Update from Rod & Marianne & Janel & Mark

Hello All

It is now Wednesday 10:00 pm and Rod and I are on watch. Captain Mark isdozing in the cockpit, waiting for the watermaker to finish making a few more gallons of fresh water. The rest of the crew is hopefully sleeping as well but likely as last night no one will get a great sleep. It continues to blow 30 to 35 knots with gusts to 40 and the waves up to 10 feet. Last night was the same and the waves pounding the side of the hull and the constant bouncing made it very difficult to sleep. But we have a full moon and that made the sail last night quite pleasant beforethe winds kicked up again. We have seen very little other boat traffic over the past few days.

Tonights weather report wasn't what we were hoping for. The winds are expected to continue to increase even more along with squalls over the next few days. Then Friday the winds should drop a little but clock to South east which is the direction we are going (not good in sailing).
So it won't be as enjoyable as we may have hoped but Nana Maria has proven herself to be able to handle heavy winds. It just proves to be abit of a challenge to move around or do anything because of the healing and pitching of the boat. As was pointed out at one of the seminars before we left, majority of the accidents and injuries to people on the Caribbean 1500 happen below decks. And I can believe it. It is a big challenge to walk within the cabin, get something to drink etc. If you aren't hanging on when the boat pitches or rolss you can be tossed around.

See Janel's notes below.

If all goes well we should arive in Tortola this week-end, may be Saturday.

Time to go and finish my watch. Take care. Hoping our emails have been reaching you but not sure since we have heard little from anyone??

Marianne & Rod

. . . I am forwarding Janel's email below which she wrote earlier today.

Hi All,

Today is Wednesday November 12 and the wind is blowing 25 to 30 knots,the waves are 12 feet and rising. The boat is heeled over 15 to 30degrees and the simpilest chores become gargantuan.. Picture your selvestanding up on a roller coaster, try to boil water in order to make coffee etc etc, I am sure you get the idea of what kind of effort it is. So dinner tonight might just be all the wraps and sandwiches that Marianne made or a whole lot of junk food. You can NOT put anthing down or it will become a missile flying thru the air. Ourselves included if not properly hanging on. The waves that are continuesly breaking over the bow are allowing us to find leaks that are new and to refresh our memories as to where the old ones are. We are keeping dry from the sea water because of the enclosure, but the temperature inside is like a very sunny sauna. All the sweating is good for the skin we are told... Poor Foz is not liking this too much but we do have a spray bottle in the cockpit filled withcold water so we can all try to keep cool. I guess I shouldn't complain to much, I could be knee deep in snow back home, instead of shorts and tank tops. Kelly was just moments ago exclaiming Holy Cow, look at thesize of that wave we just surfed down and from where I sit or rather from where I am perched, it looked much bigger than the ones before it. Nana Maria had her first and last (I hope) break down. Our aft head(aka bathroom) has become in operable.. A huge breakdown, as there are six of us on board sharing one tiny tiny bath. Mark and Howard spent yesterday trying to fix the problem, but alas it has eluded them. Asper usual with 5 or 6 somewhat bored adults, we did have to tease them, with phrases such as : You are such a Head Banger, Are you two Playing Head Games, Two Heads are better than one, Shi--y Job but someone has to do it, Mark is the big Shi- and Howard is the Little Shi-etc. etc . Marianne is now giving Kelly her Head Dressing recipe, in order to prevent any problems on her own boat Sunsets and as Kelly doesn't cook ( by her own admission I might add) she has been instructed NOT to use it for salads. At this point I will say that this is enough potty talk and I am getting tired of bracing myself against a wall in order to try and type. Thank goodness for spell check !!!Bye for now, as it is nap time and I am hoping not to be tossed out of my bunk this time.

Janel Mark Rod Marianne Howard Kelly and of course the Foz (aka thedog)