N48:13.67  W007:08.83

Monday 29^th October.

As we sail south towards the dreaded Bay of Biscay the BBC Shipping Forecast issues a new gale warning for the area so we reef down ready for an uncomfortable night ahead. As the hours pass the barometer falls quickly and the backing wind sees us heeled over close hauled with spray lashing the decks. Now our earlier course further West than normal pays dividends as we’re forced to sail into the bay on a South Easterly course.

 Ross and myself sit at the saloon table chomping on our lobster dinner as the wind gusts to near 30knts outside, the sea’s not too rough considering where we are, near the infamous ‘Labadie Bank’, less than 100 miles West off the Brest Peninsula.

10pm and the wind peaks out, a huge amount of noise on deck turned out to be the Genoa flapping wildly as the sheet had come off the winch somehow, also the furling line had to be hauled back aboard as it was streaming behind the boat having been washed overboard.

The trusty SSB radio is tuned to the Hamburg weatherfax transmitter and a perfect image appears on the laptop viewer confirming the earlier BBC Shipping forecast prediction that the low pressure system is moving quickly east and we can expect the wind to veer from south west to west/nor’west very soon. Watch routine, 2hrs on – 6hrs off…..Luxury!