Thursday 10 October

Tropical cyclone Phailin is threatening eastern India, with winds of 95 knots. That's 110 mph in old money. Small wonder that the TC page on the Indian Weather Service page takes an age to load. The Philippines are bracing themselves for typhoon Nari, expected to hit Luzon with 85 knots (100 mph) in a few days' time. Meanwhile, the Atlantic hurricane season barely merits the name. Thus far.

This is the most ridiculous situation ever. A horse is kept in a rented home and last week the council said the doors had to be so wide and so high for the horse to stay in it. Excuse me? The only two places to keep a horse are in a field or in a stable. There are plenty of people desperate for a decent home, and they are not equine.

I am not able to provide a position update on our former freight ferry Muirneag, as she is currently out of range of AIS monitoring stations. My estimate is that she will be some 300 miles east of Gibraltar, off the coast of Algeria. I hope to receive a position update once Muirneag comes within range of Sardinia, Sicily or Lampedusa, on Friday or Saturday at the latest.