DateWednesday 29 March

PositionS38 ° 0 ‘/ E35 ° 30’

I had a very different day today. Once I managed to wriggle Aviva and I away from the clutches of the centre of the low pressure we met the strong southwesterly winds that soon got us sailing again along our track towards South Africa. The breeze has been a little shifty and quite blustery at times, as we have had a deluge of rain clouds to pass through. No sunshine and shorts today I can assure you. It was either rain or sea spray over the deck today. The blacker more menacing looking rain clouds interrupted a very grey and overcast sky. So much for commenting yesterday on my better skies than the UK, today was more like the UK skies again.

As the conditions were relatively stable it has been a good day for getting some rest and food in me. Although the weather has made it unpleasant to enjoy being on deck, the progress has been direct and with a pretty good average speed. Long may it continue!

The other day in my excitement at departing from the roaring forties I referred to myself as the first female to have crossed the Southern Ocean from east to west, single-handed, non-stop. To clarify, that is non-stop from the UK, because in 1995 Sam Brewster set off on the same voyage that she too completed although she stopped for repairs along the way.

Dee & Aviva