11/12/11 - Lord Nelson

This morning Lord Nelson arrived in Leixoes, (pronounced Le-Choice), an arrival timed perfectly for the crew to move straight from harbour stations to lunch.

Those reading this from the UK who are feeling pangs of jealousy for the sunshine can rest assured that we have been rained, drizzled and poured on all the way across Biscay and down the Spanish and Portuguese coasts. The voyage-crew, undeterred by (or just used to?) showers, sometimes Biblical in proportions, have taken the opportunity to visit Porto this afternoon, which is only a short bus/train ride away.

You find the remainder of the crew having decamped to the bar after another full day of work. We're sitting here sipping champagne and the smiles are starting to spread. We have fixed the bowsprit gratings which took quite a battering as we pounded through the huge swell of Biscay. BM Aoife, aka Whitespotsbegone, has been painting the chartroom lift and her smile never drooped even during the monsoon-like rain showers. Neil, the BM has been prowling around the ship with a drill in one hand and pieces of trim in the other, staring at the deckhead, trying to complete the jigsaw puzzle. BM Katie has been lurking in the men's inboard head, allegedly preparing and painting the deck. MP Carol has been constantly feeding the washing machine and especially the tumble dryer, whilst the galley department continue to produce delicious fayre.

Yesterday, we helped Agata celebrate her 21st birthday with a huge cake at Smoko and to remind her of home, traditional Polish Bigos (a stew with sausage and juniper berries) for dinner followed by a silly hat party in the bar.

We are due to depart tomorrow and will head South with the intention of arriving in Lisbon on the 14th, where we hope the sun will be shining.

Love, Nellie's Crew.