7 Oct 2024 - As I scan the horizon, I can see the first hints of dawn. There are patches of night sky which appear to be slightly more pale in the East. As my eyes adjust to the new greyscale colour palette, I spot a squall. It will catch up with us at some point. I watch the edge of the squall remain comfortably in the distance for the best part of an hour. Then, all of a sudden, it is upon us. The wind speed jumps to 35 knots. We are still on the J1 but with two reefs in the main. And we are rather overpowered. We hold on tight. We are waiting to reach the centre of the squall and accompanying lull, so we can get the Staysail out in anticipation of another 35 knots on the other side. The sea state is confused and the wind angles are dancing around, but then Charles spots a smidge of blue sky amongst the grey. We decide to tack towards the blue, trying to avoid being dragged East by the squall. I go forward to the shrouds to unclip the running backstay. Not a second after my foot steps back into the cockpit, the next 35 knots hits. Continued on www.alexandrabevis.com (link in bio) #sailing #girlswhosail #hurricanemilton #squall #yachtlife #sailboat