Firefly, 11 December 2001
14° 57N 55° 59 W
Distance to St Lucia 293 miles

A good day’s run of 185 miles yesterday has now brought St Lucia to within five Solent/Cherbourg crossings and an ETA of sometime during Wednesday night.

As the forecast, supplied to World Cruising Club by WCS Marine and remarkably accurate so far for the whole crossing, indicates a steady 15-20 knots for the home run I’m hopeful that we’ll manage this crossing without being totally becalmed and without resorting to the engine. Right now, with a course of 245 M we’re headed straight for Barbados, waiting until the other tack is favourable when we’ll gybe across towards St Lucia.

Meanwhile the bread-making saga continues. Our efforts to date – and that is by all three of us – have resulted in only two that vaguely resemble loaves. The rest have been gooey, unmixed or, best of all, solid and unrisen. We think that we solved one puzzle yesterday. Duncan and Stewart, in search of yeast in El Corte Inglese in Las Palmas inadvertently bought baking powder or bicarb. Today I’m baker and doing something a bit different but will not reveal all until I see the results.

The wind is now down to around 20 knots and with it, thank heavens, the sea to 2 or 3 metres. However, as we’re now averaging around 8 knots there is still a bit of bouncing and typing on this laptop on the chart table is interesting. No sub-editor out here to pick up on the typos so I have to re-read carefully.

I have just asked Stewart and Duncan what they will do first when we arrive on Rodney Bay. Apart from the obvious, ribald replies both were surprisingly coy and said that they’d let me know tomorrow. Which is what I will do as well.

Most annoying feature on the boat so far: doors to heads and forecabin which have no means of holding them open – instead they slam, sometimes on fingers.