Today has been a brighter day. Why? Because for the most part we have kept ourselves occupied with the trivia of preparing for a passage. We can’t dwell on fuel deliveries or lack of them nor lament the possibility we will miss the weather wind, which fortuitously seems to be moving further out, today it remains quite windy here.

From first light this morning we have baked bread, set a batch of yoghurt underway, fixed the baby 240v inverter, emailed UKMTO, handwashed a couple of tops that run terribly, soaked some laundry and some beans, but not in the same container, ran the watermaker and cleaned the aft head. All mundane stuff.

The naviguesser read through the pages of a pilot guide for the leg ahead and worked out a few safe anchorages should the weather turn horrid. The skipper then waypointed these in OpenCPN and ensured the KAP files (thanks Jim Cole) are to hand as satellite images are often more accurate in these parts than the charts. All that plus catching up with friends and family via messenger, WhatsApp and sat phone.

After lunch the laundry was rinsed and hung up, the remaining lamb turned into a stew with black eyed beans and carrots for two meals at sea and a cockpit locker re-stowed to fit in a new-to-us 8 kg gas bottle. We also looked up the phone number for the British Embassy in Cairo; we are not expecting problems but just in case.

We aren’t the only ones keeping busy. Magnolia changed their headsail down to a smaller one, Mora Mora hauled their dinghy on deck. Anything to distract from our situation, though I will admit to checking email, Noonsite and elsewhere frequently for news on Egypt’s port status. No news is good news, we will just have to keep on being busy or reading our books over cups of tea until the diesel arrives.