Midnight and the winds are gone, we were bowling along heeling to starboard at around 7 knots but the annoying cross current came back and we were making only about 5 knots over the ground. So infuriating!7

We spent most of the night under engine with the dawn arriving over an oil calm sea. The forecast for today is for SE winds to 25 knots so hopefully we will not have to wait too long before we can turn off the noisy engine. At least our batteries will be healthy and as we have been making water the tanks will be full too. We are close to the route taken by ships rounding the Cape and heading off across the Indian Ocean. Fortunately our AIS works well and alerts us if there is a ship within 8 miles. Some yachts have an active AIS system that sends out a position. We do not but the display on our monitor gives the name of the ship, its call sign, course and direction so that if we are concerned they have not seen us we can call them up. However, 2 nights ago we had no reply.

Great delight that we passed the half way point below Cap St Marie at 03:30 a.m., its not quite like a downhill run yet as there is still so far to go but being in the second half definitely feels good. Soon we will emerge from the bottom of Madagascar and into the southern end of the Mozambique channel – that might be when the excitement starts!

Recorded day's run this morning was 129 nm so better than most but we want more. That's not likely today, this morning wind is just 7 knots from the south so we are pootling along around 3 knots, cannot bear any more engine – at this rate we could be motoring to South Africa like the ships that are steaming past us at 12, 13, 14 knots.