28:51.6N  45:21.2W

We have sailed just 132 miles in the last 24 hours and are now 1117 miles from Punta Delgada.  The weather continues to challenge us: a mix of heavy rain, flat calm and short periods of decent breeze from every direction has kept the team busy.  This morning, for example, we were sailing beautifully on starboard tack on a close reach until 0500.  By 0515 the wind had veered 90 degrees and dropped.  By 0530 we had the spinnaker up and it started to rain heavily.  By 0730 the wind had died again and we had a 180 degree wind shift as it dropped, forcing a hasty drop of the kite!  The forenoon watch has been dominated by calm conditions and the sun has come out, so I climbed the backstay and repaired the HF antenna, whilst we were able to dry out the boat and our clothes a bit.  As I write, the cruising chute is back up and we are making 6 knots towards the Azores in glorious sunshine.  Who knows what the next hour will bring?

We’ve seen a Leach’s Storm Petrel and a red-beaked Tropicbird this morning – amazing to think that they can operate over 1000 miles from land with such ease!

Although we are all a bit frustrated by the fickle weather, we are keeping things going and taking every mile as it comes.  Morale is good and we have one less defect than yesterday!

Richard, Tom and Ed