Day Two 12th - May
Noon Position 19º 29'N 61º 25'W, Course 050 degrees true, Speed (average) 5.5 knots. Distance run last 24hours 140 Nm.
General - We departed knowing that the weather is due to be poor until Monday, when we expect 15 knots of wind to come in. Therefore we have carried an extra 200 litres of fuel to accommodate the running of the engine for three days, this will get us to the area of wind and mean that we have full fuel tanks. Ushomi does not carry enough fuel to motor across the Atlantic, so we are reliant on good old-fashioned sail power. To use the engine and hence a chunk of our fuel at the beginning of a trip is not ideal, but you have to leave at some point. So far we have managed to sail for the most part, a definite bonus on what we expected. As regards us, we are settling in to the trip and all hoping for a fast passage. It takes a few days for us all to settle in to become accustomed to the routines.
Non Smokers Corner Day 2 -
kjwhflhiwjeflkhjdasuhgdfolujeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeeekak

Hi, this is Rod with a bit of an update from the motley crews’ point of view, the weather is fantastic, unfortunately that means that the boat is roasting hot most of the time as it's difficult to have the hatches open at sea(!). We just made a quick snack lunch of beans on toast and the 2 chefs (Me and John) are knackered. We saw a small tornado (waterspout) this morning about 2 miles off our starboard side, although thankfully it collapsed after 5 minutes. For the most part the winds have been great and we are cracking along at 6 or 7 knots. Just checked the chart and we are now in ocean depths of 4.5 kilometres, so its nice to know that land isn't far away. Lots of love to everyone at work (as was), the kids Nicola, Gemma and Matthew, and particularly to my gorgeous wife Rebecca. xxxxxx.

Everything is fine from my (John) point of view although I have to say that the fore peak cabin is an exciting place to be in a squall at 0100 with my fellow chef (!) at the helm. My own fault for not stowing things properly but boy when you get clobbered by a pair of dividers, then a compass and then a pack of Yachtmaster books you certainly know it. The watch system means I have until 1500 today to do a few things - wash a shirt or two etc. Anyway hope all friends reading this and keeping up with our progress are well and will begin to enjoy the daily up dates. Now for today's question - we have loads of cans of peas and carrots, peas, and carrots ( if you want to know why ask the kipper as he did some fancy deal with some people who abandoned a trip - why he didn't get the Kobe beef I do not know!) - anyway we chefs need an innovative recipe please - all ideas gratefully accepted. ( Editor: can anyone save them from beans on toast all the way?)

Day Three - 13th May
Noon Position 20º 42’N 059º 55’ W Course 050 degrees true, Speed (Average) 5 knots. Distance run last 24hours 120 NM, Total distance run 260 NM.
General - Hot. The weather is as expected and we are motoring a lot now, BUT we are getting quite a bit of sailing in, this is a bonus to our plans. Officially crew moral is excellent. The kipper cooked an absolutely delightful meal of mince beef, mashed spuds and peas last night, everyone believes that this will be the meal of the trip. Talking of food, thanks to Mel at Straits sailing for the carrot recipe, we are intending to publish at a later date. Strange things in the Night - Last night we sighted strange lights in the night sky, we are investigating and will update as we can.

Rod here, just come up from using the heads below, something I ate last night must have upset my stomach !, looking forward to carrot El suprise though as it can only be an improvement, thankfully our skipper is a good sailor if somewhat challenged in the culinary department. Also happy to report that, in my opinion, the lights in the sky were more to do with tobacco deprivation than aliens, although we will continue to observe. Just completed an emergency situation practice where we worked through a scenario that entailed us having collided with a white whale, I hope there is only coincidence that I had been sunbathing on the deck a few minutes earlier. Hoping to find out what happened in the FA Cup final, perhaps Matthew will send an email. Lots of love to my three beautiful girls.

Mark: Well I am back after a day of mal de mer; luckily not too bad. You will recall I wrote successful people surrounded me. This is proving to be a godsend although after latest briefing on the life raft I am unsure again. You see; success = heavyweight =ballast=stability. So the two heavyweights bunk forward, which at night is great the boat is on even keel. During the day we all sit in the stern and I can't see the bows clearly and get a bollocking for not keeping an eye on the tell tales. Meantime I need to sort out seating arrangements for the life raft!!! It is a beautiful day, music is being played, no much wildlife apart from the gunge found as we scrubbed the boat. Had a delicious lunch, although my mango waqs frowned upon by our resident carnivore which is another good reason to get the seating in the life raft sorted.

John here, and I would like to thank the kipper for confirming that we are a moral crew - I see no reason to question that! We are settling into a regime of sleep/watch/cook and clean - which was fine until we started on astro navigation as well today - I guess it will sink in eventually. I think that last nights meal will go down in history - brilliant optimisation of various cans. Who is cooking tonight I wonder and what will it be? Its good to be making progress towards the Azores - only 17 or so days to go!!

John

Day Four - 14th May
Noon Position 22º 7’N 58º W. Course 050º true, Speed (Average) 6 knots. Distance run last 24hours 141 NM. Total distance run 401 NM.
General Tactics - There are many ways to sail to the Azores from the Caribbean, but two are the most common. The first and more traditional route is to sail up to Bermuda which is due North of the East Caribbean, once at Bermuda (pronounced in nautical circles as Bermuda) turn right and head for the Azores. The second route is the rhumb line and is basically direct from the Caribbean to the Azores. The difference in routes is that the Bermuda route is approx. 3000Nm whilst the Rhumb line route is approx. 2200 NM. This is the point where all those persons with GSC math’s ask "why sail the longer route", to which I say "bloody good question", the answer is simple "weather". The route via Bermuda typically gets better winds and therefore better passage times than the rhumb line route. The ARC which is an Atlantic rally even stop for a week in Bermadu, meaning they sail literally directly east in good winds, or should do. We on Ushomi like the fashion guru's we are have opted for the rhumb line route, reason - the weather looks perfect for it and so far so good, we are averaging good speeds and know that in the back half of the trip can get good wind, the first half or more importantly the first week will decide the trip, so far we are ahead of our set goals BUT there is a long way to go.
Non Smokers Corner - Day 4 - Getting better but having seriously bad moments, only spent 4 hours tied to the mast yesterday. If anyone can fly a fag to the above position DO IT NOW.

Foody Corner – kipper’s loaf - excellent (voted best homemade loaf of the trip so far - 25% voting turnout) See photo below (loaf is on the right).

Rod (?) - I have to interrupt this self congratulatory prose at this point to inform our discerning readers that the 'loaf' (although I think the trades descriptions people would present an argument that in order to be a loaf, it should look and taste like one) was examined by the rest of the crew and declared unfit for human consumption and tossed over the side, when last seen was still bobbing up and down, left curiously undisturbed by the marine population also. On the good news front, my son emailed me to say that the Super Reds once again lifted the FA Cup although the Hammers gave us a good run for it. This, combined with great sailing overnight in good winds and a perfect moonlit night has put me in such a good mood that I am going to ignore the jibes of my shipmates regarding my eating habits - I have eaten everything that they have, although admittedly with my eyes shut and whilst quietly chanting to myself 'its only to survive, its only to survive'. Also on the news front, I saw a whale leap up out of the water this morning perhaps a mile away from the boat, however it steadfastly refused to do it again once I had my camera. As always, love to my fabulous Rebecca and hi to everyone else.

Rod & Loaf

Day 5 - 15th May
Noon Position 23º 6’N 56º 33’W. Course 050º true, speed (average) 4 knots, distance run last 24hours 100 NM, total distance to date 503 NM
General - A strange 24 hours, after having a cracking day we then had a day of no wind, and we have therefore been using the extra diesel we brought. So a day of only 100 NM and an average of 4 knots BUT we have just turned the engine off and are ghosting along at 4.5 Knots, flat seas, silence: wonderful. The important thing to bear in mind is that our plan accepted for light winds, it is the winds in 4 days that we are chasing.

Entertainment - Yesterday saw the first Ushomi swimming gala, water was warm, shore was 500NM away and the bottom 5.5 Kilometers beneath us. I dropped a coin and Rod was gone in a flash. Also yesterday afternoon we played hide and seek for an hour (see photo), good game but failed to find everyone.

UFO Corner - the strange lights reported earlier have re-appeared, they are moving erratically and seem to follow the boat. Referring to Professor Kookies book on extra terrestrials am slightly worried we may be abducted for strange and exotic experiments. Rod claims to have been abducted before and said that it was quite a pleasant experience.

