The great reach of yesterday could not last and the wind went round into the NE meaning that we were running before it.  This happened just before dark fell so we spent the night gently sailing under Genoa.  Two sightings of pods of porpoise cheered things up; they are such graceful creatures and appear to be pleased to see us.

An excellent pre-cooked french supermarket special for dinner preceded some quiet night watches – activity was provided by numerous gybings of the genoa as the wind shifted from one side of the stern to the other. Whilst it was cloudy we now have a moon which provided a good light and meant that we were not plunging into stygian darkness.

08:00 saw the opportunity to try out the new cruising chute and very fine it looked too:

It is a shame that the fancy furler did not work as it should.  Back to the drawing board on that one.  It did however prove that Elizabeth and I between us can get a 1450 sq ft sail down and bagged on our own – not to be repeated often!

We are now some 50 miles from La Coruna, the coast of Spain is well in sight and we are starting to encounter the many small fishing boats that make sailing in this part of the world such fun, especially in the dark.  ETA in La Coruna is some time after night fall which should add to the entertainment – at least we know the geography having been there twice in the last three years.