This is the life... oops!

There we were, cruising along nice and smooth in the sunshine, thinking "this is the life" and saying to ourselves that after the Atlantic this was going to be a doddle! Till last night when the wind dropped and the rolly rolly crash and bang started as we flopped and about. And we thought we had it all sorted - which only goes to show that pride comes before the fall. So I am clutching on and doing my best to keep the fingers on the right keys.

The problem is this - we are going towards the equator and have met the ITCZ (inter tropic convergence zone) better named the doldrums. This is an area of little to no wind which extends around the equatorial belt. We had looked at the gribs and planned and planned how to avoid as much of it as possible, but it looks as though we have caught it a bit. If it dies off completely we will motor, but one tries not to do too much of this. So more gribs and more planning are the order of the day as we are plotting to go  bit south and come underneath it.

A story

"Hey Dave, are you sick??"
"No, why?"
"You were leaning over the side, bum in air."
"Just getting a bucket of water."
"Why is that?"
"'Cos I'm sick of you saying my lovely new instrument is wrong and that the sea temperature is not really 47 degrees C."
"Weeeeellll - if it is then the bilges should be hot to touch and the fish dead."
"Perhaps they are hot water fish??"
"Anyway, here is the tester thing - and it says 24 degrees. That is still warm enough you know."
"I know, but that means my branny new super dooper instrument thing is not right." Biggest sigh.
"It also means that we do not need the super dooper ice box for the medicines as they could still be under the floor!"
"So now we could have a super dooper cold box for drinks Jen, when the pills go under the floor again."
Silver linings everywhere.

But still a despondent Dave as if that bit of the multi-purpose thingo is wrong, what about the other bits. Life on board!

Only 657 miles to go! Then it is turtle time.

Stop! Turtle time! (National Geographic)