John here - I have to say that the swimming gala was great fun - with the boat only doing 2 knots and people throwing themselves off the back Kamikaze style. Only swimming back to the ladder on the stern took some doing (can you swim at 2 knots??!!) and luckily the kipper thought to put out a few yards of rope to help us navigate back to the boat - Food last night did consist of some carrots and peas and the kipper really is now coming into his own with the various styles of cuisine that he can turn his hand to. Last night he re heated the carrots and the peas and served them with a butter knob, Mmmmm! Brilliant and talented the crew have convinced Andy that the "Kipper in the Kitchen - Cooking for Yachties" book needs to be released on line soon (any wayward recipes to the kipper please for inclusion) - Today's question: is there a boat anywhere with a Michelin star? How do we go about getting one on Ushomi? What can you say when he tells you he is to branch out into sweet and sour peas, peas in beer batter (don’t ask me where the beer is!) and even pea and carrot soup with posh croutons (God, he knows how to live it up - posh croutons!). Well that’s all from the galley. Elsewhere, the crew is fine and the days pass wishing the wind would blow more and then, when we play cards in the afternoon, we moan like buggery when the cards are blown off into the sea!

Cheesemaker all at Sea - We have had a good day and night sail followed by a very poor one. Something do to with wind, the heavyweights say. They are now onto steering by the stars, Astro - something they call it. Mind you, we seem to do best in the late afternoon. Swimming in the Atlantic was interesting watching a rope snake under your feet and knowing if you missed then it was "man overboard" concentrates the mind. Mal de mer seems to have passed, credit to the two chefs. I even managed to do lunch today. I see many parallels with cheese maturation as with trimming sails as we constantly search for wind and therefore speed; so we move cheese around the cellar to the best mould growth and taste profile. There is always something do to be scrubbing her - the boat - down, coiling ropes, etc. Clothes washing is an interesting but v. necessary chore and I have been putting clothes into ma bucket and treading them: seems to work; not too much21st century there. We are now having a bet when we will arrive, which is encouraging!

Rod here, don’t believe all this stuff about exciting swimming: dived in and realised we were swimming in 5.5 kilometers of water which is similar to dangling your feet out of an aeroplane at nearly 20,000 feet!, Also remembered that I had seen whales less than 3 hours ago and suddenly wondered if they were still around. Very quickly got back on the boat and thought: ‘Blow that for a game of soldiers’. Seem to have managed to break my toe over the last 24 hours, it could have been any one of 5 occasions when I stubbed my foot and wondered again where I had put my shoes. The hide and seek game was interesting for about 5 minutes, but was rather spoiled by the fact that the rules only allowed us to hide on deck. Worrying thing is that the skipper still couldn't find us. Andy has started to teach John and I Celestial Navigation (that thing with a sextant), now totally confused and wondering more and more whether golf may be a better idea. As always, love to my Rebecca and hi to everyone else. Big sloppy kisses for N, G & M. (Don’t worry son, yours is just a handshake really).

Hide & Seek

Day 6 - 16th May

Noon Position 24º 7’N 54.5ºW. Course 055º true, distance run last 24hours 120 NM, total distance run 600 Nm (total distance run is from the log and does not account for current). J love you A . E-mails from Stan and Gerry (veterans from November 05)- thanks guys, see you in November 06.
General - A good last 24hours, we are starting to get some better winds, all the more to carry us faster BUT still safely. Some onboard news, Mark has started to trim the sails every two minutes, as a result boat speed is always good whilst sailing and the others are taking up the mantle. By the Azores every man and jack onboard will be getting places on Whitbread boats. Mark is now known as 'Tommy Trimmer'. Rod has started to threaten anyone who goes near his toe, though earlier he claimed to have a broken foot, it was pointed out that only the digit was broken and he rightfully pointed out that the digit is on the extremity of the foot. John claims to be sleeping well in the forepeak, all of us trying to work out how to change this.
Non Smokers Corner - Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm getting easier and the guys are helping. Missing certain cigarettes (with Tea etc). Basically the test will be in the Azores so I am mentally preparing whilst time is on my side. Would I do this again on an Atlantic passage - NO, but glad to be at the minute. (does that make sense?). Mark starting to look like a B&H.
Watchkeeping - At sea we need to have people alert twenty-four hours per day, to do this we have split into a watchkeeping system. There being four of us we have opted for a one in three system with the skipper out of watches. Therefore Rod will be on at 0700 until 1100, then John will be on 1100 until 1500, Mark then from 1500 until 1900, all these 'day' watches are 4 hours duration. At 1900 Rod is back on until 2200, John from 2200 until 0100, then Mark from 0100 until 0400, Rod is back on from 0400 until 0700. This is the end of the night watches and John has the first day watch, this ensures rotation and that no one has the same watches day after day. As the Kipper I am basically on call whenever needed, as time passes people tune in to the boat and gain in experience, confidence and knowledge, therefore I am needed less. The times when two people are needed is when reefing the sails and when a squall is spotted heading our way, just in case. We are now at the point where I will start to take the 2200 until 0100 watch for the next three days, this means that the person who should have had it gets a full afternoon and night off (1500 until 0700).

Cheesemaker at sea - mixed spells here, no wind so noisy motoring as I sleep next to engine. We do 3-hour watches at night each and 4 hours during day, with our insect like skipper dancing around like a dervisher not missing a trick or tweak on the sail. It is fun to play with the "set" of the sails and see if I can improve our speed. Thus I am invariably fiddling; those reading this from the dairy will recognise the syndrome!! Managed to make lunch yesterday, well make is a bit heavy, more like open a tin or two, slice up some bread John made; Offered some pimento to our resident carnivore who nearly had apoplectic shock. Andy (skip) thank god eats anything and we are managing some level of control over him with the thought of a very expensive cigar hidden on the boat (he having eschewed the dread weed for the voyage)! Had some lovely Moon rises and fantastic clear views on the stars. Amazing how much floating rubbish there is out here.

Rod here - just doing my update whilst juggling the lunch preparation with the imminent arrival of my first loaf, it smells right and looks right so I am already 2 points up on the skippers offering of a few days ago. Lunch today will consist of anything in the fresh food fridge that doesn't smell too bad. Yes, we are at that point of the voyage when food declared good as recently as yesterday is being tossed over the side with increasing regularity (don't panic, only stuff that rots down or will be eaten by the little fishes, everything else is bagged and stowed in the anchor locker). So lunch today will be my first loaf, accompanied by egg mayonnaise that only smells a little bit whiffy. Sad to report a distinct lack of sympathy for my broken bone - I had expected no night watches and only light reading duties but this heartless lot don't seem to care. Good winds today and we are cruising along in a light swell and making good speed - this is definitely what I signed up for. As always, lots of love to my kids, N, G & M - I hear the wedding dress looks terrific and is guaranteed to have me blubbing in seconds, and finally big hugs and kisses to the gorgeous Rebecca.

John's turn - Had a great night watch all under sail, moon nearly full and borrowed Rod's ipod and listened to some of his favourites (felt like I was rummaging through his private drawers though!). Some of the crew think they can sing - which is a shame really as it is actually like a cats’ chorus when Carni and Kipper do a duet! And who the hell is this Sandy person?? And who did she leave? Have to say Rod's bread was excellent - so Kip now has to outdo that with something called Christmas bread - we shall see - watch out for more on that in Galley corner tomorrow. Supper tonight (would be Jackie’s favourite!! this one) - Spinach and cream cheese lasagne - but had to agree with Rod that he can have beans on toast if he bombs out and can't take the veg, cheese and pasta - all on his favourites list I understand!! (Our thoughts go out to Rebecca and family - how do you cater for this man?!!) About to finish my midday watch and then off all the way through till 0700 tomorrow -- I shall sleep well I am sure and can’t imagine why the Kip would want to change that! Hope all are well and love to Anne and will talk to you later.

