34:29.700n 56:28.800w

Distance to home:  2642 miles

Distance run today:  115 miles  

Course 075

To summarise yesterday, we ate, slept and mooched about a bit.  With the exception of Jez’s fireball in the sky which was amazing, it was the equivalent of an admin day.

Luckily for our sanity, today is different.

Domestic

Chicken curry tonight (are you listening Harvey Rowles ?)

Make and mend going on in the cockpit with a focus on the fishing rig.

Sailing

We ran on engine for a few hours as it got dark and were very happy to turn it off and go back to sailing at about 2am.

The morning has been full of sail changes as we have gone from full genoa to spinnaker to poled out genoa and working jib (on the inner forestay) and finally back to poled out genoa.

At this point we stopped messing about because tea was ready, we were knackered and anyway, the boat was going fine.

It’s blowing 25 to 30 knots about 100 miles north of here as the front goes through.  We can deal with that if we have to but it’s much more comfortable down here and we expect the wind speed to rise a little over the next day or so.

2 ships sighted, both huge.  The first overtook us at about 6 this morning on it’s way to Gibraltar and passed about a mile and half to Port.  The second was on it’s way to the USA and came within 12 miles (we had a quick chat with him on vhf)

Dave P – towed generator is working fine with new length of braid on braid (banging in about 6 amps ).  Any info still welcome but no rush.

Natural History

Nothing new to report. 

We spent a happy hour or so in the cockpit at dusk with google skymap and a sky that was absolutely full of stars but none of us is Patrick Moore so we would be lost without the technology.

Today’s responses  

Harvey – OK, 2:1.  Well done

Sandie – We will find you something more dramatic on the animal front before we get home.  Keep an eye out for the predators on your patch.  In the meantime, the fireball I saw yesterday was a match for anything that Hollywood could do.

Gran – Best news of the trip so far !  That’s the Police Car caught out by the tide on the Strood at Mersea.  And definitely not the bit about Arsenal finishing 2 places above Spurs.

Joe – Hope your match goes well tonight.

Em – Busy night tonight then.  Look forward to report on holes once dug and walls once painted.  Are you helping Lizzie ?

Jason – Glad it floats.  Weather good.  Also interested in what’s coming towards us from the west.  We get grib files but it costs lots of airtime so your input welcome.

Barry – More reef than land in Bermuda, not surprised that someone landed up on it.  It was beautiful, exotic and full of rich Americans.  We liked the place.

Emily – Clio sounds great.  Keep up the training.  Hope the training is going well for your mini-tri.

Mum – Great to hear about the amount in memory giving.  Enjoy the gardening with Grandma.  Hope the weather holds out.

Bye for now

Sadie