Neptune's Diamonds

There was no discernible difference between the inky black sea and the star-studded sky. Up above it was wall-to-wall stars. The Southern Cross, enticing us south, The Plough pointing to home. Below Avocette rode to the wind, her bows lifting to each wave before plunging down to part the next in an explosion of bio luminescence. Waves lit-up like car headlights on a distant hill. Spray landed like individual diamonds cast down on the sea - a fortune for Neptune to collect.

Things were on the change. Herb our weather forecaster and routing expert, had advised us of a low that was forming. Keep south he said, keep clear. The Tropical Wave we ran into yesterday reinforced his message. The sea changed, the sky changed, the wind intensified. Two reefs in the mainsail, roll the headsail, up with the staysail, as thirty-three knots whistled through the rigging. Then came the rain - and didn't it! Carly (the Hydrovane self-steering system) coped with it all. Well almost. Emerging from the torrent we had an horizon again, but steering only to the feel of the wind, we had been turned through one hundred and eighty degrees - we were heading for Antigua - our first "tack" since we left!

The Low-pressure system gave birth to a secondary low. The lightning display last night was spectacular. We kept south. We are now using precious diesel motoring East, looking for the high pressure and easterly winds that will lift us to the Azores.

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