The last 24 hours have seemed very active but in reality we have slowed down a lot. As UK woke up valuable advice from David Sharples, Ian Boston and our friends at Greenhams helped us to identify where the problem might lie with our non-functioning instruments. A quick visit to the lazarette and the Raymarine magic box identified a blown fuse, for which David's well stocked electrical parts box had a substitute. So after three watches of hand steering, we were able to get back to the reliable auto-pilot.

Further advice was received from Advance Yachts to help with the generator which is still a work in progress, but we are narrowing it down to an engine oil issue.

So the day started with bright sunshine and a happy crew. Little were we to imagine the squalls that were going to find us. One of the advantages of the Raymarine radar system is its impressive identification of squall activity. For those who have not seen a screen, the photo shows all of the squalls which were around us this morning. A gentle squall is coloured green, stronger yellow and strongest red.

With the deft touch of a ballerina, Janette pirouetted between these monsters of the sea, but even her skill at successfully avoiding the winds did not prevent Zephyr and her enjoying a full soaking as she navigated through a gap between two squalls.

Now out on the other side we have found wind hopefully to carry us though the night and if the forecast is correct all the way to Samoa.

We will reach the halfway point tomorrow which is always a nice feeling.