Crossing the line: at 09:30 GMT we finally reached the Southern hemisphere where Neptune was given a glass of Champagne to allow passage for Killian and Jude who were crossing for the first time (we had to drink the rest of the bottle). It’s been 1,273 miles since our last stop in Al Mukalla and 1,700 miles since leaving Djibouti, and we’re now less than 300 miles from the Seychelles.

After several days of rain storms and contrary currents, our average daily run dropped to under 120 miles over ground. Now we’re through the ITCZ (doldrums) the sun is out, the current has turned, and we’re clocking off the equivalent of nearly 190 miles a day over ground in sunny seas, blue skies and helpful breezes.