Mark the Cheese

Day 7 - 17th May

Noon Position 25º 43’N 54ºW. Course 020º true, Speed (Average) 5 knots. Distance run last 24hours 100 NM. Total distance run 705 NM (total distance run is from the log and does not account for current). J coming to you A.
General - We have put a little north into our track over the last 24 hours to get into better wind, so far so good. A problem with offshore sailing is the lack of outside help and chandlers. Last night when we were slipping into night watches we started to get poor suction on the water pump, this supplies shower water etc so we value it quite highly. I decided to sort the problem in daylight, turned the pump off and went to bed. This morning I went to start the generator and the high temperature trip cut in, now this supplies power for the batteries and more importantly power to the water maker which allows us unlimited water. No problem I carry spare parts and stripped the relevant parts of the generator to fit the new part. The damaged part was last changed prior to leaving Antigua during pre trip maintenance and I remember using the last part I had, BUT I ordered replacement spares and stored them. When it came to fit the new part, the new part was different and did not fit, BUGGER. Therefore from seven this morning until midday and beyond we have been cannibalising bits from pumps and making the cooling pump on the generator work. As I write the generator is merrily humming away in the back ground, BUT FOR HOW LONG. Do not worry if we lose the generator we have back up systems for back up systems on here. As to the poor old water pump with poor suction from last night, that got bumped below the generator repair and I am seeing to it now, or at least after this cup of tea.
UFO Watch - Professor Kookie describes that the aliens we have above us are probably friendly and only want to observe and play with us. Rod was definitely on watch on his own last night but he claims that for at least half an hour something was there, in the cockpit, playing with him. As a precaution we now wear ARPs (Alien Rainwave Protectors) on our heads to stop the aliens from reading our minds. (see photo)

John here - how did I get suckered in to wearing a tin foil Brain Protector? Andy's bread was very Christmassy, rose like Lazarus and unfortunately hasn’t been eaten - only because we are feasting on other delights, pretzels and olives and of course spinach and cream cheese pie, (or Baked beans if you are Carni!). The wind is picking up today (nothing to do with yesterday’s delights I assure you) and we are sailing in heavier seas and stronger winds generally - making life in the fore peak pretty bouncy and sleep difficult - indeed Carni and I are likening it to being on the big dipper in Blackpool. Yesterday Kipper went up the mast to do some work and pics will follow. Mark was daft enough to have a go too. The rest of us said "non". More news from the poop deck tomorrow. Love to Anne

Hi, this is Rod. As the guys have said we have had a busy 24 hours with Andy doing the vast majority of the work and the rest of us encouraging him on by saying things like 'Urry up, I want a shower'. This really seems to motivate him as he always waves his hand in an animated fashion and says things that I have never heard before but I am sure are Yachties goodwill phrases. The sea is just what we landlubbers expect the middle of the Atlantic to be like, long swells of 10 or 12 feet and 15 to 20 knots of wind. As John says, when I lie in my bunk on the starboard (right) side forward then, everytime we bounce off the top of a wave you get a short period of weightlessness. This is like one of those rides at the pleasure beach in Blackpool, the problem is it goes on for hours at a time. Still, this is what we signed up for! It is my turn to have a night off tonight, in other words having done the 1.00am to 4.00am watch this morning, and the 11.00am till 3.00pm watch this afternoon, I can ‘relax’ in my bunk till 7.00am tomorrow, what joy. Rebecca - love you to bits.

Alien Protection.JPG

Day 8 - 18th May

Noon Position 27º 53’N 52º 5’W. Course 45º true, speed (avg.) 7knots (cooking on gas). Distance run last 24 hours 180NM. Total distance run 881Nm (total distance run is from the log and does not account for current). Wind Force 5 (19knots) Direction SE. One week at sea. J Bed bad for 1, good for 2 Ax
General - The last twenty four hours has seen us entering the high system that should carry us for the next week or so, hopefully all the way into Horta, our original plan seems to be working and we are pretty chuffed that we are now sailing well. If our plans work then you will see our daily mileage a lot higher over the next week in comparison with the first week. The other good point is that our position is such that the wind is veering all the time, this means that the wind direction is moving clockwise i.e. from ENE to ESE and so on. The changing wind direction gives us a more comfortable and faster ride, so instead of banging into it as we are at present we will soon (later today) be going with it. Cool. Bits that do and bits that don't - The latest 'bit' to have an identity crisis is the water maker, having checked it all through it turns out that the capacitor on the lift pump has blown, question "is this in my list of spares to carry" answer "it is now". So, though not necessary the water maker is what allows us the luxury of not managing water and showering in fresh water daily. Therefore after some thought I realised that the aircon fan units are fitted with capacitors and I have spare of those, though not the same size capacitor who cares, if it works. Guess what - we now have a water maker again and Ushomi really is a fully functional death star. The
reason to tell you all this, ocean sailing is not just the sailing but the care and nurturing of the vessel and all onboard, a kind of self sufficiency, requiring teamwork and lots of effort (not to mention the pixies that help at night).
John (et al) look forward to the "cool" - the ride is quite rough but we are making great progress and agree its worth it. Andy has been very busy fixing the generator, the water pump and now the water maker. Seems at sea everything can go wrong and its all fixable. Today we caught our first fish a Dorada - see pic, I have filleted it and cleaned it and Carni is really looking forwards to supper! (beans again no doubt!!) - anyway we have decided that whoever guesses its correct length will win a "Ushomi" T Shirt - so guesses by return e mail please - winner will be announced tomorrow. Back to me astro navigation now!
Rod here, not much to report today - with the boat banging about a bit in the heavier seas we are spending most of our time either in our bunks or on deck in the cockpit, reading or just chatting. Still no further sign of aliens but we KNOW they are out there. The gutting and cleaning of the fish was a highlight (sic) of the day and led our Cheesemaker to volunteer some organic groundbait so no update from him today but to all his nearest and dearest he is ok and says hello. Rebecca, love you lots, speak soon.

How BIG is this fish?

Day 9 - 19th May

Noon Position 29º29’N 49º 60’W. Course 50º true. Speed (Average) 6 knots. Distance run last 24hours 150 NM. Total distance run 1031 NM (total distance run is from the log and does not account for current). Wind Force F4 (15knots) direction SE. J pizza for the cat LAx
General - Another good 24 hours, the motion is better, people are sleeping and we are cracking along, not setting any records, BUT moving at a good pace and making bigger steps towards the Azores. Mark the Cheese is up and about again and at present studying Navigation theory, Rod and John are studying Astro theory/practical and I am basically trying to confuse/distract/and generally disrupt events, cool. 'Oxby's Grand Housy Housy', (see photo) Each day a number will be issued on the website, simply tick off the boxes and when you have a line or a FULL HOUSE shout 'housy housy'. To enter, names to us or David and we will issue numbers as per the bingo cards we have, then track the daily balls and dare to win - BIG PRIZES, FUN FOR THE FAMILY, TOP BANANA. First Prize are the Kippers favourite sailing shorts, they are severely ripped and will have approx. 15,000 NM under their belt (options: washed or unwashed). (All items kindly donated by Chris Horatio Columbus Oxby (potential Laundry Officer).
Cheesemaker back at sea: well what a day or so; all started because I got ideas above my station and decided to go up the mast. That started because Andy had exhorted us in our daily perambulation, all of 116ft circuit, to observe. So I observed a deck lamping hanging a bit askew, so the bosun's chair was called for and delusions of grandeur took over as I looked down on the crew from a very superior height. This was a bit foolhardy as they had me by the proverbials - the rope that held me up. Next mistake was to break a vow that I would not eat tuna again after reading about the horrific no. of Albatrosses being killed by the long line fishing that goes on the S Atlantic. I had some tuna for lunch; tea time and I was on my knees. No more needs to be said. Rod & John have been great taking over extra watches and even hanging out my washing to dry. Washing is done in a bucket on the floor of the cockpit and is a must other things gets quite poofy. Many thanks to R & J for their support. I saw a softer side to our Skippy as he also put me at ease. Whenever I am unwell in circumstances beyond my control, I just shut down my system and go quiet for along as it takes; but to do that on a small boat is a bit of an imposition on the others, what with watches and duties to perform. Meantime our appropriately named Skippy (Spiderman) has been heroic and as well as being up the mast and higher than I went he has to clean seaweed from our genie; change an impeller; drill some holes to firm something up. Fixed up Rod’s bunk, he has a waterbed; I have a diesel bed. Skippy as ever never sits still, I swear it is all on the revolting blackest PG tips tea you have ever seen. John and I are holding out on our gentler teas, blackberry etc. I have found Camomile excellent and even made ginger with a slice of ginger. What I have seen of the Ocean during the last few days is quite awesome or in Skippy’s words f...........ng awesome. Changes of colour, wind direction which alters the swell we sail through; endless stars at night. Today we are sailing almost parallel to the swell, which is fine. It is when we start corkscrewing then it gets uncomfortable. Beautifully elegant little birds/gull type that literally float inches above the waves. Lovely sunshine; what more could we ask for - just brilliant, Mark.
Hi, this is Rod, fresh from a night of no watches and 11 hours in my bunk. What great fun at the bingo today, just waiting for 1 more number for my first line and a win of 2 unboiled, not very fresh eggs. Judging by some of the smells coming from the cockpit today my fellow sailors have already won some and cracked em open! With rough seas the last few days I have used the opportunity this morning to catch up on my laundry, we look like an old Hong Kong junk sailing around the middle of the Atlantic, although I think the extra cloth acreage provided by my T shirts is making the boat go up to a knot faster. We passed the 1000 nautical miles travelled at 0710 this morning, a significant milestone to us and we expect to pass the half way point to the Azores sometime tonight, so we are as far from land as its possible to be - unless of course you count the stuff 6 kilometres away (straight down). I hear that Don and Stella have joined the site watchers - hi guys, big kiss for Caitlin x. It’s definitely getting a bit cooler at night now, almost at the point of wearing long pants but the dawns and sunsets are fantastic, with the night sky providing lots of entertainment with lightning shows, more stars than you ever see from land, fantastic moonlight, its all very moving. OK, off for 40 winks now as I have 2 night watches tonight 7pm till 10pm, then 4am till 7am. Rebecca, as always thinking of you and love you. Rod xxxxx.

