Massive couple of days packing the boat and absolutely knackered! Silly old fart. We are planning to leave tomorrow at 0500ish UTC. Wish us luck and happy christmas to all y'all out there. We will hang out the decorations and Consult briefly – of course – with the reindeer and the other old fart.

I hope the next one will be from the boat.

Love yez all!

Serves me right on 2 counts – one, for feeding the old bearded bastard with the trident a drink through the cockpit drain – no doubt he was miffed and two, for not following my own rule and testing everything before going to sea on one of these gigs.

Udo fixed the very nearly dead electric autopilot and gave it new innards but as he had already tested it, I assumed it would work when we plugged it into the boat. Murphy1- The inventor of Murphy’s Law which states (in various ways) that if something can go wrong, it will. 2- Irish beer and the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks. contrived to jam it and as we were still so close to CT it would have been very silly old fart behaviour to keep going without it. KevvoStainless steel self steering device, built by Kevin Fleming, used on Berrimilla and countless others does not work when we are motoring unless there is a significant apparent wind not created solely by our movement through the water so having no electric thingy would mean hours – maybe days of hand steering, especially if other things had already assumed pearshapedness.

Udo has now taken it away for surgery – I hope not autopsy – and he will do his best to get us away again tomorrow. We will also set up the toy version of the autopilot that I have as backup so that it will work rather more easily than it is set up to do now (now needs alligator clips on to the battery – instead of the much easier cigarette lighter plug).

All I can say is watch this space. I will try to get copies of pics of 0500 departure for later blog if we are still here tonight.

———-
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Posted by I & G in the UK.

There was one in the gloom during the night and now two soaring around the stern. Identification to follow but lovely and way better than scrofulous reindeer that were faffing around during the night. Hoof marks and crud all over the deck. Santa couldn't find the chimney so consternation all round.

Chrissy 0630 position 3540 01923, trip 89 and we also cracked 8000 miles from Falmouth, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 58.

We had to change consultants in CT – Dr Murphy1- The inventor of Murphy’s Law which states (in various ways) that if something can go wrong, it will. 2- Irish beer's supply ship was overdue and the man from Dublin had his in port so we've just had small Con with the Doc from Dublin along with bacon and tabasco sandoAustralian sandwich. CT bacon is like bacon used to be before someone worked out how to sell water with it. Toasted all y'all and planning a few more toasts as the sun moves around.

Not much wind but at least it's now taking us south. Westerly at the top of low due tomorrow and we should be far enough down to jump into it.

Stockings and presents to follow.

We’ll be a bit short of images here for a while. So here’s a Salvin’s
Albatross or Mollymawk, possibly what Alex has just seen. The photo is
in the public domain courtesy of photographer Mark Jobling – to whom
thanks. More on the bird here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvin’s_Albatross
Posted by Iz in the UK

Posted by I & G in the UK.

Sitting at a pleasant dinner table in Cape Town, you tend to forget or at least suppress just how bloody awful it can get out here. We have a steady 35 – 40 kt wind howling in the rig, gusting over 50 in the squalls, violent breaking seas, acres of white and milky blue broken water and glimpses of swimming pool blue as solid water goes past the windows, Berri rolling and crashing all over the place, closed right down with just KevvoStainless steel self steering device, built by Kevin Fleming, used on Berrimilla and countless others and the wind generator operating. I'm once again wedged under the nav table with my knees, everything sliding around, trying not to get thrown out with every breaking wave and not to look at the wind speed. And this is a relatively mild one – just a little gale – but with every effect magnified by the southern ocean swell and the Agulhas current. The gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. said (and doesn't that become a mantra of hope against reality?) 30 knots but as we learned last time, you really have to double it here. So we creep north east and sit it out, hoping that any ships around have AISAutomatic Identification System. An automatic tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels. and good radar because for us a proper lookout is really a sea level squizz out of the windows around the boat. Not very effective.

Udo, thanks for your message – all the bits seem to be working still, touch wood.

All that was many hours ago – I don't remember when I started this one, decrepit old git that I am. We've been creeping NNE bare poledExplanation here and wildly uncomfortable and it's now 1800 utc and the wind has abated, now 25 – 30, waves still big and breaking over the boat and nothing really to do except sit it out until we can head east again safely. We are about 60 miles south of the main shipping lane so should be ok during the night but we'll have to be careful. We will turn east again as soon as the seas get a bit easier but right now we have to keep the boat relatively slow so that we don't take off from a breaking wave and broach and get clobbered. Poo.

