Geoff Holt rejoined the Atlantic trade winds on Tuesday following his enforced two-day stop-over at the Cape Verde Islands.

He wrote on his website: The problems Impossible Dream was experiencing were due to diesel bugs (a micro-organism which grows in diesel when there is water in the fuel). Both engines have been stripped and fully serviced by a local engineer and are now clear of the sludge that had built up.
 
We received a warm welcome at the marina and even managed to get the wind vane fixed by a local Raymarine dealer so we depart the Cape Verde Islands in excellent spirits and with a fully functioning boat.
 
The boat is now fully decked out for Christmas and a frozen chicken has been put on board ready for Christmas day. I will be sad to be spending Christmas away from wife Elaine and son Tim but I am excited about the prospect of eating a Christmas lunch in the middle of the Atlantic ocean! I am certainly not missing the horrible weather that has hit the UK and Susana has decorated the boat so we are starting to feel a little more festive.”
 
With 2,300 miles still to go and unseasonably light winds, progress is going to be slow. For a full update read Geoff’s latest blog at www.geoffholt.com