Housey Housey

Day 10 - 20th May

Noon Position 30º53’N 48º11’W. Course 45º true, speed (average) 5 knots. Distance run last 24hours 125NM, total distance run 1160 NM (total distance run is from the log and does not account for current). Wind Force F3/4 (10 - 15knots) Direction SE. JLYAAx
General - Distance wise we are half way to the Azores (having completed 9 days) but we are getting into better weather all the time and expect the second half to pass quicker than the first half. Wind has veered around (moved clockwise) and is now on our stbd quarter, that is the wind is behind us. We have therefore hoisted the asymmetric spinnaker and are galloping along at 6.7 knots. The last 24 hours has been good though not as good as we hoped, we managed to find a bit of a hole in the wind and hence had to settle for a 125 NM day, BUT the boat motion is fantastic and we are all in good spirits.
Non Smoking Corner - Feeling good, two days ago I knew that in the Azores I would mug the first person I see for a cigarette, now I am not so sure, Mark has been briefing me on overcoming triggers that I attach with the evil weed, the only problem for me is that breathing seems to be a trigger.
UFO Corner - More lights spotted in the night sky and strange things have started to occur onboard. The Kipper and John have had a bout of alien induced flatulence but it seems to have passed now.

Cheesemaker on the rise - Unfortunately Skippy and John found a packet of dried apricots; as you can imagine as well having an on board water maker; we now have our own wind machines!! much to Rod and my chagrin. So Apricots certainly off the shopping list in the Azores. Another amazing day at sea; wind weakened a bit so those moments surfing the waves are few and far between hence the asymmetric sail to give us a lift. Although I secretly believe that all these "evolutions" (tasks in non-naval English) seem to arrive just as us three crew are settling down to read or just beginning to look idle and now a new evolution. They have now eaten all the cheeses apart from the goat cheese and we seem to be getting fulsome praise, which is a credit to all at home, considering the chiller has a life of its own and temp and humidity were very high when I arrived in Antigua. Poor Skippy and cigarettes, we have threaten to tie him to the boat when we hit the Azores; it will be difficult for him; anybody got an interesting incentive or indeed penalty should he falter?????

Hi, this is Rod, and to all those cheese makers in the North East, your cheeses look fantastic, but have you considered the market for a nice mild cheddar ??? - I have mentioned it to Mark but I don't think he is taking me seriously. All this sailing certainly changes ones life, I was showering this morning, leaning forward at 20 degrees just to stay upright and wondering if I will ever re-adapt to life on terra firma. My legs and arms have several bruises (not to mention again my broken toe, sorry Matt I will try to be more manly) and cooking a meal with the kitchen moving around constantly brings burns and bruises to areas previously untouched. Having said all of that, we have been blessed with good weather so far from the point of view of 'big seas'. The winds have been either light or ideal at 15 knots (ish), only for about 36 hours have we had rougher weather and winds of about 20 - 25 knots. However, we are only one third of the way through the entire trip, although about half way to the Azores, and are not counting our chickens yet. On the Alien front, we are beginning to suspect that our skipper Andy, who keeps offering to do the 10pm to 1am watch each night, has a rendezvous with someone who gives him ideas each day for 'on board bingo' and 'guess the length of John's Dorada' competitions. These kinds of ideas can not be emanating from a normal human mind. Also I think they are infusing him with experimental gases as some of the whiffs we are getting are definitely not of this world - we will monitor the situation and report accordingly. As its the weekend, thoughts inevitably turn to home matters and with the football season over, Cricket not really going yet and Rugby a bit thin on the ground, I am glad I am at sea. Love and best wishes to all, especially all my friends at Telent and ex Marconi (good luck A&K), big hugs and kisses to N,G&M and lots of love to Rebecca. R xxxx.

Rod John Mark

Day 11 - 21st May

Noon Position 32º19’N 46º30’W. Course 50º true. Speed (avg.) 5.6 knots. Distance run last 24hours 135NM. Total distance run 1275 NM. Distance to Horta (in Faial) Azores 975 NM. Wind Force F2/3 (5-10 knots) direction SSW. J MUL Ax.
General - Where has the wind gone, we are motoring and looking for wind. The last 24hrs saw the high pressure system to the East of us develop and hence we have been overtaken by an area of low wind, fear not. We expect to get back into winds of 15 knots ish later tonight/tomorrow and that should give us a great spinnaker run to the Azores, that's the theory. Before you decide to sack me as tactico and weatherman you must realise EVERYONE is stuck in this hole, there is no wind to the East or West. As you know, we stocked up with surplus diesel prior to leaving, this is allowing us to maintain a semi decent daily mileage. We are sailing as we can and expect to be doing lots of Asymmetric Spinnaker work from here to the Azores. For me it is a pleasure to sail with people who want to put the effort in. It is too easy to sit back and let things trundle on. The effort in flying the kite (spinnaker) gives us an extra 1-2 knots in light winds, this is 24-48 miles per day or approx. 210 miles per week (that makes the difference of a day and a half extra per week). The guys onboard are 110%, what more can anyone ask.
Astro Corner - What is astro navigation, why should we bother when we have GPS, it is too much like hard work. These are a few comments banded about regards astronav. But what is it? Astro is the ability to measure an angle between the sun and horizon, planet and horizon, or moon and horizon and then to calculate, using a bit of spherical trigonometry, a clock and some books, our position on the earth’s surface. The last big, big step forward for Astro was when Harrison designed and built the first chronometer, back in the days of proper warships that were made of wood. But why? The Mediterranean fleet under the command of Admiral Cloudsley Shovel had been relieved and was on its way back to England. A seaman claimed that they were too far North East and in danger of hitting the Scilly Isles, he was promptly hanged - as seamen were not allowed to have knowledge of Navigation (it prevented mutiny). In thick fog the Mediterranean fleet piled into the Scilly isles at a loss of 1600 souls, Admiral Cloudsley Shovel managed to crawl ashore, half drowned but alive. A local hag saw him and promptly finished him off with a rock and stole his possessions, or so the story goes. The Admiralty were spurred into action and offered a prize for the person who came up with the answer to acquiring longitude at sea. Latitude we can get daily as the sun passes overhead, no clock needed, but longitude was the key to an exact position. Harrison eventually won the prize, today the chronometers cost £5.00 in Woolies (a Casio does the job) but other than that we are using the same sun, stars and planets as dear old Nelly on the Victory in 1805. So for me Astro is a thing of beauty, shooting Dubhe, Betelgeuse, Balletrix and company. To navigate using this method must be more fulfilling than getting some numbers off a GPS.

John here - very interesting kipper- thanks to your excellent teaching skills I am delighted to report that I was able to get to within 8 miles of our GPS recorded latitude using sextant and tables so I guess its sinking in (we’ll say nothing about your calculation on this one occasion shall we!!??) Last night was the clearest for a few days and I was on the early watch which meant a very big sky full of stars and planets - quite scary how small we all are in the scheme of things. We have seen the occasional other yacht and a couple of big container ships - but largely we are on our own out in the ocean. So now we are less than 1000 miles from Azores - so its nice to think that we could be there for next Sunday - lunch and a beer on dry land without a sloping table and salt and pepper flying around the cockpit will be cool. Skippy is cooking Sunday dinner - promises us rack of ribs, roasties, sprouts carrots and peas of course! - he is a very capable sailing skipper in my book!! fingers crossed for dinner. We are now all hoping for some wind - whilst we are making good progress (135 miles yesterday )a lot of this is on the engine and we do like the sails up when we can - so hopefully we will come into wind within the next 24 hours and make progress.

Rod here, this astro navigation background is very interesting, and it is fascinating to understand the background, however the skipper is a bit brassed off today because astro is a relatively inexact science, but accurate to within a few miles in experienced hands. John got to an accuracy of 8 miles today, I got 13 and the skipper got.......well lets say more than either of us. I got 2 miles the other day but apparently this was ‘lucky’! It is amazing how time passes by on a trip like this, obviously the watch system throws everyone's body clocks all over the place but generally we are all up and about by 9.00am. A cup of tea and a chat, followed by cleaning the boat and astro navigation lessons brings us to lunchtime when we generally have a sandwich using a loaf that one of us has baked that morning. After lunch we do this web update, download any emails from family and friends (which are fantastic to receive, keep em coming) and maybe have a nap if your watch rota allows. We try to get inner prepared and eaten before dusk, which gets earlier as we trek east, so then we can have a cup of tea and chat before night watches kick in. We invariably are saying 'where did the day go' it even makes the Caribbean pace of life seem hectic. Tonight is my night off which is great, but unfortunately means it is time to catch up on my housekeeping, wash my clothes, bedding, towels catch up on my diary, charge ipod, camera, sat phone.... gosh life is hectic. As ever, love to all family and friends and Rebecca. I am thinking of you and miss you loads.

