I often joked with friends before I started the row that one game we would play to while away those boring moments would be I Spy onlyusing the letter S.

So we would have sea, sky sun etc, day, in day out as the view from the boat is made up of the same objects everyday. Well in the last few days we have added another S to our regular collection this being Squall.

Since we started rowing again each day we have been followed and eventually consumed by squall after squall sometimes as many as 10-15 per day.

By squall I mean a large black cloud the appears on ther horizon so low that it appears to be touching the ocean. Sheets of rain often accompany these clouds together with a rapid increase of wind speed.

For us the squalls have been good news as the stronger winds underneath them have so far pushed us West towards Atigua. The only downside being the chance of a cold shower.

Today however hasbeen an exception. As daylight arrived we were greeted with the prospect of grey cloud from horizon to horizon. The whole sea scape appeared a dull grey from sea to sky, it reminds me of crossing the channel on a ferry with the dull grey sea and sky of an English winter.

The crucial difference is that here it is 27 degrees and wrm. This new cloud cover hasbrought us consistentwinds from the East/Northeast which are pushing us steadily towards Antigua. We are hoping as a result o get som,e 50 plus mile days in so watch our progress over the next few days.

I was gleefully informed by my daughter Lucy that we had covered over 1000 miles acccording to the race website which is a great first milestone. Our next goals are 1,500 miles to go followed by half way (1,350) then 1,000 miles to go. We are we hope already half way in terms of the time that it will take to do the trip, this is because the distances covered are measured as straight line progress to Antigua. For the first half of the row we had to travel mainly south to find the trade winds and distance to the south is not included in these figures. There for you see our speed pick up and distance travelled increase for the next few days.

Tomorrows rowing is dedicated to LeMark Group who as sponsors have supplied us with a variety of tapes including the Incredible Kraken tape, batteries and gloves. I have been using a pair of their Setwear fingerless gloves since the start and as a result I have had virtually no blisters which is a remarkable achievement considering the 12 hours of rowing we do a day. Thanks to MD Stuart Gibbons and his staff also for letting us share their stand with the boat at the East of England Show and the National Waterways Festival as well as the fantastic Elvis night at Spiceland. Follow the link from the website to find out more about their innovative products that we have been using daily on our voyage.

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