Grenada! Oh, sweet smells of land, and cool, cool drinks, hamburgers, piña coladas, the smiling faces of people on the street (whom you don’t know, and that is actually kind of nice!). It has only been 17 days since Fernando but somehow it feels like longer. It has been small islands and quick island stops since Cape Town, which was almost eight weeks and 5,600 miles ago, maybe that’s why. I can tell you that it feels so good to be back in the Caribbean, not far away from home but some of my favourite stops are down here.

Grenada is how I imagine the Caribbean used to be. Not too touristy but enough to be of comfort, fried chicken straight off the street barbeque, grilled corn on the cob right there on a grill at the corner of the post office, school kids in their pristine uniforms loitering, as kids do, at the shack selling cold drinks. It’s hot and humid and it just thundered and rained for 5 minutes. Now it’s dry and the sunshine is bright bright.

St. George’s Carenage is a horseshoe-like harbour, with little fishing boats moored right up to the edge of the street, the houses and buildings are tiered up the hill painted in an array of colours; pinks, blues, red and orange—very pretty. Up and over the hill is a bustling market selling everything you can imagine—spices galore, fresh fruit, and lots of crafts like baskets. The people on the street all say hello and smile. Some want to chat and find out where you are from. All of them are proud of the way the have restored themselves and their town after hurricane Ivan struck and devastated Grenada two years ago. It looks great to me!

The crew are busy arranging tours to visit chocolate factories where they grow the cocoa right there, visits to waterfalls and hikes through the jungle, stops at nutmeg factories and spice plantations—and ,of course, there is always talk of food and which little village they should stop in for chicken roti and lambi (conk). Already there have been visits to Grand Anse beach, a striking white sand beach with perfect clear water. Women wander up and down offering to braid your hair and sell you sarongs, and of course the men are selling drinking coconuts; they are so good!

The on watch made their own treats tonight: grilled hamburgers, fresh salad, and real French fries. That was after they dried and furled all sail, made the topsides look all pretty and of course the usual coming-into-port-things like putting chafe gear on the mooring lines. Sails are getting laid out on the wharf at St. Georges as vessels sail in and out of the harbour. An old iron sugar cane boiling pot from slave days is now a planter on the beach at Grande Anse.

Today was a great day onboard the Picton Castle and off board, too!

Getting a cool drink, Picton Castle at the far dock.

Grenada Sunset

Looking across at the houses, Grenada.

Looking around the harbor.

Old sugar cane boiling pot on the beach, Grenada

Schoolchildren loiter on the quay.

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From all the crew of the Barque Picton Castle to all our very much cherished Mothers—HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! We appreciate everything you do for us even though we are far away.

We are all thinking of you and wishing you a very happy day.

Look we sent you flowers! Happy Mother s Day!

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Guess what? It is still raining.

Day 11 out of Fernando: It doesn’t rain continuously but in pockets. It could be really nice all morning and then, BAM! there’s a squall. Then an hour later, again, usually it is just when we are either about to do something like eat dinner, or when Rebecca and Amanda have finally decided okay maybe they will paint something or, God help us, varnish.

I grew up in England, so I generally don’t mind the rain too much, but this is A LOT of rain. Everyone is half dry, half wet, and that starts to lose its appeal quite quickly. As a whole we did not mind the rain too much in the beginning; it was refreshing and brought wind with it. Then one soaking and another and now this morning’s has, I admit, tipped us over from the not minding it to feeling that this is now very aggravating. The crew begs the engineers to let them hang their jeans over the rails in the Main Engine Room. Foulie coats hang from anywhere where they might dry, even a little bit. People even stand in the galley with a little hope that maybe their tee-shirt will dry from the heat of the stove. Clothes hang on the laundry line for a long time. You think you’ll be clever—as it’s been sunny for a few hours—so you throw your towel up there on the line, and Bingo! a squall. Your towel is now a lot more wet than it was. Three days later you look longingly at it, wishing it would eventually dry.

But, honestly—like anything Mother Nature brings, what can you really do about it? We make alternative arrangements. The sailmakers stitch in the salon, and it does get steamy down there with hatches closed, and the light isn’t so great because there are still people sleeping. The galley staff make do the best they can. Their biggest problem is to predict where to eat: Aloha deck, outside, or lug everything down below to the Salon? Most of us enjoy eating dinner in the salon, it gives us a chance to chat and hang about and, of course, eat on a table. Lunch and breakfast are eaten so quickly anyway, it doesn’t really matter where you eat it.

