We have settled into a pretty tough routine with breakfast prepared by the off-going watch at 8am, lunch at 1pm, sundowners and nibbles at 6pm and supper at 7pm, with the crew competing to outdo each other in presentation and content. This morning’s breakfast of melon, muesli with yoghurt and baked rolls at the cockpit table with the spinnaker drawing accompanied by Freddie Mercury was typical of the last 7 days.

George’s height has proved particularly useful with long arms managing to reeve a new line through Myrtle, the hydrogenator, as well as into the bottom of lockers. Myrtle emits a reassuring moaning noise above about 5 knots which changes pitch as the speed increases (the younger generation will know what I am talking about). The watermaker is more than satisfying our water needs, particularly our thirst of course, and has been named after Wattie’s favourite pub, (The) “Digby” (Tap). The final naming was completed this morning, as we reach the latitude of southern Portugal; the autopilot, has been named after one of the country’s famous navigators, “Henry” (The Navigator), which seems a suitably respectful title for this important crewmember.

Light winds have prevailed, but from a decent direction which has allowed us to make reasonable progress overall with the spinnaker drawing for most of the daylight hours. Spinnaker pole work involves the rigging of many ropes and George, alarmingly, found a sheet had somehow been routed between through his lifejacket crotch strap as tension started coming on the sheet from above. A painful experience was narrowly averted by some quick(er) thinking!

Jonnie