Sam Davies, one of the only two women in the Vendee Globe solo round-the-world race, has opened her Christmas decorations box aboard her Open 60 yacht, Roxy, and been putting up tinsel.
‘I’ve even got a Christmas tree!’ she says.

She reports: ‘Roxy is being chased by a ridge of high pressure, with no wind, so the next 24 hours are going to be a bit slow for us.
‘I have been making the most of the nice conditions to check and double check everything on board, plus carry out a bit of routine maintenance, bailing out, drying and housework.
‘Roxy is still happily gliding along on her own, “Black Pearl-style”, under a big gennaker, which has enabled me to top up my “sleep bank”. I think I have managed at least 8 hours in the last 24, which is a great achievement: I must be almost back in the black!
Genevive – the big gennaker – is enjoying stretching her cloth out in the sunshine after having been cooped up in Roxy’s port bunk for rather a long time.

‘But soon, we will have the usual struggle between her and me to get her rolled up, back down in the boat, and into the port bunk again, as we will be reaching on port tack. This means that all the gear must be “stacked” up to port to optimise Roxy’s power and speed. That manoeuvre in itself takes at least an hour, as Genevive and I have to get down the forehatch, through the small hatch in the mast bulkhead, over the keel rams, in front of the nav station – without touching any of the switches – round 90°, then folded into the bunk!’

S x”