Day 55 – Squalls continue, cloud watch

11/30 GMT Low dark blanket of Stratus clouds

10.20 GMT Curtain of rain moving across the sea towards the boat

0935 GMT Approaching squall from the East

24 Apr, 07 – 21.40
15.5784N,41.5571W
24 hr progress: 35.4 Nautical Miles
Distance to Antigua: 2499 Nautical Miles
Distance left to Antigua (straight line): 1134 Nautical Miles ( 2097 km) (1 NM = 1.85 km)
Wave height: 10-12 ft, Winds: 20 knots ENE, Bearing: 270 -310 degrees.

The rudder was taking a beating in the heavy seas all of last night and I lifted it partially out of the water to ease the surface pressure and thus the pressure on the hinges. As a result of diminished rudder effectiveness, a lot of work steering all day to keep the stern into the waves.
Very pleased at achieving above average mileage, despite the rudder problem, by surfing down the waves to increase speed.
More wind and squalls this morning. However, a fantastic day just to watch the cloud patterns change over the day as the squall moved across the horizon from east to west. (see photos).
As the day started clearing towards mid-morning, I had the rare chance of witnessing a 360 degree view of half the sea covered in storm clouds and the other half with a clear blue sky as the squall cleared.
In contrast to the progress, the menu today was a catastrophe. The pasta in tomato sauce tasted like pasta in cheese sauce. I managed to salvage it a bit after performing emergency surgery with some Tabasco and a packet of ketchup. (After typing this sentence, I noticed that the spell checker corrected my spelling of Tabasco. Wow..its that brand recognition or what?. Quite cool.)
On the dessert front, a break in the landscape with a new pack of Chocolate Pudding – that I had not tried before. Surprisingly chewy. Maybe the packet had been stepped on too many times or left it out in the sun too long.
B