The rain changes where everyone hangs around during their off times. Usually there is a mass of people reading on the hatch or on the aloha deck, or working on projects like ditty bags and practicing celestial navigation. After dinner many people will watch the sunset or just chat on deck. With the rain we lose a bit of our socializing. Many of us, including myself, simply go hibernate. We go down below to where it’s dry (or less damp) to read or listen to music, or write letters. The Salon dwellers are card sharks, and generally a game or two of cards is being played, poker at the moment being their favourite. Kjetil openly admits he loves taking all Sam’s money off her. The Bat Cave dwellers generally have a movie of some sort playing, and last night the theme song from Indiana Jones was ringing all over the aft quarters! Sometimes computer batteries last the whole movie and sometimes they don’t, so you watch in installments!

About 800 nm from Grenada, we had a unexpected visitor. A beautiful red bird stopped by to have a rest. He was only little, but so gloriously red. Amanda fed him some crackers and Chibbley actually behaved—if you call skulking on the hatch twittering her whiskers behaving. The bird rested and then he was gone to find the rest of his friends.

Beautiful red bird having a rest on the way to Grenada

Erin standing next to a pile of trying to dry foulies on the way to Grenada

Rain, rain, rain on the way to Grenada

Susannah and Morgan sailmaking in the Salon on the way to Grenada

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On board the Barque Picton Castle, we have no Pollywogs. The crew of this ship is made up of excellent Shellbacks only. King Neptune and court visited the Picton Castle and ministered his gentle indulgences as per longstanding tradition.

BUT it is still raining! Eight days and almost 1,000 miles out of Fernando, and not only does it rain, it pours—frequently.

Squalls with big, dark clouds darken our horizon, making us wait in anticipation as to exactly how much rain is coming. Sunday teased us out onto the deck with our books and sun cream to lie back and enjoy the sunny skies. Lulled into a sense of false security that the rain was gone, we were shocked on Monday, a morning so full of promise, to see the rain clouds again! It actually hurt our feelings. But there they were—menacing flats of black on the horizon, and they are still there today.

Ship work continues regardless. The fore royal yard has been sent down to be replaced with a new one that we will have to make, no problem. The carpenters, J.D., Logan, and Bart, have been taking the gear off the old royal yard to be used again on the new one they will make probably on the way home from Grenada.

Amanda and Rebecca, the Acting Bosuns, have been busy this morning sending down the fore t’gallant and fore upper tops’l to be patched. Susannah and her gang of sailmakers get ready to stitch away in the steamy salon.

The riggers—Papa Jack, Ollie, and Tracy—have been making new ratlines (these are the cross-sections that you climb up to get aloft, kind of like a rope ladder.

The watches have been rust busting on the quarterdeck.

Engineers Danie van Schalkwyk and David Matthews sweat it out in the Engine Room, pinging and banging at what ever it is they do down there. Now that the engine is on, they have gone back to engine watches and have commandeered Andrea D. to help with the third watch.

Bruce, Laura, and Drew are on galley and were last seen scrubbing dish towels in the plethora of fresh water we have right now from all these squalls! Only the problem this week is, Where to hang them so they dry? Answer: The engine room—it’s about 115°F. down there!

John Kemper is still Acting Third Mate, and Kjetil, Andrea M., and Pania are all Lead Seamen.

Grenada is about 1000 nm away, and we can smell the fried chicken from here.

Day 8--It is still raining on the way to Grenada.

John Kemper, acting thrid mate, looking at the squalls on the radar.

King Neptune and his Court make an appearance.

Ollie, Amanda, and Tracy sending the topsl down on the way to Grenada.

Rust Busters on the way to Grenada

Sending the fore royal yard down on the way to Grenada.

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If we were Noah and our Barque was the Ark we’d be out collecting animals by the pair right now. As David Matthews just said lovely weather—if you are a duck!

