February 6, 2009 – A day late with the ship’s log. Great fatigue yesterday after a very long day. Had to replace the pilot steering linkage bolt again. This time with a better bolt. And put some extra leverage on the compression bolts to tighten to try to take some load off the bolt via friction/compression on the linkage tube. Had to heave-to again, did so on opposite gybe as the first time, thinking I could equally get at the bolts under the traveller, couldn’t, had to gybe my heave-to. Then through the day a myriad of sail changes trying to get to and across the low pressure trough, and into the high pressure to the NE. Eventually did, but it was pretty much a 24 hour non-stop workout, very physical. So when I went at the end of the day utc to write a log, i just fell asleep at the chart table, with the Fleet 77 on, but fortunately not connected! Onward. Thinking of Raphael to the south, getting pasted as we did by a vicious low, hope all’s going as well as it can be in that weather for him.