What a difference a day makes. After yesterday's horrendous squalls and heavy seas, the sun has showed its face, and the seas have calmed considerably - and not before time.

It was about 3 o'clock in the morning when Steve Lloyd and I were on watch, with Steve at the helm trying to maintain a course roughly east. Driving manually through heavy seas is not only tiring, it's extremely difficult trying to keep the right course. Every now and then we found we were heading back to Gibraltar, the boat literally turned through 180 degrees.

The gears in the autopilot simply proved not up to the task, the teeth around the cogs stripped off. To do that to a brand new autopilot straight out of the box within hours suggests something's a little wrong, particularly as it's the second we've trashed in the space of a few days. We're hoping to get replacement gears made from something tougher, but it may not be until we arrive in Jeddah that we can get them installed.

In the meantime, we're taking the opportunity to enjoy our first glimpse of real sunshine. New boy Alan Carter, sporting a ferociously short haircut from Gibraltar, is proving he's not only a dab-hand with a video camera, but the chopping board as well. Lunch is tuna with crispy green salad and tomatoes, served in dog bowls. Perfect when the sea's a little ruff! But whilst not particularly elegant, they're functional none the less.

Another vital acquisition from Gibraltar is a cassette radio player. At last, with a number of tapes donated by some of our loyal supporters, life on board is taking on a rather less stressful tone. Yup, we're even starting to enjoy it!

Clive Tully

Copyright Clive Tully ©2002
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