This trip started with a bang and is ending with one too. Visions of yoga on the foredeck and evening cocktails admiring the sunset on balmy tropical seas quickly evaporated with yesterday's forecast.

After a 24-hour respite in relatively calmer conditions of 20 knot winds and a 3 metre swell, last night saw the winds and seas building until we had a full gale and 5 metre very confused seas, with one swell from the NE and another from the N. The autopilot behaved valiantly but around midnight, with the girls on watch, the mother of all waves threw Z on her side. With a big lurch Z was lying nearly horizontal with the boom in the water. Z quickly popped back up with no damage to boat or crew apart from le Patron who now has a bruised lump, the size of a tennis ball, on his hip from when he was tossed across his bunk into the side of the boat.

But apart from the confused seas, the odd heavy lurch and a bruised Patron, with two reefs in the main and a heavily reefed jib the winds were very manageable and the sailing was epic - Z charging along under a nearly full moon and with a rather chuffed Jim (see photo) hitting a new trip speed record of 18.2 knots in a 46 knot gust.

More chaos in the galley too as the evil cooker inflicted more burns and, when the gimbal jammed, threw a pot of rice and water everywhere. Quick thinking by Sarah saved my fish curry from a similar fate. Despite my valiant attempt last night with said curry and recycled rice, looks like the Z MasterChef Championship is all but over with Lola the clear winner.

Jim was set to be in the galley today but, with the last remaining can of tonic water as a tool, he's deftly managed to negotiate his way out of that. Looks like a smart move as the seas are still a mess although winds are now settling in the 25 knot range and they may ease off a little further. Fresh homemade bread for breakfast, crew smiling, coffee supplies still intact, and the sun is shining. Maybe tonight we'll get to enjoy a daiquiri on the aft deck after all...