monsoon torrent which

lasted just long enough to realise it was raining, less than a minute later

the stars were out again as the F6 pushed the clouds scurrying onwards. But

it is warm enough to not need anything more than a t-shirt and shorts under

the life jacket. The morning was bright and summery with blue skies and

white fluffy clouds and the wind moderated to F3-5 from the east. Paul

cooked the promised Full English whilst the rest of the crew debated shaking

out a reef which we eventually did mid-morning realising that we now need to

average 6.25 knots or more for a Wednesday morning arrival. For the first

time in days Temptress' main was upsized to the 2nd reef. Apart from that

the day was undistinguished from many we've had – pleasant and enjoyable in

the shade of the bimini. Lunch came and went, we generously allowed Paul a

can of Tropical to himself and shared the remaining two as three pints of

shandy for the rest of the crew. The remaining beefsteak tomatoes and lone

carrot were deep sixed, extremely squishy and more than a little mouldy. The

chicken has been poached and will be served in slices with a mushroom sauce

for supper with cabbage (we'll be eating nothing but for the next few weeks

on board) and potatoes. Grog rations after supper before watches started

revealed there will soon be a rum shortage on board, fortunately that can be

easily remedied in Grenada home to the oldest rum distillery. All well on

board.