It was a cold and wet start, feeling like winter sailing. We arrived in Oostende yesterday late afternoon where the fourth crew member signed on. Despite the strong wind warning, we decided to go out and make some more way west to Nieuwpoort and ended up motoring against big waves for 4 hours. There is not much room at the Belgian coast for beating to windward because of the many sandbanks. A low west of Portugal is moving over England providing mainly strong west winds for the next days. Not what we want. We will try to keep at the continental side of the channel for the time being. If everything comes out as we think, we will be in Cherbourg Wednesday afternoon.