Don Simon and chess

Impulse is hobby-horsing on her anchor, the wind blows fresh and Casper is filling up our tanks with the last jerrycan of water. Tomorrow it is for the next step North. The weather picture looks OK although the question remains - can it be trusted? At least the wind strength has decreased and there is evidence already of some Westing in the Northerly pattern that has been somewhat unrelenting of late. Our spirits have been a bit low recently - the unbending wind, the prospect of so many sea miles, the burden of uncertainties which lie ahead. Something had to be done so we've dusted off the chess board and resorted to drinking the wine once (at a time when provisions were abundant, including alcoholic ones) reserved for the purpose of cooking. Amazing how a few weeks with no wine makes a carton of Don Simon taste good. In principle then, tomorrow it is. Our next stop, god willing, will be the Cape Verdes. We hope to be there inside a week and perhaps by then I will have managed to put a teeny dent in Casper's string of chess victories.