John with sextant

Day 12 – 22nd May

Noon Position – to follow! Course 50º true, speed (avg.) Distance run last 24hours 120 NM, Total distance run 1400 NM. Distance to Horta (in Faial) Azores 860 NM Wind Force F2/3 (5-10 knots) Direction WSW. J IW2BWUT Ax
General – Hmmpphh. Lots of motoring, we are not short of diesel but long periods under engine are slightly depressing, we are, after all, on a yacht. But needs must. So what is happening. There is a huge high to the east of us, the winds are anti-cyclonic (going clockwise around the centre of the high) and we have been skirting around this high. Now wind speed is directly proportional to the pressure gradient within a system, like a walking map the closer the contours are together the steeper the hill. At present we have very little change in pressure in our whole area and hence little wind. BUT, there is a low in the north east that is moving in our direction, this should 'squeeze' the high and bring about a higher differential in the pressure, i.e. more wind. We are expecting this later today/tonight.
Non Smokers Corner - I am happy to report that Mark the cheese (aka Tommy Trimmer) no longer looks like a Capstan full strength. I am now finding that I am not thinking of cigarettes and am confident that I will be able to resist the urge to smoke in the Azores. The temple that is my body is now being fed on preserved Apricot. Summer Breeze - I have had comms from Colin on Summer Breeze; they left Saint Martins 24 hours after us and although his report lacks a lat and long he appears to be 24 hours behind us. Quite amazing when you look at the distance we have travelled.

Rod's bit now - not much to report because as Andy said, we have got no chuffin wind !!!, we are in the middle of the Atlantic and the wave heights would do little to disturb the beach at Morecambe. That does not mean we are looking for big waves, just a bit of breeze. Whilst all this is happening (or not happening) the weather map shows a large low over the UK so I am sure you guys are getting all the breeze we want. On the amazing side of life, yesterday evening we were sat in the cockpit having a cup of tea and a chat when Mark spotted two whales about 200 feet from the boat just ambling along in the opposite direction to us. Now, our boat is 50 feet long and they were bigger than us!! ... just a truly amazing sight and they were clearly not interested in us at all (thank God, because every sea survival story I have read begins with 'The boat had been hit by a whale....'). Every 10 seconds or so we could see a spout of water from each of them as they gently swam along. It's easy to become blasé about some of the amazing things we have seen on this trip, but that did just stagger this Liverpool lad. We also spotted a number of items in the water that we thought were condoms. This produced some ribald comments about the fact that with no wind someone ahead of us had found a way of filling their time. When the count of these things had got passed 10 and we looked more closely, only to find they were some form of fish with a bladder that the creature could expand to allow it to float near (or at) the surface. Where is David Attenborough when you need him? Just for practice, we raised the asymmetric sail a few minutes ago, only to watch it collapse through lack of wind and have to stow it again!!! - depressing. All my love to N, G&M and especially to the gorgeous Rebecca; am thinking of you and love you. Rod

Cheesemaker at Sea - well we just had one of those moments we all dread. We have explained something with great confidence even panache; indeed we are the master of the moment and our pupils attend to us with open eyed wonder as they absorb our knowledge and clarity of explanation and expect the subsequent action to unfold as planned... Well, we had to change over to the alternative diesel tank to keep the engine going and of course this in our esteemed skip’s inexhaustible wisdom is a very very very straightforward procedure. Oh dear, an hour later, twice engine covers orf on and orf and on, bleeding diesel we got them going again. So our dear skip has the proverbial egg on his face. (I have sympathy with him as I used to have to bleed similar engines and they can be fickle; indeed at times I even had to light fires under them to get the diesel to run after v cold frosts). It has been a boring 24 hours except for the whales. We seem to wallowing with a cross swell coming from behind and no wind. It even rained on my watch at 0400hrs a sure sign we are heading toward northern latitudes. Even Rod our resident minstrel has gone quiet on us. John stoic as ever sits solidly observing all whilst Rod and I minister to our wounded skipper and do evolutions with the asymmetric sail. Fingers crossed for some good wind in the next 12 hours otherwise I can foresee the dreaded PG tips being back on my drinking menu.

Mark 'n Mast

Day 13 – 23rd May

Noon Position 34º42N 42º36’W. Course 65º true, seed 4.8(Ave.). Distance run last 24hours 115 NM, Total distance run 1500 NM. Distance to Horta (in Faial) Azores 720 NM. Wind Force F2/3 (5-10 knots) Direction WSW (last 24hrs) now Southerly F4/5 and steady. J ILUsoMitH Ax

General - Turned off the engine at 1800 last night and quietly ghosted through the night at 4 knots, waiting for the wind that we expected sometime in the early hours. We are now in southerly winds Force 4/5, the boat movement is slight and we are comfortably sailing at 7-8 knots. The wind is here at last and we should keep it for the next four days, this should put us close to the Azores. We are looking at an arrival on Sunday, though Saturday (16 days) is on the cards IF conditions remain the same, we shall see. But we are now heading direct for Faial. Weather - You will no doubt be quite bored with my daily weather updates. The big question is where does all this information come from. We have two main sources of weather when ocean sailing, these are satellite telephone and weather fax. The sat phone enables me to download electronic weather charts from Meteo France straight to the computer, this system is absolutely brilliant and is basically what the big boys and girls of offshore racing are using (Conrad Humphries, Ellen Macarthur, etc). The weather now is obvious, the weather in 3-4 days that guides the boat, as in where do
we want to be in 3-4 days. Therefore we are planning 3-4 days in the future, in some cases where do we want to be in 6-7 days. Using sat phones for weather means we can get tailor made forecasts, specifically to suit ourselves. The weather fax (see photo) basically picks up weather charts (synoptic charts) and written information (radio teletype) from the air waves using an aerial. It is similar to Radio's 1, 2, 3, and 4, the information is sent out as a radio signal, we tune our weather fax to the frequency and hence receive the signal. Signals are sent out from all over the world, places such as Boston, Northwood, Offenbach, Halifax, etc. At present I am receiving weather from the German Marine Meteorological Service every day at 0525GMT. The third source of weather is instinct, based on experience, we all do this, how often have you heard people say "feels like rain later".
UFO Update (see photo) More lights at night, more strange goings on. Our weather fax has started to receive alien messages, we are studying these (using our ABPs for safety) and will get back to you. No one abducted in last 24hr period. E-Mail from Mel at Straits Sailing (god bless her) - "There has been a tidal wave in Gibraltar this weekend - no one was hurt but they are mounting an enquiry as it seems the cause was a large, hard, white object that someone had tried to pass off as a loaf of bread being thrown into the Atlantic. The only thing I have to say is the thing got here a lot quicker than you all did!"

John here, it is great to be sailing again. The last 36 hours were somewhat frustrating being under engine and attempts to get the bigger sails up didn't last long as the winds failed us time and time again. So fingers crossed that we are now on a roll. Hope is that we are having steak chips and beers on Saturday night in Horta. Worst case seems to be a breakfast blow-out on Monday. The "bread tarts" are currently doing their thing in the galley (see pic) - its similar to the Fanny and Jonny show sans the capability - and big debate between the two is should they add an egg (our last one) and a spoonful of honey to create something suitable for Tiffin this afternoon. Time will tell. Anyway, Andy had the choice of making bread or teaching high level Astro Nav - Bread it is then Andy. Now we have to operate on the German weather forecast (Ute will be amused I am sure) - that well known nearly landlocked hinterland with a great history as a seafaring nation that is so well disposed to the British and we get weather from them! - Love to all and see you soonest.

