Saturday morning 10:30 local time and Spectra delivered 5 very bedraggled, tired and wet sailors onto the club Marina Real La Coruna pontoon. What a last night Biscay saved for us. All went well up to my shift handover to the girls at 2100. The wind had been steady all day and the coast of Spain was creeping ever closer. 30 minutes later I was on deck again helping Norma and Sarah drop a reef in the main and roll up some of the fore sail as the wind was up to 18+ Knots. A few flashes of lightning could be seen way out to the West no problems. 30 minutes later I was up again as we furled up the rest of the foresail winds now 20 Knots and lightning regular but still way of to starboard. Andy came on watch and it all died down so out came the foresail again my next watch was 0300 to 0600 and again all good so now it was the weather witches on deck again at 6 am. 30 minutes later wind up foresail reefed. 1 hour later big bang and a flash of lightning hit the sea close to port with sheet lightning crackling across the sky above the boat. The AIS antenna began to glow with a red light which flickered up the antenna across the metal boom crutch and up the rigging until all of the rigging was glowing with a flickering red light. I missed it, but we had a bad dose of St Elmos fire aboard. Then the inevitable, too much static electricity in the air, the plotter and all instrument shut down and we lost steering as the auto pilot had shut down in auto mode. Now after the earlier incidents I had decided to sleep in the saloon so when the shout came from on deck we have lost the steering i was fast asleep on the saloon seat. Andy rushed through from the foreward berth and went to pull his boots on which involved sitting down. I was awoken by Andy sitting on my head!!! That is going to take one hell of a lot of counselling to get over I can tell you. Up again for me, this time with Andy and we switched all of the electrics down and then brought it all back up again one system at a time. Amazing, everything popped back into life, Spectra shrugged it off and carried on as if it was all in a days work. At this point the heavens opened and it poured with rain, proper monsoon stuff and that was it for the rest of the night.

Around 9 Steve popped out bright as a button and asked if we wanted breakfast it was his turn on Mummy watch but even so there was no need for that level of chirpiness in the morning.

As we moored up we found our single casualty of the trip. One of the little birds that have accompanied us on and off had taken shelter on the aft deck had died in the night, probably from the torrential rain or shock from the lightning. We buried him at sea as we approached the harbour. It was a simple ceremony with few words but his mother would have liked it.

Distance run from Guernsey: 483 miles.

Time taken: 76.5 hours.

About half of it under sail alone.

Lures set by Steve dragged behind for 38 hours x 2 lures.

Fish caught 0

Great crew, great company and a great achievement!

So here we are; it is now Sunday we have had a good nights sleep, a great meal out and drunk a lot of the local fire water. Today we walked out to the oldest working lighthouse in the world. Steve enjoyed the walk, Norma thought it was too far and Sarah played with the hunky joggers along the way. Andy and myself just got on with it, as good husbands do.

Tomorrow the plan is to leave after breakfast for a 40 mile hop down the coast to Carmarinas where we will spend a couple of days. But tonight it is Tapas and more wine fore Spectra’s motley crew.

See pictures below:

A big boat before Ushant

Two ships pass we had a chat and they sailed on

Andy the ancient mariner at work

The Hawk on the prowl 80 miles from land

Taking shelter

Watching the Hawk from the safety of our spray hood

Oldest working lighthouse in the world

The weather witches take a selfy.