1945hrs 08 Mar 2005 UTC 55’18”S 077’43”W Map Ref 108
BOG Manual of Etiquette for Adverse Situations: – of special interest is Ritual Biscuit Dunking
Well the last one seems to be on it’s way to all you Cats out there so I’ll try to bring yez up to date in a bit more detail. Just made a pot of coffee – deelishus – with my regulation 2 discs of Mr McVitie’s finest. So first,you need to know that we are keeping up the standards down here in what seems to be a BOG standard Cape Horn bashing. Extract from the BOG Manual of Etiquette for Adverse Situations:
Ritual Biscuit Dunking:
On being handed ones mug of coffee, or, where staff shortages require one to make or collect it oneself, on attaining suitable braced position, gently test biscuit diameter across diameter of mug. The Very Best Biscuits will not fit into the mug. If the biscuit just reaches the surface of the coffee, allow it to soak for a few moments to attain preferred consistency under the local sludge factor which should be applied using the Mercator Spherical Projection Method. (If biscuit does nor reach surface, chew off short chord from edge and proceed as follows). On removing biscuit. gently chew off small dunked chord, leaving a short straight edge. Savour flavour and reapply sludge factor if necessary. Rotate biscuit so that straight edge is parallel with side of mug and dunk to a level of 3 – 4 millimetres for required time and remove. Chew off newly dunked segment, leaving two straight edges at right right angles. Savour for several seconds. Rotate biscuit so that shortest edge is presented to surface and dunk. Chew off small dunked segment and continue procedure until remaining segment is no longer large enough to dunk without wetting fingers. One is then faced with The Dunker’s Dilemma: should one eat the remaining segment or drop it in the mug to be slurped later? The very best authorities say that either course is acceptable but the latter is recommended. Dunk on, BOG’s ‘n Cats.
So, end of nonsense. Here we are, sometimes roaring along at 8+ knots off the tops of waves with white water everywhere and sometimes wallowing in the troughs with the generator turbine not even turning. Occasional big breaker crashes in from the port beam – somewhat scary. Continuous noise of wind and rushing water. I won’t pretend it’s fun but I think it is survivable. Next move, if it gets worse, will be to drop the storm jib and bare pole it. I think we are better off running with the sail for the mo. Steady 50+ most of the time, driving rain, quite cold, barometer falling but not too rapidly for comfort. Still have VMG’s for the Horn – around 4 kts and 360 to go. This course will take us a fair way south of the Horn if the wind is sustained for the duration, so we should have plenty of sea room as it backs to the west and increases by Thursday.
39 k for the runners – cramping, brain mushy, out of focus – you know the drill. But you can feel the line approaching.
Six Footers take note – you’ve got a mere 4 – 8 hours of it so go for it – and good luck.