Cheesemaker sailing - at last we have found the wind that Andy has been forecasting. last two days were tedious added to which exhaust fumes (when engine was running!) coming back over the stern due to astern winds was not very pleasant. But now we are creaming along doing what we all came to do; sail an excellent boat across the Atlantic. Skip now really bullish about our arrival time in Horta and already talking about departure date. The really important news today is singularly twofold. John announced he needed another hole put in his trouser belt and Rod announced he needed a belt. This of course will have a bearing on the boat's trim but as we are depleting our stores, fuel etc I suppose a bit of ballast has to go as well. Andy, you will be pleased to hear, is putting on weight and I am saying nothing. Starting to get my head around getting my two certs, day skipper and coastal whilst Rod & John are doing the Astro thing with a sextant and the sun, which I enjoy listening in on. Looks like a great sail today. Mark

Rod here: I get to go last today because I was making a lunch for everyone that I have to admit I couldn't eat very much of as it was a spaghetti with tomato based sauce (I say tomato based coz it had lots of green bits in it) and those who know me will know why it went largely untouched, on the bright side my shorts are getting decidedly big for me. I know a lot has already been said by the guys about the wind, it is a subject that dominates our lives on a trip like this - if the wind doesn't blow we sit still (or use the engine, but we don't have sufficient fuel for the trip), if it blows too hard we end up reducing the size of the sails (reefing) and sail slower than we do in medium winds, which is what we now have today. Ideal winds for this boat are in the range of 15 - 20 knots, and as I write we have 16.4 knots and are travelling along at a speed of 7 knots. To put that in context, the last few days have been winds of 6 to 8 knots, which is not really enough to move the boat, so we motored along. The other favourite subject at the moment between John and I is the first beer in the Azores - after 2.5 weeks on a dry boat, it will be very welcome.
As Mark doesn't drink and Andy associates a beer with a cigarette, they tend to ignore our meanderings - but it keeps us amused! Getting to grips with astro nav, or at least with the maths involved, still struggling a bit with some of the more advanced principles but am confident of getting there. No big nature updates today as the whale watch had a zero day and no new fish to report. Sat on deck after sunset yesterday with Andy and could clearly identify a few of the planets, particularly Mars which is distinctly red to the naked eye out here. Also spotted and tracked a satellite through the sky which I had never seen before. As always, love to my wife Rebecca and my kids N,G&M. Hi to everyone else. Rod.

Weather fax UFO protection

Master bakers

Day 14 - 23rd May

Noon Position: 35º33’N 39º36’W. Course 70º true, speed 6.6 knots(Ave.), distance last 24 hrs 160 NM, total 1670 NM. Distance to Horta (in Faial) Azores 550 NM, wind: F5 S (last 24hrs). J IMUMEDAx
General - We happy few. The wind is here and we are trucking, I will even go as far as to say it was worth the wait. Ushomi is sailing well and life onboard is comfortable, there is some movement but not enough to interfere with daily life. It looks like we will have wind to carry us all the way to Faial.
Time Zones - The world is round and therefore everywhere has midday at a different time. The sun comes up over our sceptred isle at 1200 noon. 4 hours later the sun has travelled over the Atlantic and it is now noon in Antigua. Obviously the Antiguans want their noon to be at 12 o'clock as this is the middle of the day, hence we have time zones. Earth is round and there are 360 degrees in a circle; on each day there are 24 hours. Therefore the sun moves 15 degrees in one hour (360 degrees divided by 24 hours = 15 degrees). Greenwich is adopted as the 0º meridian; 7.5 degrees either side of Greenwich marks the line between our time zone (TZ 0000) and the next either side. Therefore heading west from Greenwich, at 7.5 degrees west you move into TZ +0100, this means you add one hour to local time to find Greenwich mean time (or as it is politically relabeled UT for Universal Time). Moving a further 15 degrees west brings you to 22.5 degrees west and the next time zone (TZ +0200) and so on. We are at TZ +0300 and tomorrow will be going to TZ +0200. Due to our position at present dawn is at 0330 and sunset at 2000. After much discussion John and Rod in the front of the boat have decided to stay in +0300. Mark and myself are shifting to +0200, this means that if you walk from the bow at 1300 you will arrive in the stern at 1400, therefore it takes one hour to walk 50 feet. John also has a sweepstake running for our arrival time in Horta. We think he is manipulating Time Zones to ensure a favourable outcome. (Ed. Are they Mad?)

Rod here, quiet at the back - questions will be asked shortly - if you understood the above you are a sick person, if you didn't don't worry it just means we change our clocks every few days. It gets even worse when you start doing navigation with a sextant you have to work out the time where you are to the minute and second - very confusing to be at UK time less 3 hours 26 minutes and 42 seconds. The winds continue to be favourable and we are shooting along with a reef in our mainsail but a full foresail and we are getting some great sailing. It is amazing the difference in the mood of the boat, which is much more upbeat when we are sailing rather than motoring with no wind. Dieticians corner - help, I am getting sick of pasta!!! We seem to have an endless supply of the stuff so I plan to chuck it all over the side during my next middle of the night watch, so that we can revert to our emergency rations of baked beans on toast - lovely. Back up plan, perhaps the aliens will like the stuff and take it as a peace offering (probably start an intergalactic war). Everyone is looking forward to arriving in Horta for different reasons. Andy is looking forward to getting spares so he can play with the boat to his heart’s content. We are all looking forward to getting laundry done properly, you can only get things half clean by washing them in a bucket (ordinarily the bin). John and I are still discussing our first beer at length. But I guess for all of us arriving in Horta marks a big achievement of sailing 2300 miles from one tiny island to another tiny island and not getting lost, drowned, run over by big ships or eaten by big fish!. As ever, love to Rebecca, N, G&M (I couldn't think of names for my kids, so gave them letters instead) and hi to all friends. Rod.

How deep is it? (5km)

Day 15 - 24th May

Noon Position 36º32’N 36º34’W. Course 70º true. Ave. speed 7.0 knots. Distance run last 23hours 160 NM. Total distance run 1835 NM. Distance to Horta (in Faial) Azores 397 NM. Wind F5/6 South (last 24hrs). Food for thought - we are now slightly North of the straits of Gibraltar. J atNYareWMinMDAx

General - Another good days mileage, we also moved forward to TZ+0200 last night so our last days run is only actually 23 hours. We now have two reefs in the main and two reefs in the Genoa, in the night we put the second reef in the mainsail, more for comfort than necessity. Before reefing we were travelling at 7.5 knots, after the reef 7(ish) knots, so we have given up a little speed for comfort and safety, a good trade off. On the maintenance and defect front the generator impeller has finally failed, the repair lasted well and nearly got us in. The implications of the failure are that we cannot make water and we cannot charge the 24 volt battery banks, BUT we are close enough to the Azores not to have to make water or charge the 24 volt banks. What we have onboard should see us into Horta without any significant change in our routine, so showers are still warm, plentiful and cool, the only change is that I have turned the freezer off, so Carni should be happy with meals to come. Replacement stores have already been ordered in the Azores (David contacted them Monday), so all going well we can repair and proceed.
UFO Corner – A strange glow was seen coming from the Generator in the night, could the failure be connected with our alien host. At the same time a strange mist emanated from the kippers cabin through the dark hours.

John here: we made great progress these last few days and are looking to get into Horta on day 16 - which we will do if the wind holds and we think it will. AstroNav is getting done and we are getting better at it - we don’t really need it with GPS etc to track but were the electrics to fail we could find our way home still using astro. On the food front we hid the fish in with a load of potato, called them fish and potato cakes and Rod ate two! Well he can’t have B/beans every day. Apricot Andy has given up the dried fruits due to oxygen deficiency in the Atlantic that caused a massive depression and now he's looking for alternatives to assist in warding off the cigarette dependency - silver helmets didn’t work and nor did the bingo idea. So we are now thinking of rolling up a kitchen towel, filling it with tealeaves and letting him drag on that.

Cheesemaker bouncing about: it has been an invigorating 48 hours, with today’s seas as I write this highest at up to 30ft top to bottom. Ushomi rides these beautifully it is just the roll that can get stomach churning. Saw two schools of dolphins: one at 0500hrs and then another 0700. Very graceful and by the size of them a family based with little and small ones. Diving and jumping all over. Our progress is now on target for Skippy original prediction; that of course is why he is the skipper.... I try to do my studies but find reading and concentrating difficult. Shortage of sleep does not help although the irritating metronome type squeak seems to have gone which is great. Looking forward to Horta and getting my hair cut.

Mer Pass(?)

Day 16 - 26th May.

Noon position 37º 26’ N 33º 51’ W. Course 75º true, speed ave. 6.0 knots. Distance run last 23 hours 140 NM. Total distance run 1995 NM (we changed clocks again last night to get into time with the Azores.) Distance to Horta (in Faial) Azores 257 NM. Wind F6/7 South (last 24hrs). Now abating, at present South F4. J IWLUA Ax.

