We have not had much to report due to us just floundering around the whole of yesterday doing 3knts due to no wind. To-day seems to be about the same, we are 154nm SW of Bermuda in flat water, blue seas & great sunshine, very peaceful after the two days of huge seas & strong winds but we did enjoy the greater speed & the good sailing We are now motoring with the current behind us & we are doing 6knts. You never know from one minute to the next what is going to happen although there are long stretches where you just sit around listening to music & reading. We hope to reach Bermuda sometime to-morrow weather dependant & we would like to end with an extract from friend's who are sailing in the Arc Sailing Rally from the Virgin Islands to Bermuda & then the Azores & Portugal. They have arrived in Bermuda already. Well after the last emails, things certainly changed and so that's why I'm afraid that there were no more emails - it was hang on for dear life, rollercoaster sailing! The low that I think I mentioned, developed big stylie, but decided not to move, so the only way was through it. Winds up to 40 knots - I think that is what they class as gale force for 4 days - we did sit out one night hove to, but when we woke up we had gone back 40 miles, so after that we just ploughed on - I think that that may have shown on the tracker that we were going backwards, and as a result the last out of the fleet from Tortola to arrive in Bermuda. We arrived this morning - fri - at 0500, checked in and are now at anchor in St George's harbour. I am just sorting out boat ie trying to find things, phil is getting a couple of things fixed we hope, afternoon chore for us is to get the salt water pump out of the engine as it is leaking and so needs a new seal. Our crew I think enjoyed themselves - well put it this way, when immigration asked if any of us were flying out of Bermuda, they didn't say anything... No major injuries either, although quite alot of bruising, and for me, mel, my face has looked better as I got attacked by a door, when I thought I'd found a comfortable place to sleep on the floor! So that's about it really, leg one complete, start leg two on Wed, tons of love to you all Mel xxxx

Phew! Made it to Bermuda. This leg of the crossing is supposed to be the easiest, but the brochure lied. It was a sail of two halves. First 3 days very little wind but made good progress, but knew there was a big depression building and heading south. Normally these systems cross the Atlantic east above the Azores to Scotland and Iceland - which is OK in my book. But this year the Bermuda/Azores high went AWOL. When we got news of this and conditions were deteriorating, our headsail furling gear decided to jam with too much sail up. Not good. Too dangerous to work on deck as seas building, so we hove to (for land lubbers and those with more sense than to be out in mid Atlantic on a 43 ft yacht, hove to is when you back the sails and let the boat sit floating to the seas to calm things down). We then spent half a day fixing the problem just before dark and because our estimated ETA in Bermuda would coincide with the worst weather, we took the prudent decision (they're always prudent decisions when you take the easy options) to stay hove to for the night. Get a good night sleep, boost moral, have bacon & eggs for breakfast, and charge off re- invigorated. But the weather gods didn't play ball. The depression intensified and didn't budge. But we did - we drifted 40M backwards overnight. Hence we were at the back of the fleet - so much for prudence! Well after the last emails, things certainly changed and so that's why I'm afraid that there were no more emails - it was hang on for dear life, rollercoaster sailing! The low that I think I mentioned, developed big stylie, but decided not to move, so the only way was through it. Winds up to 40 knots - I think that is what they class as gale force for 4 days - we did sit out one night hove to, but when we woke up we had gone back 40 miles, so after that we just ploughed on - I think that that may have shown on the tracker that we were going backwards, and as a result the last out of the fleet from Tortola to arrive in Bermuda. We arrived this morning - fri - at 0500, checked in and are now at anchor in St George's harbour. I am just sorting out boat ie trying to find things, phil is getting a couple of things fixed we hope, afternoon chore for us is to get the salt water pump out of the engine as it is leaking and so needs a new seal. Our crew I think enjoyed themselves - well put it this way, when immigration asked if any of us were flying out of Bermuda, they didn't say anything... No major injuries either, although quite alot of bruising, and for me, mel, my face has looked better as I got attacked by a door, when I thought I'd found a comfortable place to sleep on the floor! So that's about it really, leg one complete, start leg two on Wed, tons of love to you all Mel xxxx