Yes it's a better day for several reasons.  It started grey but bright, still pushing gently against the wind but as the day progressed the wind swung round to the west  giving me a beam reach, i.e. the wind blow directly onto the side of the boat which is the fastest point sailing, I hope it holds for awhile as we are sailing straight up the rhumb line. 

I made a really good salad last night which I thoroughly enjoyed. It comprised pessure cooked potatos, carrots and parsnip,diced and seasoned with salad cream on a base of crisp Azorean Letttice with two chopped hard boiled eggs and a stong chopped chedder cheese on top. It was delicious and much too much so I finished it for lunch today, very nice. I don't always enjoy my meals,in fact I find preparing and eating meals a chore which is probably why I lose weight on these trips, but yeserdays and todays was good.

With the weather being better I can get on deck, without having cold water poured over me, every surface I touch or hand hold I grip I find it covered with salt crystals. Now it has dried, in the thin sun, the whole boat is covered in salt.

We have 500 miles to go and it looks like one storm, Sunday  night, in our path when we reach the St Georges Channal, but with a bit of luck it won't get that far east.  I hope so because a strong south westerly up the Irish sea when the tide turns against the wind is not much fun and there will be at least two tides as I journey up. I  may have to go up the east coast of Ireland till it passes then cut across; we'll see! Between now and then the wind looks quite co-operative, south westerlies pushing me home.

Poppa/Dad/Roger