Good afternoon everybody, here's my daily update.

After a front came through last night, during which the wind shifted 180 degrees in a few minutes, the going was quite rough! As there was still a respectable sea running from the South, and I sailed close-hauled on a westerly course in 25 knots of NW wind, the boat was repeatedly hit by waves 'from the wrong side'. Sometimes they even broke on deck, on the leeward side! a very strange phenomenon. After having settled in in the NW, the waves gradually became more normal and early this morning the wind died out completely. From 0700 to 0930 I was completely becalmed. I took this opportunity to prepare a mast climbing expedition, so that when a first light breeze would come to stabilize the boat, I would go up the mast to retrieve my halyard. And so I did, and am very please to say that all is fine now, both up the mast and down below. I even wore a styrofoam crash helmet, having learned the hard way during my climb in the ostar 2005.

It looks like we are going to get a few day's of very favorable NE winds, and I am looking forward to that! (You only wonder what the price will be you have to pay for this...)

Bart

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