It is raining and has been for four days—big, fat, heavy drops—and when it stops and looks a little clear then it laughs in your face and rains some more! All you can hear is giggling all over the ship as people have no choice but to either go to galley, the head or the quarterdeck, and a short walk through this rain and you are quite literally drenched. The 8–12 have given up; they sit on the quarterdeck in full foulies laughing as it runs down their sleeves and into the inner layer. Hair plastered to their heads and feet and hands all pruned from being wet so long. On a good note, our feet are very clean and our Barque has had a freshwater rinse that we didn’t need to fill buckets for. The air has cooled to livable, and as I figure it we don’t need a shower now! AND with this squally weather come bursts of speed taking us from 4–5 knots to sometimes 8 or 9 knots, lovely! So you won’t hear us complaining, but you may hear us wringing out our clothes! All in all, this is not so bad.

We are treacherously close now to Neptune’s home waters. At 1′03.139°S x 37′19.656°W, we wonder if the rain is another warning and that all these Pollywogs onboard are not making Neptune happy, or perhaps he sends the rain to try and cleanse our nine pollywogs. We did have our first written warning, which showed up on the well deck a day ago, pleading with us to take the wretched smell of pollywog off our beautiful, white Danzinger of the sea.

Who knows what could happen? Any day now Neptune himself could make an appearance on the Barque Picton Castle! I’m glad I’m not a pollywog!

8-12 Watch gets a little bit wet!

Big fat drops of rain on the way to Grenada.

Squalls overhead on the way to Grenada.

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It seemed that from St. Helena to Fernando de Noronha that it took the Picton Castle at least three years to get there, it was in fact only 16 days. Why certain passages seem longer than others is always a mystery to me. But the crew of the Picton Castle were going slightly stir crazy on that passage to Fernando de Noronha. This made our arrival at Fernando a very exciting moment!

From the sea Fernando de Noronha is not a big mountain sticking out of the water, like so many Islands we visit, but a series of jagged peaks and very lush and green. It is so green that from 20 miles away you can see how green it is. It is striking, with the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Big, wide expanses of fine, velvety sand and fierce surf that is great for playing in the waves like a five year old. Fernando de Noronha has special protection to preserve its environment, its endemic species, and ecosystems; it is a Brazilian national park and has a population of just over 2000 people.

They also have cold drinks! Honestly, it was the first thing anyone wanted. Cold juice, coke, beer, milk, anything cold.

Second, we needed dune buggies or “boogies” as the islanders called them. Most everyone drives a dune buggy. Severely basic, they hold 4–5 people and don’t shift gears very well, hence the sound grrr, cruch, grrrrr you hear everywhere, but they will drive over anything and are great for Fernando de Noronha, where the roads are paved only part of the time. Top tip: you must hold on, it’s a good idea.

Third, the crew wanted to eat. Eating is very easy in Fernando. They have these great buffets at lunch and dinner, where you pay for your food by weight or the set buffet price. There is lots of fresh fish and a local specialty that is like curry with coconut milk and vegetables. Or you can go down to the beaches, where you will find little beach cafés under tarpaulins with their BBQs heated up ready to serve you fresh grilled fish “caught just now” or houloum, cheese grilled with herbs. Yummy!

Then, when you aren’t thirsty and hungry and you have the appropriate wheels, you go exploring. The diving is excellent on Fernando de Noronha and they have two wrecks you can dive on, or a general dive to see the amazing array of fish and sea life; the water is so warm wetsuits are not needed. They have a huge variety of sea life with 30 types of coral and 3 types of fish endemic to the island. There is a protected variety of spinner dolphin that literally goes straight up out of the water spinning around. You can watch these dolphins in the bay of Golphinos, where they come in to hang out and do gregarious, spinner dolphin stuff, but you are not allowed to swim with them. Fernando also has a project that specializes in protecting the sea turtles; you can go snorkeling with them (but no touching) and they are huge!

Fernando has a large range of flora and fauna with every color of hibiscus you can imagine. It is a gorgeous place and so well looked after! The beaches are really clean and good for more than a whole day of frolicking, sunbathing, playing Frisbee, getting beat up by the surf (I am still sore. I played like a 5 year old, and now I feel like a 50 year old!). There is so much to do, but nothing to do really. Does that make sense? It is full of relaxation and getting wet in the squalls driving around in a dune buggy, swimming, sleeping late, and eating. Sounds good? It was.

There is also very old colonial architecture and ruins, fantastic sunsets with something cold to drink in hand. The locals all enjoy their island almost as much as we do, with beach picnics and lots of dancing. Lots of wooden fishing boats are built right on the beach at a small shade tree shipyard with tilting band saw. All hands had a great stop at this friendly Brazilian island—but we are also anxious to get to Grenada and the Caribbean. We can sniff the Caribbean from here!

