Fresh Mahimahi with lime pickle sautéed onion and tomato fresh whole meal bread

Lunch on the 2nd day of our Atlantic crossing.

We started out from Mindelo on Sunday morning, a pod of exhurberant pink belllied dolphins gave us an escort out of the harbour. The wind was very strong between the islands of Sao Vicente and Santo Antao. We eventually left the acceleration zone and found the wind shadow of Cape Verde that everyone warned us about. By 9pm we were clear, sailing in a steady breeze. Tuatara sailed well with just the genoa flying by Monday morning we had two head sails up now we have added a reefed main. So with 3 sails we are getting along nicely at 7 or so knots in a NE wind of 20 knots.

We have caught several mahi mahi, kept 3 and released many more, they seem very small in this part of the world. Maybe the yachts in front have caught all the big ones. We keep in touch with everyone with our twice daily SSB sked. At the beginning of each sked the Net controller asks for any emergency or priority traffic and usually there is a silence, no help needed until 3 days ago when the very calm voice of the skipper of Egret came up. "This is Egret, we have lost our rudder". The yacht Egret left Mindelo as we motored into the harbour. Another yacht nearby has sailed to them and is standing by. Egret is back sailing very slowly with a jury rigged rudder. As we get closer to them we will look at the possibilty of giving them some extra fuel. Yesterday another NZ yacht, Awaroa sailed to them but the sea was too big to allow a safe drop off of fuel. Today Tsolo will also make a rendezvous with Egret with the same mission in mind hopefully the sea will be more cooperative but if not we are still 2 days away and the seas look like they may be eased by then, we will see.

In the mean time I need to get some fresh air and then breakfast