Hello everyone.

I eventually set off from Nazare on the 10th January having waited for some
favourable wind which paid off as, with admittedly some judicious use of the
engine (38hrs), I made Puerto San Sebastian de La Gomera in the Canary
Islands this morning at 0040. Thanks for the advice, Georgie, as it looks a
very suitable port of call if only because it contains both people and beer.

Total distance of 801 miles in 7 days, 12 hours and 40 minutes. 38 hours
motoring at 4 knots with 3 days 24 hr sailing runs of 124, 124, and 114. Not
bad for a littl'un.

Speaking honestly, the trip was fantastic but harder going after the
euphoria of the trip to Portugal. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that I
have not been near a boat for 4 months before launching into 3m swells and
F5 in a small, if not smaller than I recall, boat. Undoubtedly there were
some considerable highs but also some 'arresting moments' that have made me
appreciate the relative scales of my boat and the sea.

The main such moment has to be night 3 and, in particular, the clout on the
head I received from a fast moving boom. Everything was quickly sorted
without too much drama although it could, admittedly, have been worse, but
it wasn't and it has served to make me more cautious in my immediate
approach to moving the boat along, particularly as I get my feet again in a
fairly tippy boat. For those officionados tutting away right now, in my
defence, I had only just taken the preventer off in anticipation of some
gybing, etc. I then stuffed it up.

Other than that, night 3, whilst I should have been taking it carefully and
managing my 'wound', also involved a fairly vicious chinese gybe (everyone
following this?), confused wave action caused by a sea mount and then a
sharply rising wind (which promptly dropped off once all the sails had been
changed). It was a pretty rough night (always night) but all is well that
ends well. In fact writing this now makes me feel pretty good at how we got
through unscathed (relatively) and all the wiser without any panic. Nice.

The final part of the passage did not allow for much reading of books,
drawing or any general chilling out as, having been advised of light
southerlies by my weather router for a couple of days, I spent 3 days being
shaken up by F4-6 easterlies. It did allow for some fast and occasionally
furious sailing which was fun but still quite wearing on mind and body.
Aluffe took a few bangs from some of the sharper waves crossing her path but
does not seem any the worse for it. They made these boats strong, they did.
All good stuff.

I can report that the sea is still largely empty of other ships and yachts,
and still is the home of dolphins who have an uncanny nack of appearing at
times when one needs that slight lift. Yesterday I had about 20 playing
around the boat and on the waves for 2 hours. The cool thing is that you can
hear them gossiping away through the hull of the boat.

I suppose the only other thing to report is that it is really sunny here and
I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I think I will have one more beer with my
good friend Parvic, the Swedish (looks Italian) salesman/solo Atlantic
oarsman before writing a list of things to do.

I hope you are all well.

William