Good Morning folks,

Yesterday we learned the name of the black birds that have been following us, “Black footed Albatross” even though they are entirely black (actually we cannot verify the colour of its feet) - thank you to Jon's daughter.

This morning, whilst on watch, I saw a whale. It was about 500 yards behind us and seemed very big. I am impressed with the vastness of the ocean and surprised by how very little other life we have encountered on this passage.

Last night we dropped our Code 3 (heavyweight spinnaker) which is starting to become one of our favourite sails as the sky was starless and the sea state awkward to helm in. This morning the wind is in a favourable direction for the ocean sprint and so she is flying again, our midday watch change has gone well and crew are focussed on doing their best over the next 320 nautical miles.

Happy sailing,

Conall