Left Ramsgate yesterday at 5am in order to catch the tides and favourable winds to take us to Eastbourne. Whilst 5am is not a usual time for us to see the world, as you will know, it was magic with the sun rising and colouring the sky. We did better than we thought and had reached our turning point for Eastbourne by 11.30am. With the sun shining and the sea calm and the rest of the day ahead still we decided to crack on and re-planned our course for Brighton. Having made this decision, the tide then turned against us and the wind changed direction. The engine was switched on as we had to make a move. The sea then decided to turn too and became quite bumpy. We had water over the front as the boat dived into the waves and we had to duck down many times as the spray came over our heads. Yes, we have seen the Perfect Storm and no, it wasn't as bad as that. The sun was still shining and it was warm even though we felt as if we were inside a washing machine on super spin! Arrived in Brighton at 8pm having completed our longest journey together of 95 miles. Quick shower and bite to eat and then our heads hit the pillows.

Today, we woke to a beautiful day in Brighton. We washed off the layer of salt that had encrusted Deep Blue, did a bit of shopping and then had lunch at a Spanish tapas bar overlooking the marina. This is the life....

However, Chris has just announced that he is considering planning a 24hr journey for us tomorrow in preparation for crossing the Bay of Biscay. Off to get a large gin and tonic!