Thursday 26th – Day 4

It’s a very bright moonlit night and there is nothing but sea and sky. No whales or dolphins, no sign of any other boats, not even any phosphorescence, just us sailing through a vast ocean. This isolation feels very special, the nearest land is 700 miles away, even the sea bed is a couple of miles away. The boat is screaming along at over 8kts.

Our Atlantic rally has suddenly turned into an Atlantic race, much to our surprise we are leading our class. This has turned all of us from laid back cruisers to embarrassingly competitive beings. We are suddenly trying to take advantage of every opportunity to increase our speed and are pouring over the position lists with a fine tooth comb. If the wind drops it will become much more difficult for us to keep up with many of the yachts that have more crew in numbers and experience. But for now we are enjoying the glory and trying our best to make use of the windy conditions.

The high winds of course make for bigger waves and everyday life is very difficult. It is a challenge to cook, clean, dress, even brush your teeth as the boat lurches from side to side. All things that can be delayed if necessary on a short sail but are essential on a longer trip like this. I am collecting my normal clutch of bruises on the tops of my arms and my hips as I slam into tables and doors but beyond that we all seem to be coping. The really good news is that besides a bit of queasiness in the first few days, the pills have been doing a sterling job and we are now all weaned off them. Not even I am sick!

The only slight disappointment is the lack of sun, the temperature is pleasant even during the night now but there is nothing to beat the sun twinkling off a blue sea. We are being chased by a continuous string of squalls that bring cloud and rain, but they also bring the wind – so for the new racing team Raya it’s not all bad.