Easy and Uneventful Day

Position: 52,18.46S , 148,17.81W

Speed: 13 knots, Course: 71 deg.

Another easy and uneventful day on the Black Pearl. The wind lightened up quite a bit as we have come north to cross the high pressure ridge and deal with what is left of a tropical depression. It is just a big mess up here, not really sure the GRIB can accurately forecast this so a bit of gut feel is going into the strategy this right now.

We managed to wiggle out way into the lead a few hours ago. Seems like a good track for now. Looks like we will tack sometime in the next 5 hours and then we will have about 24 hours of upwind sailing in 12-15 knots to get to the “ice waypoint”. I haven’t tacked in the Southern Ocean yet. Mind you, the water is flat as a pancake out here so hard to call it the Southern Ocean.

Our day is coming though. We will get around the western gate in 30 hours, spend 24 hours reaching due east to the eastern gate, then dive south in 2-30 knots of wind to head for Cape Horn 2300 miles away. I am sure we will find plenty of breeze on that 5 day stint. Might be just enough in these boats.

We did a little maintenance today. Our keel position indicator broke two days ago. Jules and Juggy repaired it today. This involved taking the lid off the “fish bowl”, the box that the keel head is in. This is a water tight compartment but we had to get in there to reattach the keel sensor. Today was the perfect day as we had slowed to 6 knots of boats speed for a few hours.

I got to that point today where I am always hungry. I eat everything I can. Luckily Craig Satterthwaite has been sick so he doesn’t eat his portions. He eats soup. It has been pretty cold..about 8 C without wind chill. I guess that helps fuel the appetite.

Not much to say today so signing off early.

Paul Cayard

Pirates of the Caribbean