diff --git a/node/pkg/processor/observation.go b/node/pkg/processor/observation.go
index 2e15ea8fd4..f0d2312360 100644
--- a/node/pkg/processor/observation.go
+++ b/node/pkg/processor/observation.go
@@ -337,5 +337,5 @@ func (p *Processor) handleInboundSignedVAAWithQuorum(ctx context.Context, m *gos
 		)
 	}
 
-	p.storeSignedVAA(v)
+	p.storeSignedVAA(v, "")
 }
diff --git a/node/pkg/processor/processor.go b/node/pkg/processor/processor.go
index 95a9c1cb4f..0b46ddd688 100644
--- a/node/pkg/processor/processor.go
+++ b/node/pkg/processor/processor.go
@@ -141,7 +141,14 @@ type Processor struct {
 	pythnetVaas    map[string]PythNetVaaEntry
 	gatewayRelayer *gwrelayer.GatewayRelayer
 	updateVAALock  sync.Mutex
-	updatedVAAs    map[string]*vaa.VAA
+	updatedVAAs    map[string]*updateVaaEntry
+}
+
+// updateVaaEntry is used to queue up a VAA to be written to the database.
+type updateVaaEntry struct {
+	v         *vaa.VAA
+	hashToLog string
+	dirty     bool
 }
 
 var (
@@ -196,7 +203,7 @@ func NewProcessor(
 		acctReadC:      acctReadC,
 		pythnetVaas:    make(map[string]PythNetVaaEntry),
 		gatewayRelayer: gatewayRelayer,
-		updatedVAAs:    make(map[string]*vaa.VAA),
+		updatedVAAs:    make(map[string]*updateVaaEntry),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -301,7 +308,7 @@ func (p *Processor) Run(ctx context.Context) error {
 	}
 }
 
-func (p *Processor) storeSignedVAA(v *vaa.VAA) {
+func (p *Processor) storeSignedVAA(v *vaa.VAA, hash string) {
 	if v.EmitterChain == vaa.ChainIDPythNet {
 		key := fmt.Sprintf("%v/%v", v.EmitterAddress, v.Sequence)
 		p.pythnetVaas[key] = PythNetVaaEntry{v: v, updateTime: time.Now()}
@@ -309,7 +316,7 @@ func (p *Processor) storeSignedVAA(v *vaa.VAA) {
 	}
 	key := fmt.Sprintf("%d/%v/%v", v.EmitterChain, v.EmitterAddress, v.Sequence)
 	p.updateVAALock.Lock()
-	p.updatedVAAs[key] = v
+	p.updatedVAAs[key] = &updateVaaEntry{v: v, hashToLog: hash, dirty: true}
 	p.updateVAALock.Unlock()
 }
 
@@ -345,16 +352,23 @@ func (p *Processor) haveSignedVAA(id db.VAAID) bool {
 	return ok
 }
 
+// getVaaFromUpdateMap gets the VAA from the local map. If it's not there, it returns nil.
 func (p *Processor) getVaaFromUpdateMap(key string) *vaa.VAA {
 	p.updateVAALock.Lock()
-	v, exists := p.updatedVAAs[key]
+	entry, exists := p.updatedVAAs[key]
 	p.updateVAALock.Unlock()
 	if !exists {
 		return nil
 	}
-	return v
+	return entry.v
 }
 
+// vaaWriter is the routine that writes VAAs to the database once per minute. It creates a local copy of the map
+// being used by the processor to reduce lock contention. It uses a dirty flag to handle the case where the VAA
+// gets updated again while we are in the process of writing it to the database.
+//
+// This routine also handles writing the "signed VAA with quorum" info log, since doing that inline can take more
+// than a millisecond.
 func (p *Processor) vaaWriter(ctx context.Context) error {
 	ticker := time.NewTicker(time.Second)
 	for {
@@ -362,16 +376,40 @@ func (p *Processor) vaaWriter(ctx context.Context) error {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return nil
 		case <-ticker.C:
+			var updatedVAAs map[string]*updateVaaEntry
 			p.updateVAALock.Lock()
-			updatedVAAs := p.updatedVAAs
-			p.updatedVAAs = make(map[string]*vaa.VAA)
+			if len(p.updatedVAAs) != 0 {
+				// There's something to write. Create a local copy of the map so we can release the lock.
+				updatedVAAs = make(map[string]*updateVaaEntry)
+				for key, entry := range p.updatedVAAs {
+					updatedVAAs[key] = entry
+					entry.dirty = false
+				}
+			}
 			p.updateVAALock.Unlock()
-			if len(updatedVAAs) != 0 {
-				for _, v := range updatedVAAs {
-					if err := p.db.StoreSignedVAA(v); err != nil {
+			if updatedVAAs != nil {
+				// If there's anything to write, do that.
+				for _, entry := range updatedVAAs {
+					if err := p.db.StoreSignedVAA(entry.v); err != nil {
 						p.logger.Error("failed to write VAA to database", zap.Error(err))
 					}
+					if entry.hashToLog != "" {
+						p.logger.Info("signed VAA with quorum",
+							zap.String("message_id", entry.v.MessageID()),
+							zap.String("digest", entry.hashToLog),
+						)
+					}
+				}
+
+				// Go through the map and delete anything we have written that hasn't been updated again.
+				// If something has been updated again, it will get written next interval.
+				p.updateVAALock.Lock()
+				for key, entry := range p.updatedVAAs {
+					if !entry.dirty {
+						delete(p.updatedVAAs, key)
+					}
 				}
+				p.updateVAALock.Unlock()
 			}
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/node/pkg/processor/vaa.go b/node/pkg/processor/vaa.go
index 6f6e8591e6..f0a960fe2b 100644
--- a/node/pkg/processor/vaa.go
+++ b/node/pkg/processor/vaa.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package processor
 
 import (
 	"github.com/wormhole-foundation/wormhole/sdk/vaa"
-	"go.uber.org/zap"
 )
 
 type VAA struct {
@@ -26,13 +25,7 @@ func (v *VAA) HandleQuorum(sigs []*vaa.Signature, hash string, p *Processor) {
 		ConsistencyLevel: v.ConsistencyLevel,
 	}
 
-	// Store signed VAA in database.
-	p.logger.Info("signed VAA with quorum",
-		zap.String("message_id", signed.MessageID()),
-		zap.String("digest", hash),
-	)
-
-	p.storeSignedVAA(signed)
+	p.storeSignedVAA(signed, hash)
 	p.broadcastSignedVAA(signed)
 	p.state.signatures[hash].submitted = true
 }