Normal surgery resumed

With the deadline of flights from Arrecife on Lanzarote and the added attraction of an arrival for the England World Cup warm up game against Ireland, we are pressing on and with the feeble wind, we are resorting to the almost constant use of the engine.

I am very happy to report that after a partial relapse, all of the crew are now well and participating fully – to the extent that Stephen is contributing his ‘Notes from the Doc(k)’ as follows:-

“Having been a tad let down by my normally reliable friends Stugeron and Stemetil, I have now emerged from two days of an intimate relationship with a black rubber bucket. Having contemplated the chances of successful self cannulation in a corkscrewing Hejira, oral fluids are now, thankfully, heading in the appropriate direction. I was, at last, able to contribute to the 1-5 am watch which was remarkable only for the occasional appearance and disappearance of a ship (?ghost ship) on the AIS. Bob and I considered that we were being tagged by a submarine however fanciful that conjecture is in the cool light of day. (Skippers comment when passing the censor ‘you were probably scaled out on the limit of VHF range so the reception was intermittent – smart arse!’) The temperature was mild enough to complete the watch in shorts and tee-shirt (and of course life vest). Am pleased to report the rest of the crew are in rude health with the exception of the skipper’s right great toe which I shall deal with in my morning surgery. “

Liberated by the fact that we can now successfully send and receive Emails through the compression software over the Iridium satellite system, I sent a mail to Funchal Port as our preferred Madeira destination. They have responded offering no guarantees other than ‘we will try to find you a place on your arrival’ so we have been reviewing this news. Barry, Bob and I having previously been to Funchal have no special need to see the capital and Stephen seems indifferent so we have turned our attention to the nearer marina at Quinta do Lorde which appears to have both room and an all-important restaurant after 4 days of my cooking!