I feel much better today, so things are going in the right direction. But I can’t say it is the same with the wind although I did 4,5 knots [8,3 kilometres or 5,2 land miles an hour] under sails for a while, it died down again, so mister Yanmar [the engine] had to be called on duty. An hour later the engine room water alarm went off – a leakage!? There was nothing wrong with the propeller shaft, the valves or the cooling hoses… I kept inspecting for another hour before I found that the engine’s exhaust made from stainless steel was rusted through! I always thought that stainless steel could not rust…? I wrapped several layers of Rescue Tape [silicone tape] tightly around the whole thing, and now it all works again. I also took apart the bilge automatic water pump and found that it was blocked with a cockroach that was stuck inside! But then every evening I am delighted by the beautiful sunsets when the sky turns to orange and purple colours and a few scattered clouds complete the whole scenery. My wish for a crossing with no swell did not entirely come true for there is an increasingly long swell rolling under Guppy. But it does not annoy me yet…

Laura