At 0714 GMT Sunday, 24 hours after setting off from Malta, and we've covered 422 nautical miles, with just over 500 to go for Port Said. This is looking pretty good. The speed has crept upwards steadily, now over 20 knots on an oil-smooth sea which looks as though it has enough surface tension to walk on. So we could knock off this last bit by this time tomorrow, provided the weather holds out, of course. There's still another depression lurking out there somewhere.

And then we'll be in the Suez Canal. That's going to be a highlight which we're all looking forward to. In the meantime, this morning we're somewhere north of Libya, well outside any shipping lanes, with not a single ship spotted since last night.

The boat has definitely lost some of its lustre in the last 24 hours. Now caked in salt from the sea, and sand blown over from the Sahara, she looks as though she's been gathering dust for several years in a disused garage.

But whilst the boat might be looking a little grubby, the same can't be said for the crew, who've been taking advantage of the warmer weather to use the boat's ensuite washing facilities. OK, in fact it's the dive platform at the back, with a hose pipe which provides a shower which can best be described as bracing.

Clive Tully

Copyright Clive Tully ©2002
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