Later still – I've just got into party gearFull wet weather gear and gybedGybe - A sailing term for turning the boat so that the stern passes through the wind. Potentially dangerous if not controlled because the wind can fill an uncontrolled mainsail from the wrong side and crash it across the boat, possibly causing damage to the rig and anyone getting in the way. us, still bare poledExplanation here and now we are tracking closer to east. Still very big waves but they are only breaking occasionally and it will soon be time to unroll a bit of headsail. We have been caught before by the wave train that arrives out of nowhere after the gale has abated and fills the cockpit or, as near Dunedin, almost rolled us in 2005. Just before I went up, sure enough – huge breaker crashed over the boat – seemed from the inside to have come from astern and thumped against the stormboardsIn this context, the two sturdy wooden half ‘doors’ that close the companionway entrance when things get pearshaped and we need to keep the greeniesWhen waves come over the boat as solid water rather than spray they can exert massive force. Usually the water runs down the sides of the boat and out through the scuppers. Your more determined greenie (not to be confused with a conservationist) will send a flooding wall of water across the cabin top, over the dodger and into the cockpit and it may smash anything it meets on the way; see also Dodger, Scuppers (qv) out of the cabin. Made specially by Pete. and sent little spears of water through the breaks in the seals and onto me and my book.

Good fun.

Position 0700 27th 3608 02159 trip 100, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 43 – lots of effort for not much gain. Wind now down to 12 kts, twin poledAn explanation from Malcolm: It is quite normal for a yacht to 'pole out' its jib (the foresail) on the opposite side of the boat to the mainsail when running downwind - this is called goosewinging'. A spinnaker pole is attached to the mast at one end and the back corner (clew) of the jib at the other. That holds the jib at the right angle so that it catches the wind. On Berri they've found that they can often get good performance and a comfortable ride by taking the mainsail right down and setting a second jib poled out on the opposite side to the first. with red sail on hanks and small furlerA device fitted around the length of the forestay(s) of a sailing yacht that enables the crew to roll the headsail partially around the forestay and so make its effective area smaller (the same as reefing) or to roll it up completely (furling it). The sail would be furled when at anchor or otherwise not being used. There is a full description here .. Trickling along in the right direction. Still very lumpy – Berri dry inside. When we get clear of Africa, we'll have a better idea of what we can achieve.

More later

Middle watch – brilliant sky with black silhouetted fluffies. Yesterday a day of torpid indolence in a butter churn. For most of the day there was just enough wind to fill the twin poledAn explanation from Malcolm: It is quite normal for a yacht to 'pole out' its jib (the foresail) on the opposite side of the boat to the mainsail when running downwind - this is called goosewinging'. A spinnaker pole is attached to the mast at one end and the back corner (clew) of the jib at the other. That holds the jib at the right angle so that it catches the wind. On Berri they've found that they can often get good performance and a comfortable ride by taking the mainsail right down and setting a second jib poled out on the opposite side to the first. headsails, the stretched and much repaired Love and War staysail and the shiny new red one now hanked to the replaced outer forestay. Now there isn't and we are bare poledExplanation here again but for the opposite reason.

In most bits of ocean, when the wind dies, the sea subsides. I have to report that that ain't the case here – almost 36 hours after the wind dropped from the stratospheric to the merely (and here the three neurones went on strike in an alzheimeric reminder – I can't remember the single word for the lower atmosphere…) we've been in a violent steep wind wave over SW swell that seems to have only marginally subsided. The butter churn that is our little fibreglass home is still in busy, though no longer vicious corkscrew mode.

And the water temperature is 31 degrees and feels like a tepid bath. And we are on the eastern edge of the Agulhas bank where the sea bottom dives from 200 to 5000 metres. Abandoned oil drilling well heads everywhere, but submerged way down. The Agulhas current has real attitude and, like the East Australian current, cannot be ignored. Here's the warning from the chart:

Information: ORIENTATION: 237 DEG
CURRENT VELOCITY: 1KN
CURRENT IN RESTRICTED WATERS
CURRENTS WESTWARD OF LONGITUDE 24DEGE, THE AGULHAS CURRENT CONTINUES IN A GENERALLY WESTERLY DIRECTION, SPREADING OUT OVER THE AGULHAS BANK AND WEAKENING TO A RATE OF 0,5 TO 1 KNOT-- Speed: definition of speed at sea. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. The nautical mile is about 1.15 % longer than the "statute" mile used on land. A knot is about half a metre per second. -- A knot is also the result of winding a rope around itself or another rope to make a join or a loop . . THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THIS CURRENT HAS A TENDENCY TO SET TOWARDS THE LAND. THIS DEFLECTION, INCREASING DURING AND AFTER GALES, CONSTITUTES A DANGEROUS ELEMENT IN THE NAVIGATION OF THIS STRETCH OF COAST. AN INSHORE COUNTER-CURRENT, SETTING EASTWARDS AND GENERALLY FOLLOWING THE TREND OF THE COAST, MAY OFTEN BE EXPERIENCED BETWEEN 1 TO 6 MILES OFFSHORE. THERE ARE ALSO REPORTS OF AN INDRAUGHT, STRONGEST BETWEEN JANUARY AND APRIL, BEING EXPERIENCED EASTWARDS OF CAPE AGULHASThe southernmost point of Africa, where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean. The real corner, south east of the Cape of Good Hope.. FULLER DETAILS APPEAR IN SAILING DIRECTIONS.