Two and a half weeks now until Grenada and this morning a note from Neptune arrived. It seems that an awful stench of Pollywog has reached him—there may be trouble ahead!

Baia de San Antonio, Fernando

Baia de Sancho, by David Matthews

Baia San Antonio, Fernando

Boatbuilding, Fernando

Fernando 136

Kids play in the surf, Fernando

Kimbers and Kjetil smacked by the surf, photo by David Matthews

Lizard. Photo by David Matthews.

PC at anchor. Baia San Antonio, Fernando

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The Picton Castle’s crew makes observations about the weather, wind, and swell, and records this information in an hourly weather log; this job is assigned to each off-going helmsman. In addition to the ship’s weather log, there is a special weather log that requires a bit more detail. The latter weather observations are voluntarily collected and forwarded several times a day from the Picton Castle to a group of scientists (meteorologists) at the department of National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). This information is specific to the location that we are currently sailing in and is used to help meteorologists make better marine weather forecasts, and the information is also made available to all crafts bound for this vicinity.

Weather warning systems and the associated technology have advanced by leaps and bounds since the age of sail (when present weather observations were all a Captain and crew had to go by), and it is information distributed by these systems that enables Captain Moreland and his Mates to review weather faxes and forecasts and avoid any weather systems that might not be so great to be caught in (ships in the age of sail often found themselves in the middle of gales and sometimes severe storms because there was no weather warning technology in existence). Aside from enabling us to prepare for or entirely avoid weather systems, another bonus of detailed marine forecasting is that it makes it possible for the Captain and Mates to be aware of any probable shifts in wind trends that might affect our ability to sail or to continue on our present course. This technology has become an essential tool for sea-going vessels, because weather avoidance is the best way to prevent ships and their crew from being vulnerable to storms and from being at risk of damage or loss due to heavy weather.

The weather observations requested by NOAA are quite specific and one or two people from each Watch are assigned to collect and record the observations properly. How our crew goes about observing the weather around us is outlined below. Perhaps you can keep a weather log at home, and make similar observations from your own backyard!

Ship’s Course

This is the ordered (compass) course that the helmsman has been instructed to steer.

Average 24 hour Speed

This information is recorded every day at noon and appears in the ship’s logbook in what is known as the “noon log.” This particular log also indicates our day’s run, that is, the distance covered; the distance to our next port of call; how many hours the main engine and generator have been running; and how many nautical miles the Picton Castle has logged on her fourth world voyage.

Latitude and Longitude

The ship’s position is logged on the hour, every hour, and we get this information from the Global Positioning System mounted on the wall in the chart house.

Date / Time

This is obvious, but just in case, there is a calendar and a clock in the Chart House

Barometric Pressure

There is a barometer mounted on the wall in the Chart House and in the Captain’s office. The barometer indicates whether atmospheric pressure is going up or down; a change in atmospheric pressure is an indication that there is going to be a change in weather. We record the barometric pressure every hour

Temperature

We have a thermometer that hangs from a hook in the Chart House that gives measurements in both Celsius and Fahrenheit

Wind Direction and Speed

We record wind speed and direction each hour in our weather log. We determine the wind speed based on the Beaufort Wind/ Wave Scale and it is an approximation of wind speed based on the conditions of the surface of the water. We have two tattle-tale pennants that we can use to help us determine wind direction, but typically we just need to feel the wind on our faces from the Port or Starboard quarter and can then consult the compass to get the direction (it is important to take into account that there is apparent wind caused by the ship herself, and that the apparent wind is not the same direction as the actual wind)

Wind Wave Height

There are ripples, scales or waves that appear on the top of the ocean’s swell, depending on the force of the wind. The wind wave height is measured in feet and is the estimated average distance between the highest point of the wave’s crest and the surface of the swell it appears on.

Sea Water Temperature

There are two ways that we can determine the salt water temperature; we can fetch a pail of water from over the rail and submerge the chart house thermometer in it, or we can turn on the Picton Castle’s depth sounder, which is a piece of equipment that includes a feature that measures the temperature of the water that the ship is in.

Cloud Cover

The cloud cover is observed in eighths, as if the sky were divided up into eight parts. We indicate the type cloud and how much of the sky is covered by cloud. This observation is more specific than saying “partly cloudy,” and the scientists have their reasons for requesting that we use eighths.

