It's 5 to 6 and the sun is starting to make her decent. The seas are sloppy, forcing Compromise into an undignified waggle dance but bless her, we are remaining on course. The day has been event filled. It all started to go wrong with the introduction of a cross swell from the north that backwinded the main, around 10 this morning. During the night Finbarr had surfed out a squall with all canvas set but the result was in the morning when we tried to take down the sail, it was getting stuck in the mast steps where there were missing track slides. We had popped about 4 main sail slides in the night. So in order of priorities, reduce head sail, heave to, take down the main, and then sail on with jenny only. That is what we are doing now. The whole situation precipitated by the end of the boat being pushed by waves and not a shift in wind. We had been backwind and slapped. So much for the milkrun.
We also noticed a screw missing from the tiller stock. That solution has to go to Finbarr. We scavenged a bolt from the outboard and shored up the tiller stock. Dead satisfying work actually. Sophie went crazy in the galley and produced an amazing breakfast of bubble and squeak and baked beans.
Things on board are chilled out but compared to yesterday it was definitely a wake up call. The main is repaired as well but I am not going to deploy that till we are all well rested and up for some sailing tomorrow. The jenny is doing a fine job. We are making about 4 knots in 11 knots of wind and we are staying on course, better in fact than yesterday. Still don't have a position report for the fleet but we are on course and heading south west.
Doc's Tip on the topic of constipation: I suspect that many of you are suffering performance anxiety, what with being in such a confined space. Swiften your daily passage with a sip of linseed oil or a handful of prunes or dried apricots. If all else fails a coffee and cigarette should do the trick.