We are parked at 3550 02245 with the engine idling to give us the pooptillionthA very little bit; see also MinipooptillionthA very, very, little bit, and definitely smaller than a pooptillionth, which is even smaller. of a knot-- Speed: definition of speed at sea. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. The nautical mile is about 1.15 % longer than the "statute" mile used on land. A knot is about half a metre per second. -- A knot is also the result of winding a rope around itself or another rope to make a join or a loop . necessary to provide steerage way and keep Berri from going round in gut knotting circles. From the gorblimey to the sublime and back again – 'The GRIBWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. says' there should be another 25 knot-- Speed: definition of speed at sea. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. The nautical mile is about 1.15 % longer than the "statute" mile used on land. A knot is about half a metre per second. -- A knot is also the result of winding a rope around itself or another rope to make a join or a loop . + blow starting soon. We are now far enough north, I hope, to miss the worst of its effect. It will be noiceAlexism for quite a lot of things which taste good or are going especially well to get clear of Africa!

Photos of Berri leaving Cape Town, with thanks to Jeanne of “Nereida” RCYCRoyal Cornwall Yacht Club, Falmouth, UK. Their website is www.svnereida.com .

Steves x 2, thanks for msgs. Last time we saw Leopard was off Lands EndIt is the most westerly point of mainland Cornwall and England, about eight miles (13 km) west-southwest of Penzance. on her way to Plymouth and line honours in the FastnetFastnet Race: 608 mile biennial race from Cowes, UK, Isle of Wight, to the Fastnet Rock off Southern Ireland, finishing in Plymouth. Berrimilla took part in 2005 and 2009.. At that stage she was about 240 miles ahead of us and we had about 280 to go. Sigh!

Two weary old geezers out here. Blowing 35+ and big waves but nowhere near as savage as the last one. We are in deeper water for a start and the wind has been steady rather that blasting through in 50 knot-- Speed: definition of speed at sea. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. The nautical mile is about 1.15 % longer than the "statute" mile used on land. A knot is about half a metre per second. -- A knot is also the result of winding a rope around itself or another rope to make a join or a loop . squalls. Having said which, massive wave just hit and broke over starboard side. I think we both wish we did not still have nearly 6000 miles to go. It's been pretty relentless. Even the Cape Town stop was full on and no real break. Time for the old fart's dither – why is the floor moving? Sailing? Are we really sailing? – how interesting! – now where did I put my glasses and my cup of tea…

Almost as soon as I had written that paragraph – imaginary glasses and cup of tea dashed from my quivering old hand by – yep – a 50 knot-- Speed: definition of speed at sea. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. The nautical mile is about 1.15 % longer than the "statute" mile used on land. A knot is about half a metre per second. -- A knot is also the result of winding a rope around itself or another rope to make a join or a loop . rain squall. Had to leg it outside and roll in all but last couple of feet of headsail – I wish I could find the words to write about the power and the sheer bloody indifference of these conditions – predominant SW swell – big but not huge, great planes of grey breaking water, dull reflection of cloud covered moonlight, Berri, all seven tons or so of her, just tossed around as if she were weightless, water often knee deep across the decks and filling the cockpit. And the noise – wind roaring and howling in the rig, water crashing and thumping against the hull and with a sustained deep rasp like a truck tipping gravel, boring across the decks. And this is just a little one – hardly even a severe gale and no way a storm. The severity of it all is the Agulhas effect – cold wind against warm current shortening, steepening and hollowing the wind waves superimposed on the swell over a steeply shelving sea bottom. I really think I'd rather be somewhere else – anyone for Scylla? Can I tempt you to a little whirl with Charybdis perhaps? Roll up! Roll up!

I think I have written about this before – the anticipation, the waiting, the curdling knowledge that it really can happen to us after our 2 rolls, the rather corrosive anxiety that goes with it all gets worse the more you do, the more experience you have. Well, it does for me anyway.

We are thinking hard about Kerguelen. The decision will evolve, but it's still a bit too early to write it off – after all, we nearly got there last time.

Just had a near miss with a cargo ship. AISAutomatic Identification System. An automatic tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels. saved the day – more tomoz.

Thanks for all your messages and imagingesIz. Keep em coming please.

Posted by I & G in the UK.

This Latest Position incorporates Alex’s correction for 29.12.09 and
is posted by I & G in the UK.

