We started with World ARC yesterday from St Lucia for the passage to Santa Marta, Colombia. About 35 boats crossed the line and headed down the coast past Castries Bay before turning west for the long haul through the Caribbean Sea. We have enjoyed good winds from the east, and good boat speed so far. We are steering with our Wind Pilot, which saves on power but likely means that we are sailing slightly further away from the dead run than other boats in the fleet. For now we are letting Barracuda drift slightly north of the course line in a comfortable groove. It's not a race.

The first night at sea is always a bit disturbed but the body quickly gets used to the noise and the motion. Usually by about night three you start to sleep properly during the off-watches. It wasn't helped by a couple of short but intense squalls - leaving those on deck drenched to the skin!

Kate had pre-prepared for lunch and dinner to minimise the amount of time spent at the galley until we get our sea legs.

We enjoyed the sight of some passing pilot whales and some dolphins but they did not stay with us for long. We're back to the world of the shoals of flying fish which is always a joy.

There is a really annoying clonk from the panel just behind the chart table when the boat rolls. We think this is a screwdriver that G dropped down there when doing some electrical work but could never retrieve. Mmm….