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Atlantic Crossing

and found out how to fix a clew point with straps. Christine got to work.

2.3- On the 16th parallel
The next day, December 10th, the wind picked up, and we moved to the
third reef in the mainsail, with the storm jib still as headsail. Gusts were
reaching 35 knots. On the files, there were now more than 30 knots of wind
everywhere, and so nothing more to circumvent and we set the course to
the West. It was a little better on the 11th, and we removed the 3rd reef.
ARC management, informed of our sail problems, replied that they estimat-
ed our arrival on December 21st, and that we would therefore be able to
attend the closing ceremony. We were 1000 miles from Saint Lucia at 4
p.m. UTC. Ahead of us Lubilu was 90 miles away. Of the two mini- transats
drifting in front of the West Indies, there was now only one potentially on
our way.
On the 12th, after three days of hard work, 132 holes in a hard sail, 792
knots, Christine delivered the repaired jib, which quickly found again its
place at the forestay. Our speed had improved a lot, since the day before
we had made 5.2 knots on average, or 125 miles in 24 hours. At this rate, it
would take 8 days to sail the remaining1000 miles: we could be in Saint
Lucia on the 19th! This news delighted
Christine sewing
Christine and Gilbert when I an-
nounced it to them.

Unfortunately the troubles contin-
ued, this time the satellite phone
refused to work. The prospect of no
longer receiving grib files concerned
me. We thought the cause was the
change of satellite as we had actual-
ly moved from the European satel-
lite to the American satellite of In-
marsat. We managed to reach IEC
and Rom-Arrangé at phone, and it
turns out that an error had been
made on our extra allowance, set at

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