[p]pjr4728
[s]
pos: 18 58.382n 048 12.549w
sp: 4.2
h: 286m
w: 4-6 WNW, CC 6/8 SS nil
d: 28/12/19 12.00 GMT+0000
Our slow progress continues... we may just get the record for the slowest crossing ever! After one very welcome but sadly short lived period of wind on Xmas Eve and the morning of Xmas Day, the wind slackened, as expected.
We then tried heading S for more wind but that didn't succeed, so turned more north again a couple of days ago, expecting the winds around the calm patch we're in to kick in there first...
While the wind and seas on Xmas day weren't conducive to celebrating tooo much, by Boxing Day all was good (if you like calm and slow!) and allowed the Xmas Banquet to be cooked (Turkey for Paul, Duck for Sue. Turkey AND Duck for Mili of course:-).
About this time yesterday we actually started the engine for motive power, as the very light winds of 1-3kn had shifted to out of the north and west - on other words, bugger all but head on!. At least the calm weather allowed the skipper a brief foray up the mast, to replace the windvane on our electronic wind gauge, which about 5 days ago had rather inexplicably detached itself from the stalk up there, but with remarkable luck had ended up on deck (OK, in two pieces but nothing a bit of JB Weld couldn't fix!).
The wind should kick and shift around this evening to 20-25kn NE/ENE, allowing us to switch off Perky and allow some good westward progress downwind for 2 days or so - well, at least before ANOTHER quieter patch kicks in for the final couple of days to our destination. Hey ho. ho. bloody ho.
Meanwhile, you may recall me mentioning Bachus, the NZ yacht that was ready to leave 4 days before us? They were able to keep in great wind the whole way (despite us taking similar routes until we needed to head more W) and made landfall in Barbados on Boxing Day afternoon - after a passage lasting only a little over 19 days (averaging over 130nm/day). They certainly beat us to the punch in all respects...including the most important...Rum punch that is!

PS Last few daily runs (noon-noon in nm)
13: 111.4
14: 142.8
15: 113.1
16: 98.1 :-(
17: 95.0 :-(
(Total 1,980nm, at overall av speed so far of only 4.8kn. DTF approx 820nm)

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