We're now into day six of the run from Panama, and Jamaica is tantalisingly close. But it could still be another 24 hours before we finally make it to Port Antonio. The wind has dropped marginally, and as daylight comes, we'll try to add a few extra knots to our speed. But we have to be mindful of damage to the boat. Water is gushing through the front hatch, even with its temporary seal of electrical tape, and bailing out sessions are now becoming part of the daily routine.

It's ironic to think that this leg, around half the distance of our longest around the world from Salalah in Oman to Mangalore in India, is taking twice as long. Oh for the calm of the Indian Ocean again!

We've had a lot of problems with the navigation electronics through the night. The frequent alarms and equipment taking unpaid leave are all down to the high level of moisture in the boat. Even things which haven't come in direct contact with sea water are wet because of the lack of ventilation in the cabin. You know something is amiss when you start getting electric shocks from the carpet. The boat's electrics are in serious need of a good drying out, as indeed are we.

In fact, we've had to warn the people meeting us in Jamaica to be prepared for the fact that we might be a bit whiffy when they greet us ashore. Because we haven't been making the speed, our onboard shower attachment has been inoperative, and we've only dared try a bucket bath when we've had a tea stop once or twice. The problem there is that when you're sitting naked on the back of the boat when a large breaking wave crashes over the transom, you're dangerously exposed in more than one sense of the phrase!

I'm not impressed with the general drying conditions in the Caribbean, either. The T-shirt which I washed out on Wednesday night last week in Panama Colon is still wet. Without doubt a sodden thing. A description applicable to more than T-shirts.

Clive Tully

Copyright Clive Tully ©2002
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