Riding the Magic Carpet, and notes from the galley
26 April 2018
Well, we are galloping on at the moment. Last night's light but pleasant winds turned too light to sail, and we have been motoring since breakfast time. Our boat speed is only 4.5 kts, under moderate engine, but our speed over the ground (SOG) is a good 8.5 kts. Another lovely sunny day though it's definitely fleeces and long trousers at night.
We are surprised at how little traffic there is here. Weâre seeing just a handful of ships in any 24 hour period. We have had leaping fish though, and also a visit from a yellow crested egret (description, not bird type) which landed on our guard rails, took one look at us and then flew off, circled the boat six or seven times, and disappeared.
The catering plan is driven by two factors just now: a) we will be leaving the boat soon, for several months; and b) we are forbidden to bring âperishablesâ into the USA. This means that we are in âeat-it-upâ mode.
We have been doing minimal fresh provisioning for a few weeks now - a plantain here, a tomato there - and now we have to empty the hanging fruit/veg nets and the fridge before the end of the week. Over the next two nights Kate will be finding ingenious uses for two onions, half a squash, three entire bulbs of garlic, three limes, two plantains and a block of halloumi. Should be interesting.