Friday 1st November
Position: 37 : 17N 10 47E 25 miles north of Tunisia. 201 miles run since Malta
Weather: Overcast and threatening weather with black squalls around but
little wind.
News:
We left on schedule from Malta yesterday evening at 18 30 local time. Flat
seas and a light southerly so have only had the mainsail up to help steady
us. Dark night with quite a few ships but no problems.
We have spent the day today washing down to try to get rid of some of the
ash that has been raining down all over Malta from the eruption of the
volcano on Mount Etna, Scicily. It has been quite incredible how much of
this volcanic dust has settled onto the boat. The worst day was last Sunday
when it first started and it is everywhere and of course somehow gets inside
the boat as well. We have been washing down the decks with the fire hose as
this is the only way to get enough volume of water to get rid of it.
Added to our problems is that the paint in the water tanks which has just
been done cannot have water on it for seven days so we are on severe water
restrictions for the next week. Better stand upwind from us when we get to
Palma.
Trip is going well and caught one small tuna this morning which Penny fixed
as sushi for lunch – quite a spread!
Hope to be in Palma at Pier 46 on Sunday and the forecast looks quite good.
