Weather:

Clear skies, icy breeze.

Report:

The day started really early with all the team stowing all their final kit and lashing it down ready for this first leg now. The weather is still beautiful here and we watched the sun come up over the harbour. By 8.30am all the team were doing final press interviews and the flotilla boats were gathering just off the quayside. At 10am we pushed off for the final time from Halifax and slowly processed with local tugs, yachts and ice breakers around the harbour before the breeze stiffened and we pointed the boat's nose out to sea and up the Nova Scotia coastline.

We are joined for the first 12 hours of the expedition by an American journalist which makes the conditions a bit more cramped but adds a touch of glamour as she is certainly the prettiest person on the boat.