Position           34:35.69N 007:42.04W

Date                1200 UTC Sunday 24 October 2010 

The last 24 hours have been defined by very light winds and up until midnight some hourly runs of 2-3 nm.  However the wind filled in a little and with a change from gennaker to cruising chute we have got the speed back up to 6-7. knots.  I suppose that we are in the tail end of the seasonal NE Trades that blow here abouts until the end of October.  It is also getting warmer – shorts overnight for the first time.

What is good is that we do not have anything other than a very loose deadline to be anywhere; slow progress is therefore OK.  The noon to noon daily run is only 110nm and from Gibraltar 152nm.  If the wind holds as it is at present tomorrow should be better.

Elizabeth elected for a 3.5 hour watch system, you can see the medical rather than nautical input there, which is running OK; who knows lateral thinking may win the day.  We are definitely ships that are passing in the night, other than the sail change which took 45 mins and was hardly companionable.  I have the promise of a 1300 UTC hour breakfast with Buntings bacon so there is something to look forward to.

We decided on a happy hour yesterday – well lightening ship by consuming some of the duty free Gibraltar gin seemed like a good idea in the circumstances.  I am told to include food items so last night it was Chilli con Carne, Blue Peter style; very good it was to!