Who is Florence? On a scale of 5, she’s a category 4 hurricane that’s crossing the Atlantic Ocean. An angry woman in a fit of rage, she is creating a whirlwind of deadly waves and furious winds. She has decided to visit the coast of North America on her rampage and in doing so will directly cut across our path. She has recruited two smaller hurricanes, Helen and Isaac who are following behind her across the Atlantic. Despite being a sturdy little ship, Tara is no match for Florence and her friends. With the latest report showing a low pressure tropical storm starting to form behind us, we can’t turn back now. Blistering barnacles and thundering typhoons!! Having just passed Cuba, we now have no option but to continue on and seek refuge in the Bahamas.

Talk of Florence has created some uneasiness on board to say the least. We’ve tightly stowed everything away and Emily and I have our buckets at the ready. The crew are prepared but calm, a special trait no doubt learnt from many years at sea. Turning down a life as a professional pianist the Chief Mate, Nico, treats us with a special evening of smooth jazz and funky blues. His fingers lurking on the piano keys, riffs effortlessly flow as he improvises. He is soon joined by the Chef Sophie, who chimes in with some creamy French vocals. The two are siblings and make an entertaining musical duo. They describe working together on board as a childhood dream and having never grown up, they are constantly giggling and taunting each other. Charli’s hands reach into the air as she grooves around the Gallerie to their music. The distraction is welcomed but knowing we are trapped by the surrounding storms, it’s too difficult to forget about Florence.