General: strange days, a good days run BUT a horrible day’s run. Yesterday was overcast and grey, our first grey day. We were expecting the low system passing to the north to give us slightly more wind and cloudy weather but expecting it and liking it are two different beasts. Although the wind picked up a bit it was never uncomfortable, just a nuisance. The sea played its part as well and for the first time we have had waves slapping into the cockpit, making the cockpit not a good place to relax. Therefore we all spent the day moping around, feeling sorry for ourselves, and generally wishing for it to pass. As expected today has seen the clouds clearing slightly, the sun has poked its head out and we are all happy bunnies again. Joy - day in history - I have just received an e-mail from my Dad, Mick. This is no special event I hear you say BUT it is the first e-mail he has ever sent. So now he is equipped to follow my rantings as I sail the globe, is that good or bad? By the way mate, thanks, you do not realise how important e-mails are to us, love Andy. Another day to come very soon (Monday 30th May) is that my Sister Sara, brother in law Sean, nephew Joss and niece Alex are emigrating to New Zealand, due to being on the wrong side of the Atlantic I have not seen them since September and managed to miss their leaving party. Obviously by the time I get to Spain they will be setting up home in NZ. Sean and I happened to join the Royal Navy on the same day, we became mates, we joined the submarine service, he met Sarah at a family party and the rest is history. Therefore guys I promise to call on Sunday, I am so sorry that I have not seen you but you all know that my love is out there with you. I'm going to miss not having a big sis around and who am I going to spin dits with now mate. Joss, remember you do not support the All Blacks and Alex, beware of young NZ boys (in a year or two).

Cheesemaker rolling along: well we had a an exciting early hours after my watch: Rod and Andy had to bring in the final reef as the wind got to gusting 30 knots (near gale) which was making sailing (and sleeping) uncomfortable for all. Yesterday was a crappy day all-round, we were all tired, we are moving clocks forward an hour a day as we approach Horta in the Azores. Trouble once we know land is within a measurable amount - say two days - we just want to get there and start imagining hot showers, croissants and decent coffee as starters; then the brain moves onto a meal and I have to say that I would follow our carnivore's example and have a steak. So trying to stay in the moment and on board here is the objective today. Studying going a pace but will little fresh air in saloon I find being "inside" a bit uncomfortable in these waves. The pills also make me sleepy and not able to concentrate easily, which is nothing new!!! Saw more dolphins. Nights have been a bit clouded over and sunsets not so spectacular.

Hi, Rod here: to our regular readers who noticed I did not contribute to yesterdays update, sincere apologies. The human psychological effects of a trip like this are interesting. In normal everyday life, if things are a bit slow or the weather is awful, we go off and find something else to do to give us a lift. As the guys have already said, yesterday was poor weather, uncomfortable boat motion, boring because we couldn't do our normal things like astro navigation (no sun to look at through a sextant), but there is no ability to go and do other things, so one tends to become a bit morose and introverted. So when it was time to do yesterday’s update, it was easier to skip it on the basis of nothing new to say - again apologies. We are forecasting arriving in Horta (Azores) sometime early Sunday morning, and leaving sometime early Tuesday morning so there is lots to do whilst we are there with not much time to do it. We need to re-provision the boat, particularly with fresh foods (our vegetable stock is a little rotten by now and we spend most of our time after peeling a potato cutting all the bad bits out), we need to get spares and conduct repairs to a few bits of the boat, refuel, eat, drink (a bit) and sleep an entire night without getting up to do a watch, and without the boat moving through 30 degree angles. Nature watch - we are regularly getting dolphins surrounding the boat now, particularly at dawn and dusk. They are amazing as they swim along with the boat and then surge forward to leap across the bow of the boat just in time to avoid getting run down. They seem to enjoy it and almost line up one after the other to have a go. Dieticians corner - we keep finding more pasta - Help!!!. As always, lots of love to my beautiful Rebecca and to N, G & M. Love you all and will phone you from Horta.

Dolphins approaching Azores

Day 17 - 27th May (TZ +0100)

Noon 38º 6’N 30º 34’ W. Course 74º true, ave. speed 6.9 knots. Distance run last 24hours 165 NM. Total distance run 2151 NM. Distance to Horta (in Faial) Azores 95 NM. Wind F4 SE. J LNIDTweWTA Ax

General - Another stunning days sail, the wind is now dropping off as expected and we are ghosting along in flat waters at 5 knots. Rod has a 10p bet with John regarding what time we will sight land, he isn't too chuffed with the reduced boat speed as it looks like he will be 10p down. We expect to be in Horta in the early hours tomorrow, around 0400-0600. That will mean a trip of 16.5 days, which is far quicker than any of us dared to hope for, (we have now completed 16 days and are starting our 17th day). In the night we sighted two yachts, one astern and one to stbd, we are all tracking each other and the bearings and distances have now remained the same for the last 12 hours, looks like we may be fighting for the last berth in the marina. Kippers desire - when we berth Ushomi we will obviously fall out of sea going watches, this will be the first time in 16/17 days that no one is being latish in the cockpit. There will be a few tasks before we relax, wash and fold and bag the mainsail, wash the foresail, wash the decks (with a hose and sudso), clean, Hoover and wipe down internal cabins and get the laundry in (yes there is a Sunday service). This should all be done and complete by 12 ish. The boat looks after us so we look after the boat. Then I think I am going to go ashore, phone Jane, do e-mails, and then go to bed for an unmolested, long sleep. Wake me with tea sometime late the next morning!
Foodie Corner - Due to the fact that Rod has been eating food that he would normally pass on we are going to treat him for lunch, Bacon, Sausage, Mashed Potato, Alphabet Spaghetti, Baked Beans in Tomato sauce and of course, a little haddock.

Rod here: I may be a little paranoid but I am now convinced we have slowed down so that I lose my bet!!! - it could be a nautical conspiracy (actually the wind has died down to 10 knots but the conspiracy theory is much better sport). My iPod is now on duty for most of the night as both John and Andy have become converts, particularly of the video section with Sheryl Crowe singing 'The first cut is the deepest' - no idea why. Our biggest problem now is keeping it charged sufficiently and we have reverted to the solar charger, isn't technology wonderful.
Nature watch - Whilst on watch from 1.00am to 4.00am last night with a very clear sky I saw my first meteor shower - very cool, and then this morning saw a load of dolphins in a feeding frenzy just near the boat, very David Attenborough.
2nd Foodie Corner - Last night we did an inventory of our fresh vegetables, and discovered we didn't have any!!! All the potatoes, carrots and turnips went over the side (completely rotten, memo to self - don't buy fresh veg in St Maarten again), and in fact the only survivors were about 6 huge onions, typical. It is quite possible that I will be stood outside the first available cafe in Horta tomorrow morning at 6.00am waiting for it to open before putting in an order for 4 breakfasts, all of which will be for me. Must go now, I smell land - and the riches of winning a bet. Love to my lovely Rebecca will phone from Horta. I hope N & G have manageable hangovers. Rod.

Cheesemaker at Sea: well I have plotting bearings, measuring distances all in the excitement of getting close to land. I am to be entrusted with bringing Ushomi into Horta, and it is likely to be in the early hours so it could be just night. If that it is the case then I must know the difference between red and green lights plus 2 second flashes or 5 second flashes, other wise a harbour wall might just appear at the wrong moment!! Just done my 1st VHF call to a container ship that came by; as it turned out heading for Puerto Rico. Bit nerve-wracking getting the protocols and procedure correct. Just for the record "over and OUT" is bad form. Over being sufficient. More dolphins today. We have had one boat ahead and one astern for the last 12 hours. I think we are winning against the one astern but lost to the one ahead. So this time tomorrow 1300 hours we should be in Horta eating a sit down lunch with no movement under us.

And finally John here: can honestly say that there is no real conspiracy to ensure we spot land later than sooner but one has to put it down to good judgement - I am also fully expecting to win the total numbers of days at sea bet and also Black Maria too. Rod I feel for - he is so desperate to see land first he is about to go up the mast - after all that cholesterol for lunch we are talking him out of it for his own good. Anyway as you can tell we are all looking forward to terra firma in a few hours time. Meanwhile chores at sea continue and the sail trimming must be maintained - with yachts fore and aft we do not want to lose any ground so Tommy the trimmer has his work cut out. The wildlife has been good too. Dolphins in great numbers and last night a flock of petrels following the boat for a few miles and playing with the boat as the sun goes down just like the dolphins do. Looking out for land ahead!

Rod's vigil

Day 17 (still) - 28th May (TZ +0000)

Alongside Horta Marina, Faial, the Azores. Distance travelled 2231 NM. Total time St Maarten - Horta - 16 Days and 18 hours, blooming good trip. J - SMyD - Ax

General - Here we are feet dry on European Turf, or at least European owned (Portugal) Turf. Sorry for the delay with this but we have been busy rubbing, stowing, tidying, getting laundry off, and generally putting a bit back into Ushomi. We are all absolutely exhausted and the thought of a good night’s sleep is a tonic in itself, whether we can all actually sleep all through depends to be seen. We are looking at leaving Tuesday am, that is if we can get a few bits and pieces tomorrow. Rod has gorged on unhealthy food and we have all stretched our legs on terra firma. John is snoring up fwd and Mark is currently doing a bit of Egyptian PT in the port aft cabin and I am here attempting to write something interesting (and failing). But it is good to be here, it means we are a lot closer to home and our loved ones.

