The wind died yesterday evening and so we started the engine and ran gently for a few hours. There was no oil leak and we increased the revs and have been motoring at around 6kts all day.

This evening the wind has risen as forecast and we are sailing under just the genoa. We expect 20 to 25kts for the next 24 hours, gusting up to 30kts. We will be overtaken by a low pressure system with a front in the early hours of Wednesday that will bring wind and rain - can’t wait!

Olly fixed the heads (shower room) cabinet door today, no oil leaked from the engine, the genoa furled as it should. We put an extra lashing around the dinghy, tightened the lashings holding the spare gas bottles and hanked on the storm jib to give us this option in the stronger wind. We have listened to music, played backgammon, enjoyed baked beans for lunch and a squash korma curry for supper. Olly is engrossed in Jamaica Inn and I slept.

Weed clearance is no longer required for the Duogen but clearance of Portuguese Man of War tentacles is. We have developed a technique whereby Olly raises the Duogen to about 45 degrees from vertical while I catch the tentacle with the boat hook, winding the tentacle around the end before giving a sharp tug to break the tentacle. I then remove the tentacle from the boat hook while wearing a thick leather glove. We both fear the wind blowing the tentacle onto the boat and across us.