Hi everyone,

Mia here again, I got an email from Andy via the sat phone this morning and cut it together as blog post and update for the website. Sounds like they took advantage of the calm day to learn some Celestial Navigation, then a squally night and a nice morning with clear sky! Enjoy the read!

Cheers,
Mia

0323 in the morning. We had a very fast start to the day, broad reaching with full sail, including the staysail, in like 20-25 knots of wind from the ENE. Topped out at 10.6, and averaged over 9 knots on the 12-4pm watch. Scott & Shook-Ming covered 37 miles in that stretch! Mostly on autopilot, as we were all sitting out in the cockpit doing more celestial navigation. We went through a full sight reduction!

Then after that it started getting squally for the first time. We took a reef in the main, and then rolled up the genoa completely at the first squall around 5pm. Shannon and Rich were on watch after dinner and we left the genoa furled and were still making 7-8 knots with just the staysail. My dad stayed in the cockpit with them and helped them steer and keep them company. It was one squall after another then, nothing too bad, highest gust 29 knots, with some rain. No lightning.

I woke up at midnight instead of the normal 0200. I wasn’t sleeping good anyway, it was pretty rough and roll-y. Emma & I stole 2 hours from the 0000-0400 watch so we could get some time out in the cockpit sailing the boat alone. Before that when Scott & Shook-Ming went down below we took down the staysail and re-led the genoa sheets. By then the squalls had ended and we have full stars again, but the wind died and moved back into the SE, so we’re almost close-hauled again, but still on course and going fast. Emma went to bed at 0200 and I’ve been up with Ed & Kevin now since then. We just shook the reef out of the main, so now just have one reef in the genoa, going 8 knots on course!

The crew all showered outside yesterday (the second shower so far), but I didn’t take one for some reason. Then today I got a big wave over me in the cockpit, and that was it. I sneaked a shower while Emma was making dinner. It’s REALLY hot in the boat now. Humid and damp and just sweaty. Just like it always gets. It’s only going to keep getting worse, and we can’t have any of the hatches open obviously.

Okay, I think that about covers my day!

- Andy