John writes: nice to be on land. Sunday in Horta was relatively quiet and Rod and I held out till 12 hr 09 mins 17 secs before we had our first beer in 17 days - we managed to then hold out till 12 hr 10mins 17 secs before we had only our 2nd beer in 17 days. The afternoon meant a well-deserved sleep and then dinner on a non-sloping table was a nice change. We all went carnivore for the evening and writing this on Monday morning I think the sleep and food (we had been without fresh veg for several days as Carni reported) has refreshed us all and we are going about getting the boat repaired (nothing serious that a few impellers and blocks won't solve). The lads from Summer Breeze arrived on Sunday too and it was good to catch up with them all. "Scotland" didn't even try to give up the smokes, Pete tried and after his cigars ran out on day 6 was cadging smokes off Scotland the rest of the trip (so well done Andy for staying the course!). Ushomi also wins the fishing contest with the monster from the deep we showed you the other day. SB claims to have been smashed on two rods concurrently (regular fishermen will recognise this as a post event rationalisation and realisation: that one line had caught the other) - and they didn't record even a sprat - sorry guys you either produce the goods or concede defeat. Some of the SB guys have been good boys and done their astro work so the Admiral on their boat is happy with some and less so with others! Back on Ushomi we will bet on anything - so despite Carni loosing substantially (pride not dosh - don't worry Becca you still have the house!!) on the timing of the first sighting of land he double or quitted on which side of the boat would be alongside in Horta - which muggins here forgot was at stake as I put the starboard side alongside the harbour wall (with I might add consummate skill that had the guys from the Uruguay wishing they could "kiss" the dock so sweetly). So all square on the betting front. Rod and I are skippering the 1000 miles passage back to Soto with Andy acting as owners’ rep and first mate. So we've sent the first mate off to get some blocks and other shippy things we need. Later he will be swabbing the deck and packing up the dinghy while the skippers have a cuppa - in our new mugs we are buying later I hope - on the poop deck. Seriously though we are getting the boat ready and thereafter we will be making sure we get back in to Soto for around the 7th/8th June all in good shape. About to get the provisions from the supermarket for the next passage - no onions needed - in fact if anyone wants some we seem to have a lot left thanks to Carni! He's been very good though he tells us and has indeed eaten most of what we have produced - but he does seem always to have his eyes firmly shut and a peg on his nose at dinner times. So we will leave Horta about 0900 tomorrow bound for San Miguel. A 24 hour passage before striking out to Spain. Finally I report that Mark has just splashed out 3 euros on a haircut – mmm - very smart - nice when it gets finished mate!!

Rod here: most of the above is true, the regret factor of losing the first major bet was a difficult thing to live with. My depression lasted all of 60 seconds until I came up with the double or quits wheeze - easily sold to a man on the high of just having won 10p, yes guys the bet had been 10p, I know it was rash but I am seeking counselling. That said, the overall bet of the passage had been over how long the trip would take from the Caribbean to the Azores. Yours truly had been very confident on 18 days, with my fellow buccaneers surrounding me with bets ranging from 17 to 19 days (half-day increments were allowed). However, thanks to our Rhumb line routing and good winds over the last 4 or 5 days we achieved an actual time of 16.75 days. Strangely, 5 days out our wily skipper decided to 'buy' a second guess of 16.5 days and turned out a worthy winner. However Jane, don't go ordering a villa in the sun on the strength of the win - the scale is not much more than the 10p bet, but could get you half a lager on a sunny day in Soto. It has been great to be on dry land, not so much because of the sailing, but more because it gives us a chance to reorder our lives and ourselves. Within half an hour of docking yesterday, a very enterprising local businessman drove his van down the jetty and parked beside us. On the side of his van were the words 'Laundry Service'. With incredible speed we all went below and stripped all dirty washing from our cabins, all our bedding, towels, clothing we were wearing, everything went into a big pile of bin bags and then over the side into the back of his van. 6 hours later it was back, clean, dry and unsmelly - fantastic. Also having an upright, unmoving, boat has enabled us to clean everything down. Obviously on a trip like this everything is caked in salt so when you touch ropes or decking you end up with sticky smelly hands. So lots of fresh water yesterday hosing everything down, and today we will concentrate on cleaning below decks. Small details, but you wouldn't believe the improvement it makes to our daily existence. Finally of course, we get a stable boat to carry out our minor repairs that everyone is mucking in with. Also managed to speak with my wife and kids via my mobile rather than the satellite phone. That cheered me up no end, as having a proper conversation is much easier when sitting at a bar table rather than sitting on the deck of the boat getting soaked as the waves bounce over the boat. Must go, lots to do if we are to set off again tomorrow. As always love to Rebecca and the kiddiewinks. Rod

Andy back again: no alien events other than there being a large earth radio receiving station on the hill above the marina, this has interfered with the weather fax and leads us to believe that there is more to the 'innocent' Azores than meets the eye. Think on, our sightings and molestations have increased as the trip went on and our distance to the Azores decreased. We showed Summer Breeze our alien technology brain wave protectors and Colin sat stunned for 10 minutes in silence (I think he realises he should have thought of this). Anyway the mood on Ushomi and Summer Breeze is upbeat. Things are happening and we are all digging out, SB has damage to Mainsail and Genoa which is being fixed as we write, I am happy to report to the Bosses, that so far all are sails are intact and working well. In fact Ushomi is once again a fully functioning 'DEATH STAR'. Talking of which we have all being practicing our Jedi mind controls (these are not the Droids we are looking for...).

Cheesemaker at the grass: the sight of green fields makes me wants to take my shoes off and walk in the fields; to touch to feel mother earth, it is very powerful than even a council grass cutting machine was not safe! Am going to take a taxi up the hill and walk through some fields, see cows and sheep close up; strange it is almost visceral; I suppose not unusual for an ex-farmer and somebody who has essentially worked with his hands. I am trying to be sensitive and the carnivores are drilling our chopping board with no sensitivity at all! Rod and I had a good breakfast eschewing the chips, strange how they pale so quickly. I was never one for greens and salads but last night the sight of lettuce and tomatoes was great. So I dug in - as Andy would say. I had my hair cut today for princely sum of £2 which better than John's posh one for £20 in the Caribbean. The hair dresser spoke little English and when I sat down she brandished the sort of electric shears I remember as being school barbers - oops poor choice - survival instinct kicked in and after a bit of gesticulation I was able to convince her I felt like a sheep about to be shorn!! This I think got to her sense of pride and professionalism and either I was going to have my ears clipped or she would do a decent job, which she did the latter. It has a strange feel to this place, transient probably best describes it; like us; on our journey; here today gone tomorrow........................

Alongside Horta, Faial

The Pontoon artwork!

Day 18 & 19

Position - Horta, Faial, Azores

Update: did I say that Ushomi is now a fully functional Death Star? She nearly is would be better. The Generator impeller problems were resolved or so we thought. On stripping the pump in order to find out why the problems were occurring I found damage in the water cooling pump, this left two options, Sail or get a new part. After investigation we found a new pump could be here Wednesday 31st, after a team discussion and calls to David in Spain it was decided to carry out a full repair and sail on Wednesday afternoon/evening. So the bottom line is that we sail 30 hours later than thought, BUT it turns out that the weather is better if we delay and we should still get to Sotogrande pretty much as expected. We also have the opportunity to rest and explore Faial. So far we have been busy putting some love into Ushomi and to be honest the extra time is good for minds and bodies, after two nights in port we are still not quite caught up with sleep. We have met a variety of people on different boats and the passage times for the crossing from the Caribbean have varied from 7.5 days to 26 days, so our 16.75 (we count decimals) days is a good effort. The couple taking 26 days swear that they were at sea for 18 days, somewhere they lost 8 days, it makes you wonder as the standard reported time for Alien abductions is 7-9 days. We are about to embark on Voyage of Discovery, we are being driven to a hopefully deaf Volcano for a walk and some sightseeing and Mark 'The Big Cheese' has somehow organised for us to visit/break into the local cheese makers’ gaff. John, Rod and Myself have asked for sensible and intelligent questions to ask Mr and Mrs Cheesemaker. This is in an attempt not to embarrass Mark. We have also promised to behave, comb our hair and wash our faces before our visit. News on the visit to follow.

Cheesemaker on tour: funny thing about us "cheesies" we seem to smell each other from a far. It is friendly fraternity just a pity not got anything to bring. It is such a beautiful island could easily fall in love with. If this was in West Highlands with its climate it would be a no brainer as Andy would put so simply. I am starting to get the vernacular ... I have found a whaling museum that I am going to visit am tomorrow. Educating these carnivorous philistines is an up hill struggle, but it is clearly my "purpose" on this part of life's journey!! Rea