Well we got most of the dust off the boat, but not from rain squalls. The winds have picked up quite a bit, and the waves have grown with it. So the waves breaking over the bow have taken care of it for us. The forecast was for winds about 20 knots. Looks like it is the same rules as the Mediterranean apply here where you add 10. The higher winds have made the waves get big, so we are getting a little more tossed around. Still nowhere near as wild as the Mediterranean though. We are broad reaching, with apparent winds of 24 to 30 knots, giving us a boat speed of between 7 and 9 knots depending on where on the wave you measure it. With an additional push of 0.3 knots from the Canaries Current, we are making great time towards Cape Verde. Earlier today we passed the half way point. We also crossed the Tropic of Cancer, and so are now officially in the tropics.
Maggies birthday today, so happy 39th (again). Celebrated with french toast, bacon, and a couple of whale sightings. Jason was on deck when a whale surfaced 30ft from the boat and gave an almighty bellow through his blow hole and then dissappeared before anyone else could see it. We think it was a pilot whale, or similar – not one of the big monsters like a sperm, or fin whale. A couple of hours later Maggie saw another whale crossing in front of the boat, again, probably a pilot whale.
And today is shower day. We are all a little stinky, so I ran the water heater when the generator was going so we all get hot showers. Tomorrow I will make more water and refill the fresh water tank. But I forgot that the guest shower pumpout cannot be used when the generator is running because the generator cooling water inlet is the same hole in the hull that the sink and shower use for a drain. So pumping out the shower sump just filled the sink. Jason ended up having to soak up the shower water with a towel.