All along I've used one nautical chart for the Southern Hemisphere and St Helena and another for the Northern Hemisphere plus one for Madeira. I'm making fast progress at the moment and should be on the 10 degree West Longitude line shortly where I will switch to a detailed chart to take me into La Manche or the English Channel, depending if you are French or English.

All of a sudden I am confronted with the massive complexity of one of the world's busiest shipping channels and it's associated markers. Let's hope I can stay awake!

My choice is to enter in the middle and avoid the turn off the South of the UK to North and South America and the other corner at Brest that takes ships South.

Each corner has three ship lanes. Incoming, outgoing and dangerous goods in the middle of the three. Sailboats should cross at right angles. There are also strong tides that can give you the impression of moving forward but in fact you are moving backwards over the ground.

At the moment I'm surfing across the Bay of Biscay at 14 to 15 knots over ground. So far no wipe outs but close a couple of times. It?? s a fine balance of either going too high into the wind and heading up or too deep and gybing when a large wave picks up the stern and hurls the boat forward.

I think I've outrun the storm but see that 35 knot winds are expected by tomorrow.

All the best, Jonathan