Leg 4 update,6th August 2009

Leg 4 Update

Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, 6th August 2009.

We arrived in Ballycastle at around 2300 last night and swiftly moored up,
and enjoyed a celebratory drink to toast our achievement.

Rest and recuperation has today started in earnest, a lie in till 1000 was
enjoyed and much needed by all. We were woken to the smell of bacon rolls
that Andrew had gone and bought from a local café. This food provided the
motivation for a massive boat clean out. All the floor boards, mattresses
and oilskins were laid out on the pontoon for cleaning and drying. The boat
was wiped and sprayed down, and the increasingly vile smell was removed.
The boat is now a much more pleasant place to live in.

The showers were also taken over and we now have a clean and fresh smelling
crew.

A deal was also made with the local laundry who pulled all the stops out and
managed to wash everybody's clothes in about 5 hours. It was great to put on
dry and clean clothes.

A variety of repair jobs also took place, with Matt being sent up the mast
to retrieve the broken topping lift. We also have a small tear in the Main
and in the Genoa which Steve is currently managing to avoid repairing.

The clean up was followed by an afternoon of shore leave, an explore of
Ballycastle in search of food was followed by a trip to Giant Causeway for
the afternoon. A small coach was chartered to enable all who wanted to visit
the causeway to do so. However staring at rocks for several hours was not
everyone's cup of tea, so Kai, Toyin, Bryn and Rupert decided to pass the
time with a gay/manhug/fight/bundle/wrestle sort of activity, which was a
source of great amusement.

Dinner was an absolute treat, the local butcher was raided and a joints of
lamb were purchased. The dynamic duo of Wareing and Turvey virtually
doubled the turnover of Ballycastle's food stores in the process of
destroying the boats food budget. It was worth it though, the lamb was
divine, the potatoes were crispy and the veg was edible. We also have the
ingredients for a hearty full English in the morning.

We plan on having a good night tonight before heading for Largs tomorrow.

Steve Jackson

White Watch