Forty Two latest update

Hello Blogophiles from 25◦30’ N 58◦35’W. Third day’s run 178; FTD 13.2 [Owner]
This is our Long & Lat as of 15.15 GMT; you should be able to locate us in the middle of the sea on Google maps.
Today’s BIG NEWS? A Mahi Mahi [fish]: sadly no picture or video as the ship’s photographer was asleep as the GHO skipper was reeling in the beast, on which we sadly are not dining as, with a final flourish, it leapt  clear of the water and got away. That excitement apart, it’s been a frustrating time in sailing terms with very little wind and 42 distinguishing herself in her ability to sail faster than the wind. Right now we are back on one engine [no wind but a two metre head swell] as we are worried that there’s a ridge of high pressure sitting over the Azores which will mean lots more motoring. And the watermaker is playing up, so there could be a lot of thirsty, smelly sailors by the time landfall are made. Actually, if the skipper can catch a fish, the watermaker is not really more than a trivial intellectual puzzle.
We continue to eat well; sadly the delicious camembert lacked an accompanying glass of red wine, the burritos delicious sans beer but no-one seems to have mastered the essential skill of whistling up a wind. Maybe because our mouths are always full?
STOP PRESS: George, our faithful autopilot of many years now responds to the name of Gareth due to sterling efforts on his part to coax both NKE and Fedex to deliver the goods before our departure. Thank you G.

Blog continued.....
29.04.14 @13:30UTC
Position- 32.23.522N 054.04.943W
Finally got our wind! The boat is sailing beautifully down the waves and being pushed by 25 knots of wind from behind. Haven’t turned on the engines in a couple of days already and it’s a pleasure listening to the sound of the wind and waves and there’s nothing but blue (and the occasional 800ft tanker) all around us.
We are making good headway at the moment and at this speed, we should make land in the Azores in about 6-7 days from now (and then we can get back to good ol’ technology- skype, facebook, imgur etc..)
For the second time on the hook, Noam, had another beautiful Mahi Mahi that bit the lure. As he was pulling it in, the fish had other ideas (again) and started to perform acrobatics as he was a spinner dolphin. Noam didn’t give up, but the fish got the best of it and got away....OH NO! Not again! So Noam, pulls in the remainder of the line, just to check if the lure is still on and secure and as he is pulling it in, aha! Another bite!!! A big one this time! The reel starts screaming as the fish is hooked and is trying to dive down (not up like the Mahi) to escape his horrible fate of becoming sashimi. After putting up a 5 minute struggle, Noam is able to pull the fish in close enough to the back step to recognize that it is a Wahoo! What a beautiful fish! Dalit runs to grab the Gaff and holds the rod and Noam snags the fish and walla! About 20 pounds of a fish that has pretty stripes and vivid colours and is one of the tastiest out there was on deck!  Yippee!
20 messy minutes later, the fish was cleaned and filleted and was served as sashimi. Yumm! (one of the many dishes made from it including grilled and ceviche)
A couple of flying fish found their way to very bizarre places on deck during the night,  and in the morning Noam found one laying peacefully inside the main sail bag.... good for bate.

Our owner, Michael, has broken the speed record surfing down a wave at a dazzling 20.1 knots!!! well done M!

On a different note:
Sorry about the radio silence over the last few days.
To all our family and friends who are reading these words, we have had a learning experience with the satellite phone (which is also our internet connection) and were experiencing some issues that were solved thanks to the resourcefulness of Mr. Gans Sr. (thanks aba).
Anyway, the point being this- we only have a limited (and very expensive) amount of data/minutes on our phone, and downloading, even emails cost us in precious credit. So, unless there is an emergency, or an urgent message that has to come through to one of us out here at sea, please DO NOT SEND US ANY MORE EMAILS. It’s not that we don’t like to hear from you, but we need the minutes for our weather reports and such.
Also, don’t forget, if you’d like to just say hi to your loved one and make yourself heard, then use the free sms to the Iridium phone from the Iridium website, which you all must have gotten the link for.
You know what they say- “don’t call us, we’ll call you....”

Love to all!
Noam, Dalit, Michael, Alex and Hans.

A few days in.

I believe it's been four days since the departure of the great and beautiful "forty two" from the calm blue Caribbean to the deep blue of the Atlantic! We are all following as the little yellow dot makes its way slowly but safely!
Hopefully the wind will pick up so our sailors could enjoy their actual sail, but not too much so us fellows on dry land won't worry too much!!
Enjoy the sun and sea, the amazing food you have on board made by the one and only!! Catch fish and just enjoy the peaceful ocean!
Waiting to see the next dot...
xxxx
the sister <3

The final countdown

80% of the crew is already on board and morale is high. The ruggedly handsome captain Noam
is making sure the boat is in tip top shape. Dalit, the tiny and feisty chef is trying to
figure out how much food is needed. Michael, the brit who is proud to be american is using
his expertise and ingenuity to get all the gadgets working. Hans is playing scrabble.
The list of last minute arrangements seems to get longer and longer as things get done.
Yesterday we took the boat for a test sail. After about an hour of adrenaline-packed
sailing, all of our faces acquired a puzzled expression as we saw the cover of our
steaming light flying past us and landing in the blue caribbean sea. As we looked up in
order to figure out the cause of this unusual incident, we encountered an even bigger
issue. The radar mount had suddenly broken loose and the whole device was merely hanging by
a wire, swinging from side to side, ruthlessly scratching our newly painted black shiny
mast. The story is not without a comical end (as opposed to a tragic one, with the radar
landing on someone's head). The wire finally broke loose and the radar started its dive
which finished with an olympic landing in the sailbag. We might consider what happened a
blessing since without that big radar stuck in our mast, the boat is now lighter and
faster. But seriously, we need a new steaming light.
The positive news:
-we finally have a working auto pilot. The plan to glue Noam's hands to the helm can be discarded.
-Alex managed to convince the Barbados immigration officers that he is not an international criminal and he is on his way over.