Well just as I was disappearing to my bunk this morning after handing over the watch to Marty, Audds & Dave the wind had dropped and come round to just aft of our beam….the word…KITE just popped into my head and I mentioned to Audds that if it stays the same we would launch the kite at midday when the whole crew were up to help….

Audds face lit up as any SB3 sailor knows the chance to play with a asymmetric spinnaker is a treat especially on a yacht like LUSH!!!

I heard her mention it to the guys and heard their SB3 enthusiasm kick in to!

So as I lay down in my bunk and I looked up through the hatch at the jib and just thought, “Sod it….lets get it up!!”

So I launched back out on deck and said to the guys, ” C’mon lets get the kite up!”

I have never seen a watch jump to attention so quickly!

Now when I say kite, on Lush her kite is 3000 square meters of sail!!! It’s quite simply MASSIVE!!

So after a while to set her up ready to hoist we finally listened to the halyard winch turn on high speed as the 110 foot long sock lifted off the deck en-route for the masthead!

I looked back at the cockpit and said, “ready???” “Yep!” comes back the reply and I said, “Okay guys, unleash her!”

Up went the sock and the kite fills and dazzles us!

LUSH responded by climbing from 8 knots to 12.5 Knots…she shot off a shovel like…..well you know!

We then all settled in to picture taking and admiring the big yellow kite with a cuppa and a bit of nosh!

Special mention has to go to Wallis our Yogi…….who whilst LUSH was flying along was doing all her yoga moves on the aft deck!!!

The wind steadily built as the morning went on until that point you say in your mind….”its time to take it down now….”

Normally you wait until it’s too late and the wind is blowing hard and you end up with the yacht flying downwind on the edge of control and then it’s a question of safety!

“Not this time!” I thought to myself and gave to order to take it down…..

Then….Whirrrrrrrr…….the reel is running on the back…holy crap another fish!!

Dave Strikes the line and starts reeling him like a speedy Gonzales!!!!

Then…SPLASH

A good sized wahoo jumps out of the water towards the back of Lush…..the team is drilled on how to land fish , so Joe, Marty and Woody start wetting the deck to get ready for Alan to do the deed and send the fish to heaven whilst Audds prepares to chop him up!!!

The Wahoo lands on the aft deck and we are all leaping for joy!!

Now the wind has risen even more and the kite still up!!! So Conor, Dave, Woody & Wallis run up to the bow of Lush ready for the take down!

Conor then became the total hero by pulling down the sock like he was ringing the bells in the church on his wedding day!

Kite down and put to bed, Fish in the fridge on ice and that’s all in a mornings work on LUSH!!!

All great fun!! We can’t believe we are only 555 miles from Antigua!!!

I wonder what the next 555 miles will bring!!! :0)

One Life…make sure your living it! Paulo & Team LUSH! :0) xxx

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