When I was younger i was into climbing books. In one of these, a Chris Bonnington attempt on Everest, in preparation for the climb, one of the team members got himself a job in a deep freeze so he could get acclimatised.

Leaving Spain in 20c and then crossing Biscay en route for Norway seems somewhat similar.

Yesterday was actually very nice. Last night however and today were mizzle followed by drizzle then rain. Pretty much the full precipitation spectrum with the exception of snow. The good news is, our tans are fadding, our core temperature is getting back to normal and by the time we land, early tomorrow morning we'll be re- acclimatised and ready for the west coast

We had another fast run last two nights in 30+, goosewinged and averaging >8 knots. The forecast last tonight was much the same so we had a big dinner, battened down the hatches and put Bat out of Hell on the stereo! The wind is up a bit more, steady F8 and we're bombing along. 12.8 over the ground an hour ago. Maybe time to reef!

Within 100 miles of the Irish coast now and back in UK waters for first time in a couple of years. I'm expecting the customs cutter any minute. Plan is to head for Crosshaven, eta 01:00 tomorrow.

S+A