As is usual, the wind was on the nose right out of the port, so engine only and a sedate 5 to 6 knots. Two hours in, the radio called out an automated pan pan. A boat in trouble with people on board, possibly migrants. But it’s 52nm (9 to 10 hours) south, so we can’t give assistance.

Overnight it was possible to get the sails up to increase our headway, but we had to zig zag to avoid all the fishing boats. Hundreds of small boats with tiny dim white lamps. I really don’t know how I avoided running some of them down.

The next day was warm and sunny, but by the evening we could see a big thunderstorm brewing. A really big storm with constant lightning off the port side and heading straight for Yves.

With so many boats we know being struck by lightning and the potential for huge amounts of damage to electronics, I turned to starboard to try to run and avoid it’s path. But no good, it had us. A real electric storm with non-stop lightning. I turned off all the electronics and put phones and iPad in the oven, using just my phone for navigation.

But for some reason, we weren’t hit, a miracle. A 20 metre wooden mast in a flat sea, we were asking for it. Amazing.

We arrived and anchored into Villasimius bay at 8:30am where friends were waiting for us to celebrate Hector’s birthday.