Madeira to Caribbean - Day 13

Our new day started with furling the 100% jib and hoisting the cruising chute, which is still flying and managing well in winds ranging from 10 to 25kts. We're back on our regular watch system and the near full moon lights up the deck at night so life is easier. My captain noticed another reoccurring crack on the other side of the gooseneck. He attempted an offshore fix by making a spacer for the boom/gooseneck hinge. We took down the sails and with the skill of two engineers managed to insert it. Not an easy task in a rolling sea, but all (30) fingers are accounted for and so far the temporary fix is working. Despite hanging out in the open ocean for our repair job we logged 184nm, a 7.6kt average.

The seas were calmer this morning so I perused my cookbook and then spent time playing with the convection oven while the generator was on. (I can't believe I waited 5 years to learn how to use this magical oven!) I made stuffed red peppers for lunch and banana bread for tomorrow's breakfast. Due to my limited stores and selfish preferences, I created an original banana bread recipe and since it turned out so tasty (we sampled it warm) I'm including it.

- Banana Oat Bread -
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3-4 ripe bananas (depending on size), mashed
2 cups flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream butter, oil and sugar together. Add eggs and beat well. Mix in bananas, flour, oats, cinnamon, soda and vanilla. Grease and flour 1 large or 2 small loaf pans. Pour dough into pan. Bake for 1 hour or until brown at 300°F (150°C) - or 30 minutes on convection low mix.

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