  Investigations of counter-rotating Taylor-Couette flow (TCF) in the narrow
gap limit are conducted in a very large aspect ratio apparatus. The phase
diagram is presented and compared to that obtained by Andereck et al. The
spiral turbulence regime is studied by varying both internal and external
Reynolds numbers. Spiral turbulence is shown to emerge from the fully turbulent
regime via a continuous transition appearing first as a modulated turbulent
state, which eventually relaxes locally to the laminar flow. The connection
with the intermittent regimes of the plane Couette flow (pCf) is discussed.
