Alpaire Day 6

The fair ship Alpaire continues to enjoy settled weather with occasional showers during the day and 15 knots from the NE. The day time temperature is circa 25 degrees. Night watches are now in shorts with a jacket for the rain which we get at some time each evening or night. We are maintaining our Westerly course waiting for the wind to go more East. Then we will gybe. At the moment our detailed routing calculations suggest tomorrow morning at 07:35 should be the opportune time. (our = Jan somewhere in Europe we think, and me). The exact timing depends on how long a forecast period is covered by the weather grib. Predicted meterological events in ten days time have the same probability of 1 as wind shifts in tomorrow's forecast. As you will appreciate this is an exact science and practitioners are never wrong.

We made 163 miles noon to noon and are now 1695 miles directly from our destination.

We did not get to see Jupiter and pals before dawn as there was a big raining cloud this morning . They let us know of their presence with a bit of lightening. We can see the extent of the rain in the cloud and its movement relative to us on the radar. We were able to sail a more Northerly course to avoid the worst of it.

However Venus and Tinker Belle have competition as we have our own Bimbo on board. Yes, procured for us by Angela, Jo, and Margaret, in that well known den of iniquity - el Corte Ingles. Bimbo is a stowaway and shares the forward cabin with Sam and me. Sam is the ship's doctor and is adamant that Bimbo is not good for our health - (long life white bread). Des specialises in Bimbo sandwiches and served them toasted today. For the technocrats it is one minute and 23 seconds, any less than that its hard cheese, too long a bit carcinogenic.

Last night the fish came to us. We had two flying fish on deck this morning. We think that the collective noun for flying fish depends on what they are doing at the time.

In the water, it is a shoal,

In the air, it is a flock

In pairs, it is bait, or a meal!

On the SSB radio net one boat reported that they had caught eight fish so far. They brought live squid as bait. They caught another big un as we spoke. I thought that he said a marlin but that was the name of the boat. They were planning to get out the golf clubs to deliver the coup de grace, Mulligans allowed.

All the best from Alpaire, we are enjoying 8 knots in 16 knots of breeze sailing 270 True, due West into the setting sun, and it is steak for dinner, again!