We finally rounded Rockall yesterday morning. It's a tiny place and there was not much to see due to a 1 nautical mile exclusion zone that was in force.
As we bore away, we immediately hoisted our lightweight spinnaker for the first time since its repair, the most extensive of the whole race so far. The guys have done a fantastic job, working around the clock for days to get it fixed and it was great to see it flying again with its many battle scars.
As predicted and rather annoyingly, the wind has now swung to the south so we are once again beating to windward, this time in the opposite direction to yesterday. With all these unfavourable currents, wind holes and wind shifts, lately it feels like we just can't catch a break.
To add to our woes, I expect the sea state to deteriorate soon and the crashing and banging is sure to return as we pass over the continental shelf for the third time.
Right now we look set to arrive early on Thursday, although we still have the tide gate around Rathlin to navigate so I'm not making any promises!
A Guinness-deprived Garmin, signing off.
Ash