Tue 8th May

A busy rolling along day on a big quartering sea with very fresh but variable winds. Constant course and sail tweaking required. With just 2 on board, this trip would be many times more difficult without our autohelm which is doing a fantastic job in these conditions. We always check to see that sails are set so as to make the boat as balanced as possible and this helps to relieve the load on the autohelm. We do also have a Monitor wind vane system but this can be time consuming and complicated to set up so we need to wait for more settled conditions before tackling the job. For supper tonight, skipper produced yet another variant of the remaining 40 tons of slightly mouldy Dorado on board and any future Dorado based meals will be of the curried variety.
Like an ant crawling across a hangar floor, we have a long way to go and haven't a clue what fate has in store for us. Cerrtainly the incessant awkward and irregular boat movement can be maddening, and any thoughts of endless hours of carving whale tusks, holystoning, and hornpipe jigging must be put aside.
Not only have jumpers and thermals appeared, but also, god forbid, a sleeping bag. We must have gone soft as we're still only 29N. It just feels damn cold in the Atlantic squalls.
MB still sweaty palmed and stomach clenched about continuing mast noises. This would be a lonely place to have any major problems, as no boats, ships or planes for many 100's of miles from here. Have to man up and face the challenge I guess. Have to keep telling ourselves there are people who do this sort of thing multiple times and still appear sane.
Trying with difficulty to keep going due East to remain on the correct side of any systems wich may be forming just ahead and N of us. Difficult to do because the quartering wind and waves make a our easterly very broad reach hard to manage. We keep slewing north and therefore our track may be in danger of meeting with or even going the wrong side of weather patterns ahead. Ideally, we need to keep south of these weather systems until we can be 'slingshot' up to the Azores after they have passed.
Midnight/End of Tuesday position was 29d08n 53d00w. Course East about 5.7 to 6.7 kts.