Present Weather

We take a good look at what is happening around us, consult a large chart that has specifically worded options, and select the best fit for what we are experiencing presently.

Past Weather

We can consult past weather logs in the ship’s log book, or if we’ve been on deck for a while, we have an indication of what the weather has been doing since the last NOAA observation has been taken. As with the present weather, the past weather observation selected is a “best fit” from the options provided by NOAA. These generalizations provide only the key information that the NOAA scientists are looking for.

Visibility

This is an approximation of how many miles away the horizon appears to be; whether visibility is limited by fog, squalls, or is improved by clear skies and sunshine. On an average day, the horizon appears to be anywhere from 11 to 27 nautical miles away.

Ice or Icing

This does not apply to the Picton Castle as she voyages in tropical waters

Humidity and Dew Point

These measurements are obtained using a sling psychrometer. Obtaining this measurement can be fun because the crew gets to wet the tip of a cloth in what looks like a giant thermometer, and then gets to sling it around in rapid circles for the count of one minute. There are mathematical charts provided to determine the humidity and dew point based on the reading from the instrument.

General Observations and Assessments of Weather, Conditions, and Trends

This request allows for you to add any information that you would have liked to have made available under the Present or Past Weather headings, but the conditions are specific to the ship’s exact location, and experiences and are not included in the list of options provided by NOAA (such as rain clouds forming to the lee side or winds gusting and shifting at times)

When you are outside next, take a good look at the weather around you. Has there been a warming trend and has the snow melted away for good? Has it rained in the past few hours? Are the skies clear or partly cloudy? Can you look at a cloud and tell whether it is a rain cloud or just a regular cloud? Is it calm or windy today? From what direction is the wind coming? Keep these questions in mind and you will be doing one of the most important duties that we tend to on the Picton Castle.

The Picton Castle is still under full sail and sailing along nicely at about 5 knots. The weather today is gorgeous and a moderate/light breeze keeps the sun from feeling like it is scorching us. I feel particularly thankful for it, especially when I have just heard from our voyage coordinator that it is snowing today in Lunenburg! Yikes, it’s nearly May! We get so spoiled with our weather for the most part.

Today Lynsey continues her work on the Mizzen stay with the help of Jack. Ryan is in the bosun’s chair slushing down the maintop-mast-stay; he shouts down what he wants the line handler to do. The line handler right now is Amanda who is standing right outside my chart-house office window repeating the commands: “EASE AWAY!” “EASE THE GANT LINE!” and “THAT’S WELL!” Before her it was Rebecca repeating them. It’s becoming one of those mantra things and I find myself waiting for the next shout! Oh, there it is, “THAT’S WELL! GANTLINE’S FAST.” Right. Phew.

Anyway, the watch are sprucing up the paint job on the breezeway overhead. I don’t know what the carpenters are doing, but I did note that their mess was not as bad as it usually is—and my window in the office seems to have gone missing, so maybe that is their work for today. Joe made soup and fresh rolls for lunch, which was very nice. This afternoon we have a power shower at 1600 hrs and then the AB workshops and studying will continue afterwards.

We did our second island drive-by yesterday, sailing by Ascension Island five miles off the port side. We had no intentions of stopping, and I don’t think anyone really wanted to; we seem only now to have got back to the easy at-sea routine. I do not know that much about Ascension apart from the fact that it has a military base on it and an airport. But it looked very barren and dry. It is owned by the UK and really only visited by passing yachts crossing the Atlantic. It has a long air strip that can accommodate the space shuttle should it need to land somewhere besides the US. During World War II, Ascension was a major refueling spot for bombers flying to Africa. No GPS navigation back then. So the saying was, “If you don’t find Ascension, you wife gets a pension.” The whole island looked dry and barren, and anyway we are off for greener islands, and we have lots to do at sea—too busy for islands.

Amanda is Ryan s Line handler while he is in the Bosun s chair

Ascension Island visible on the way to Fernando

Easter dinner on the way to Fernando

J.D. on helm and Andrea D., Kolin, Andy, and Joelle take a noon sight

Kolin on helm on the way to Fernando

Sails on the way to Fernando

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Happy Easter to all those folks at home; enjoy that chocolate and the long weekend!

