21:48.5N 060:53.5W

We have maintained a good northerly heading over the last 24 hours and are now well over 300 miles from Antigua with around 2000 miles to run into Horta.  We expect to start to turn onto a more north easterly course in the next 24 hours as the wind shifts more into the south east.

The sea state has eased as we crossed the Puerto Rico Trench (some three miles deep) and lose some of the effects of the North Equatorial Current. The wind has also moderated and now sits at around 15 knots with the occasion surge (a long slow gust?) up to 20 knots.  We have a couple of reefs in the genoa, one in the main and are making over 7.5 knots without putting too much strain on the autopilot or the rig.

Tom and Ed have settled well into their watchkeeping routine, but I had forgotten how much sleep young people need!

The Sargasso weed, so prevalent around the Leeward Islands, has dissipated and I’m thinking of deploying my trusty tuna lure later today.

We had a visitor overnight – an unidentified land bird hitched a lift around teatime and left at dawn this morning when a couple of Tropicbirds came for a look.  Brown, about the size of a blackbird, long beak for digging, webbed feet and a grey fringe to his forehead... photos taken but my reference books onboard all deal with seabirds. Too small for a Noddy...

No significant defects, morale good.

Richard, Ed and Tom