1917 UTC, 13/42N  36/09W, 11.9 knots, 347T, 35 knots across deck, staysail and three reefs in main. May reduce to storm jib for the night, as I have up too much sail for going across these seas. Tried storm jib earlier, and it slowed the boat considerably. Then put the staysail back up to cover some ground. Now there is more wind, so we’ll decide whether or not to change back to the storm jib in a little while.

Difficult weather pattern in days to come with big lows and multiple highs separated and out of position. The systems do not look favorable for us at the moment, with strong headwinds forecast. I’m not looking forward to that.

The indescribable pounding, though it diminishes somewhat when the wind eases, continues. At the moment my decisions are based on what is best for the boat. So I think that I will return to the storm jib soon.