Friday 18 January Hot and cold

While the UK shivers in an Arctic grip we were flagging in the hottest recorded temperatures Sydney has known. Just like last week we had wind blowing from the hot interior out to the coast. It was like living in a fan oven – hot, dry air sucking all the moisture out of the air. Would have been an amazing day to dry laundry. Not so good if your a human. By 11am we were up to 39c in the shade.

At midday Paul and Paula brought their 3 boys for a boat visit and we all melted together. Paul has recently had a hip op but was valiant and climbed in and out of the dinghy and got him on boaard without incident. Paula and the boys bounced in and on. Captain Dave gave the new squabs the tour. Paula and the boys were so enthusiastic I think we've found crew for our next ocean passage!

After they'd left David and I succumbed to pure self indulgence – we went down below, closed the hatches, windows and turned on the generator. Sounds like odd behaviour? Not when it means you can have the air conditioning running which dropped us down 9 degrees to 30C. Bliss. It also meant I had energy to prepare dinner.

Alex, me, Tom,Paula, Matt, Paul

Neil was coming over after work to join us for dinner. His arrival coincided with the promised weather shift to cold air coming across the ocean and up from the south. Within thirty minutes we had swung the opposite way and closed open windows to keep warm. By the time we ate the mecury had dropped to a much more comfortable 25C. As a local said 'that's Sydney'.