Position: 14:19.400N 58:30.034W

Very squally night, wind shifting 90 degrees regularly and for a while we were sailing in circles to stay ahead of it. Each time we made a sail change it was time to undo it again. Eventually we decided to motor out of that zone as it was very demoralising especially when the hours on the Time To Go clock are increasing instead of decreasing. The night was quite wet and the showers were heavy, the full moon disappearing behind heavy black cloud at regular intervals. We can track these squalls on the radar to see which ones are on collision course. Some of them were travelling at speeds in excess of fifty miles per hour. This was the most rain we have had on the trip.

Its time to refrigerate the champagne, we are getting very close to the finish line now, 142 miles from the north west coast of St Lucia, then a couple of miles further to the south lies the finish line. I am not sure I am ready for it to end just yet. Time has passed so quickly, I am just getting the hang of the sextant, still have plenty of reading material and plenty of music on the iPod has not yet been played on my random setting. The only things making me yearn for land is the fact that we ran out of tomatoes yesterday and a cold beer would be nice after more than three weeks.

We should make it by Sunday Mass which brings me great relief as the prospect of my saying another one on board, writing the sermon and baking the unleavened bread does not fill me with joy. Tom and Jeanot expect the Mass in Latin also which puts a little added pressure on me. The last supper tonight.

We have been unshod also for all of that time apart from on brief forays up the foredeck for digital protection. While on the subject of shoes I read an interesting quote yesterday: Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. Then at least you will be a mile away and you will have his shoes.

We have reached the biggest milestone yet, the crease on our Atlantic chart, far from the lump in the sea we expected, as we crossed, it was marked by a deep valley of water. I can only deduce from this that our chart had been folded incorrectly.

Sleep has become deeper and deeper for all of us throughout the passage, specialist tactics are now required to awaken both Jeanot and I. Normally I am awake as soon as someone even considers waking me.

We saw a plane today which caused much excitement as it is the first in two weeks.

The issues facing us now are:

1. Which way up to we fly the St. Lucian courtesy flag

2. On the customs declaration do I put Tom down under crew or livestock?

3. Do we drink the gin in the hold to save us declaring it?

The only thing rhyming with Cerys

Is an English word called terrace

Out under these skies

We now realise

We should have called her “Furled Boozing Pub” (it rhymes with World Cruising Club, ARC organisers)