Hi everyone,

Well the breeze filled in at last and over 24 hours since setting the spinnaker again, we are still flying it and hurtling along for the last 6 hours! It’s just gone 03.30 and Robert has had an excellent watch, honing the course to help us hopefully pass to the south of the Scillies TSZ (Traffic Separation Zone). In normal circumstances a boat will make ‘best endeavours’ to stay out of the area due to danger of ships which are restricted in ability to manoeuvre, and in any case will only cross as close to perpendicular as possible. In a race they are absolute no-go areas! So we either pass to the north of it and pass between Scillies and TSZ (could be fun!) or pass to the south. On balance we both reckon pass to the south, and while I was snoring away Robert had carefully adjusted the instructions to the autohelm to sail slight closer to the wind. We are running at a wind angle now of 129 – wind is 129 degrees on stb side, ie a very broad reach. Wind has touched 20kts very occasionally but is generally about 17kts so really fast point of sailing. We have about 90nm to go to the Scillies, and about 150 to Lizard.

We obviously will have a very busy period once we get closer, and it is a pity much of it will be in the dark tomorrow night. We are pushing as much as we dare but when I made some rough calculations before going off watch at midnight I reckoned that we would reach the Scillies about 19.00 today. With the boat going well it may be before then a little. There will then be tides to consider as well – I did some work on that during my watch last night as well. It is amazing what one can get done in the middle of the night…… - it is just coping the next day becomes the challenge!

We are both really trying hard to catch those in front. We think (thanks Bill!) that some were to the South of us yesterday, so hopefully suffered as much as us and perhaps longer in the sloppy seas / light airs of yesterday. It certainly felt the right thing to do to head further North to look for the wind. When we gybed onto stb yesterday evening as the breeze showed first signs of arriving the boat felt transformed and leapt away almost instantly. Robert did a great job on the bow again and I think we are handling the sails pretty well and efficiently. It certainly runs smoothly and quietly with Robert leaping around the foredeck like Finley and Otto on a playground!

Robert’s turn to write something tomorrow during the day. It seems odd to write so much about a course decision which is so far ahead – like deciding at the Needles which side of Alderney to pass very earlhy on – although I suppose that is different because of the stronger tides down there.

Time to stop rambling!

Love to all

Tim and Robert