Sat 14 Dec 14:53.568N 53:15.762W Distance travelled in 24h 151 miles

 

The wind has been blowing 20-25 knots since Wednesday with waves 5-6 metres high. Many days have been overcast.

 

The squalls are easy enough to see coming, dark shapes in the sky, and when they hit the wind usually increases to 30 knots and backs 30 degrees. A few times it has backed 50 degrees and increased to reaching gale force. During one of these Shelduck lay down and water came green over the cockpit coaming, engulfing the skipper up to his armpits. 

 

The squall clouds come in at about 30-45 degrees from the direction of the wind, so when we look out behind us, anything nasty looking directly behind us will pass to our port side and not cause too much trouble. It’s the ones coming from our starboard quarter that need to be kept an eye on.

 

Too rough to cook and difficult to eat.

 

Gabby is fed up of having wet shorts and pants from the rogue waves that hit us broadside and splash up into the cockpit rather than rolling up to the stern as most of them do. When clothes get wet with seawater the salt content ensures they never dry out and remain damp, until you can get to a laundromat...

 

Sightings: huge, enormous waves coming from a variety of directions, mountains and steep valleys of water behind us, waves can seem particularly large when you look up the companionway steps as you are about to go up on watch.