The Picton Castle is under full sail including stun’s’ls. It’s a sunny day out here—not too hot, not cold, and gorgeous blue skies. The Picton Castle is making just more than 5 knots and that’s a nice speed—not lumpy, just a graceful roll here and there. It’s Saturday, and when at noon the watch is finished tarring, oiling, sanding, and painting there are plenty of workshops to look forward to: Susannah and Rebecca are showing how to make seabags and tote bags, but only for those who have finished their ditty bags!

A ditty bag is a small, cylindrical canvas bag with a rope handle. We fill them with “ditty,” which can be a sail palm, a fid, twine—basically it is a sailor’s tool bag. Making a ditty bag is an excellent exercise in sail-making. You learn to make grommets, how to stitch, how to measure canvas and how to do different types of rope work. For those who have not finished their ditty bags there will also be a help workshop on ditty bag making. For some crew their ditty bag has become their nemesis (I am not naming any names)!

For those with stars in their eyes, First Mate Sam is starting to teach celestial navigation. She will start from the beginning again for those who are new and for those who either did not attend the last workshops or who, like me, just never quite get it. It is a very useful skill to have and interesting, too. The South Atlantic is a very good place to practice doing noon sights, twilight, and generally getting the hang of using a sextant. For the more advanced, Sam is also doing star sights.

There are AB workshops for those who want to study for their Able-Bodied Seaman exams on our return. The AB exam covers a wide range of subjects—safety at sea (including first aid), rules of the road, navigation, and laws and regulations of being at sea. These guys can easily pass it with a little bit of preparation and a heads-up on what to expect! Second Mate Greg is leading workshops in studies for learning to pass the Coast Guard AB test and will at some point he will also do a rope-mat workshop.

So it is a busy time on board and every one should have something that they are up to!

I am hoping that all my pestering has paid off and Joe will spend some time making hot cross buns. We will hope and wait!

2nd Ditty Bag Workshop on way to Pitcairn 214

Catharine tarring on the way to Fernando

Drew on helm on the way to Fernanndo

Ivan and Laura on the way to Fernando

Joelle on galley duty on the way to Fernando

Mike sanding, Bruce oiling hinges, and Andrea, dayman rigger

Under sail at sunset on the way to Fernando

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We need wind. Not too much. Not a gale. But more than a puff would be useful. A nice Force 4/5 would do the trick.

There are many superstitions that sailors of old and sailors of now still believe, if not overtly vocally, then definitely in their minds. For example, on board you never whistle. The only shipmates who are allowed to whistle are the youngest and the oldest. Whistling brings up the wind, but how much wind? One must be very careful with this. Knock on wood—but not if it is a chair—after you say something that may jinx you.

We have found ourselves under full sail going just over 2 knots. Well, we need to go a little bit faster if we want to get to Fernando de Noronha in under a month! So we sent Pania, who is the youngest (it has to be the youngest), to scratch the main mast and aloft as high as she can go to sweep the air with a broom. This ritual is supposed to sweep the wind towards us. While she was there we also had her stick the tip of her knife in the mast—gently, not stabbing. No more gales, thank you!

Amanda paid the toll to Neptune, and maybe that will bring some wind. We even threw in a Canadian dime with the schooner Bluenose on it. We think that must be lucky! We asked the Captain nicely for just a little whistle, not a full bar of a song just a few notes.

Now we wait and see if any of this gets Neptune’s notice!

In the meantime the 8–12 watch and the riggers—Rebecca, Amanda, Ollie, Jack, Vicki, and Andrea M.—get ready the stun’s’ls. These sails can give us up to another knot of speed and the wind is plenty light enough for them right now.

The carpenters—Logan, Bart, and Bruce—are working on being efficient daymen! Lynsey is laying new tiles in the inside head, which Ivan concreted yesterday. John Kemper is assisting being a watch officer on the 8–12 watch, and engineers Danie and David are working on the fresh water pump on the port Lister.

Joe is making chicken salad, tomato soup, and pasta salad for lunch. All is well on the Picton Castle.

PS: Just an hour later, maybe our superstitions paid off. We now are going just over three knots!

Amanda pays Neptune for some wind

Amanda with coins to pay Neptune

Captain whistling up some wind on the way to Fernando

Pania sweeps the sky on the way to Fernando

Pania, the youngest, scratches the main mast on the way to Fernando

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