24 hours ago the wind finally clocked right round to be blowing from the north, and with it we got cloudy skies, heavy rain, and gusty winds topping 30 knots.

The swing and its gusts caused a few issues for boats in the anchorage. One Lagoon 38 Catamaran with no one on board decided to go walkabout – and was sliding out of the anchorage area and through the harbour mouth before the local emergency services could get to it.  Luckily it hadn’t touched any other boats in the escape bid - and it was boarded and soon re-anchored. 

Gerry and Sara joined us at 0800 yesterday and we all headed off to the Central Fresh Food Market to pick and cart back home our veggies and fruit.  It seemed quite a lot for produce for three people – totalled 110 euros – but worth going as we were able to pick every piece and focus on getting mainly part ripe or unripe items.

Once back on the boat we washed each piece in a mild vinegar / water solution to ensure we were not carrying cockroach eggs, dried each tenderly with paper towels, and then stored it all in layers separated by foam into three big collapsible crates as seen below. 

These veggies in the picture have been washed but not yet padded or layered.

I know it seems a lot of work, but they say this is much better doing it this way then stringing it all up in nets like they used to on yachts.  With nets, the motion of the boat plus the thin string used to make the netting invariable causes fine line bruising....and we can't have that on our boat, can we?  Or course not.

So once layerd, these crates in turn were stacked into our aft shower (not being used for purpose on trip), packed out around with maybe half the miteral water to prevent any movement, and with blinds down and door closed, we think it should prove a cool and dark area as required to extend its life.  It also makes the adjacent head smell a bit fruity.......

We’d already performed one major food shop a week or so back. 

This stuff stacked on table amounted to 700 euros of mainly canned, bottled and packaged items which we’ve already managed to hide away in cupboard, under bunks and floorboards, etc.

The additional mineral water and fruit juice arrived yesterday also.  120 litres of the former just in case our water maker fails and if the 360 litres in the tanks somehow gets contaminated.  Can’t see all this happening, but guess we’ll drink it sometime - and expresso with bottled water does it for me.

We've a further 5 slabs of beer due to arrive today - cheaper by that volume - and it will nicely compliment the 150 bottles of wine we also have stored.  And our meat order, selected last week, should arrive vacuum packed and also deep, deep frozen, this afternoon.

We’ve scoured all the supermarkets daily for long life bread but it goes off the shelves as fast as they make it.  They do these Spanish baked brown cut loaves which actually taste fine and have a use by date beynd mid December.  Only managed to secure 7 so far - but complimented with part baked vacuum packed rolls, plus Sues back up plan of mixing and baking her own (OH NO – I hear a collective cry), we should get by.

Sues still got a further 'top up' shop she’ll do today, and all that should then remain is filling the water tanks from the jetty, and food wise, we're done.  

Admittedly, Swagman’s sitting low on her lines in the water right now, but not quite low enough to be renamed U15 just yet.

Regarding boaty tasks.  We’ve got back the sewn spinnaker and with it collected some spare 12 and 10mm rigging wire with stainless bulldog connectors - just in case we get a chance to repair any rigging break. 

Just need to repack spinnaker and code 0 once dry into correct race bags of ease of use out on the start line………….

Then the diver (who should have cleaned our bottom yesterday, but didn't) should arrive to do his job.  Due to torrential rain the harbour water was dirty with unmentionalbe floating objects and as black from the road run off into this area, that he simply could not see what he was doing.  The three tides working through here since then should see it all clear out OK.

Sara leave Saturday midday for Scotland, so we’ve planned a farewell supper for the four of us tonight at their hotel, and Sue and I will slip into the end of the Official ARC Farewell Party after.  Jerry see's Sara away and then arrives to camp on boat for one last night before we're all off, so I'm guessing we’ll share a few sherberts Saturday evening as they have a big fireworks display at midnight.

But with the start next day – we should keep consumption to a moderate level.

Shouldn't we?