Position (19.30 UT)  38 48.8N 28 16.2W

Wednesday 4^th June

It’s 19.30 UT and we’re 18 miles out from Horta, heading NE on the way home. The weather has really improved, and Horta looked its best as Irie steamed out. After the fun with the wire shroud, we had a full rig check carried out – looks like new was the verdict, but one of the fastenings on the backstay had a hairline crack, so that was replaced. It may all look like new and have been cared for, but eternal vigilance is required, especially on long ocean passages. Anyway, it’s all been good learning for all, and it was good to see Horta without a threatening cloud. The Draystone at Plymouth is currently 1238 miles away, but the waypoint we’re heading for is off Ushant, a mere 1129 nautical miles distant – better settle in with a good book.

Irie's contribution to the celebrated Horta wall