Well that felt like a lot of effort for not a good run at least better than yesterdays!

all started ok , by the time I`d done the chores and the blog .. about 10.40 local time .... put my head up to see whats going on we are off at 6 knots ... no need to bother with the spinnaker then. We are heading a bit more north than planned  ,ie 40 deg true but thats fine heads me towards any wind that might be around... slowly the wind increased the sun was hot and jolly cups of tea being had by all.... then it all started happening ... by 4.10 we were in rain   by 4.30 we had passed under what looked like a classic cold front by 4.40 the wind had swung round to almost due west (great the course i wanted without actually having to do anything but follow the wind by 5.00 pm wind strength halved by 6 pm we are doind less than 3 knots in a sea left from 20 knots of wind ...so much banging snd crashing  8 pm decide thats it ... but hey the moon is just getting up so i`ll have dinner and then decide. Which meant still later and by moonlight 1m getting the pole in ,downhaules off etc...even both sails down and put her to bed at 9.30and off we go under motor again ... at least i should get pretty undisturbed sleep tonight . No such luck .. up comes the wind and by 10.30 we are close hauled on port tack on 90 degres true (what I want)  ... as the wind picks up nicely we are steaming along with the feeling of being in reverse ..... the boat is riding the waves coming from behind... but we are beating  ... strange to be almost surfing on a back of a wave when beating .. then almost stop, nose down while she gets lifted up the next one.....especially in the dark ..has strange effect on the different senses! any way off we go, old waves dieing rapidly and we are up to 7 knots close hauled on a flat sea  ... doesnt last of course .. by midnight 2 reefs in , me helming and we are thrashing into a 20 + knot wind and sea ... thats coming from ... where we want to go!!! .... and nothing has changed whilst I write this ... Its just various shades of grey out there  drizzleing and yet the barometer is 'still going up ....weird