Well, this weather is certainly keeping us on our toes. A weak low which moved out from the mainland into the North Sea has brought with it a very changeable breeze and one that rarely matched up with the forecast.
The light patches have certainly caused us a great deal of frustration, with the few miles remaining ticking by much slower than we anticipated.
Thankfully, the low has now moved on and left us with a perfect 15-20 knots from the west, so progress is now better than is has been for days. Of course, as we are in home waters and subject to the fickle nature of our British summer time, this will not last for long and I expect the wind will lighten imminently and it could be a painful last few miles of this race.
Yesterday we sailed back across the Greenwich Meridian, thus crossing back into the eastern half of the globe. It's something I've done hundreds of times in my sailing around the UK, but for some reason this time it feels a bit more special! The next crossing of the line will be as we motor past the observatory itself, on the Thames.
With the approaching lighter weather, I expect to see you again tomorrow morning for what is likely to be my penultimate blog of the circumnavigation.
An easterly Garmin, signing off.
Ash