It really does seem that we may have escaped the clutches of the Agulhas Tongue. And its gullet. Tracking more or less south @ 5 knots having crossed the edge of the main shelf and just north of a big trench – spectacular (ocean!)bottom features on the chart – the bottom of the trench is at about 6700 metres below the surface and 60 miles or so north is a peak or seamount rising to 1800 metres, so a 5000 metre drop. And more of the same all around. Not sure but I think the highest peak base to apex in the world is the island of Hawaii which, taken from the ocean floor is much higher than Chomolungma – but then if you measure from the floor of the Mariana Trench to the top of Chomolungma you get a really big number – roughly 12+ 9 = 21000 metres. A vertical half marathon. All ballpark and idle nonsense because I'm conscious of the fact that I'm beginning to repeat myself in these bursts of baloney.
The plan: keep going south and east till we reach 3730 – 3800S and then turn left and follow the latitude across to within range of the 900 mile dive to Kerguelen, by which time we should have a feel for the conditions and Berri's state of mind to say nothing of the geriatrics in charge. This is really easy, pleasant sailing at the mo – almost makes up for the last week. I seem to remember that once clear of Africa, the lows tend to move south and if I'm right, we can move with them.

Things that work – our Airbreeze wind generator. Nice gear but with a design fault (in my opinion) for the marine version that makes it almost impossible to adjust. There's a tiny screw on the side that adjusts voltage cut in and cut out settings via a potentiometer but it's so tiny and the adjustments so fine and the device so high above the deck that it's pot luck what you get. It ought not be necessary to adjust of course, but in our case and I'm sure lots of others', murphy1- The inventor of Murphy’s Law which states (in various ways) that if something can go wrong, it will. 2- Irish beer strikes. A big knob or better still having the adjustment screw set up in the on/off switch box inside the boat – far less dangerous (no need to cling to the tripod on tiptoes on the pushpitThe railing around the deck at the stern of a yacht. bars unable to focus on the screw at arms length in reading glasses and can't even see it without) and more effective. I shall write to them when we get home.

Doug – just about to get into your envelope of Kerguelen goodies – had lots of prelim looks but no serious reads yet.
Malcom, I still have a MMSIMaritime Mobile Station Identity; used for radios with digital selective calling (DSC), as well as AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponders. It allows two vessels with radios that have this capability to exchange information about who they are and where they're going without need for voice contact . There is a unique numeric identifier for each user of AIS system. for Dufresne in the VHFVery High Frequency radio. Short range radio equipment for voice and other applications such as AISAutomatic Identification System. An automatic tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels... Any chance you could try to get us a phone number for someone in charge of the anchorage – even M.le Maire soi-meme? CT was so busy I never got near a French official. Tks.

Happy New Year all y'all. We have decided to celebrate in stages. Sydney/Melbourne NY has just passed – quick sip of Dr G's potion and out to put in a reef-- As a verb – to shorten sail, to use reefing lines or other techniques to make the working part of a sail smaller and so reduce its power as the wind rises. --- As a noun, (1) the part of the sail that has been shortened, folded or rolled. May be referred to as a slab or a slab reef which is a particular way of forming a reef. -- As a noun (2) – a bank of coral, rocks or other obstruction usually close to a shoreline and potentially dangerous to sailors. so while you lot were carousing at the fireworks, we were at work. Next will be Freo (Hi JG and S! Kimbra, I know you are in Hobart – just dug out the tea cosy you made for me in Nome – nice warm ears!) then Cape Town, then our own at midnight UTC, then perhaps Houston and then Nome to close off the day.

Heading east, at last, in what should be a steady 15 – 20 for a day or so.

KatherineAlex’s daughter C – HNY, happy new boat! Will be an interesting way to learn – go fer it! Text to our satphone doesn't seem to work but you can always call us – it will go into voicemail before we can get to it but don't leave a messsage, (I can't collect it anyway – forgotten the password) just keep ringing back till someone answers. Call costs depend on telstraThe Telstra Corporation is an Australian Telecommunications Company dominant in the area of land lines, mobile phones and Broadband, amongst other services but not cheap.
Val and Jill – amazed and humbled – what do you two do when you aren't reading our nonsense and where are you? I wonder how many others picked us up from the macca gigs.
Sue – I think we get the message, and thanks. No need for any more, just enjoy the Amazon and take care! Have pink post-it notes in front of me as I write. Pinkaraj still being a fairy on the mast.

Position for NYD 0630 3736 02736 trip 103 DMGDistance Made Good; More here 96 – getting there! We need some 130 mile days to catch up but just a bit too far north still.

Following on from the last one – to have got this far has been thanks to the help and support of lots of people many of whom have just jumped aboard when they have seen we needed help – Leif Hagen, Dave Boisseau, Pat Hahn, Cory Dimitruk, Peter Semotiuk, Felix and Manuel, Udo, Dave Carne, Gordy, Jeremy Burnett and many many more. Thanks! Then there have been the regulars, headbanging for us day after day – Steve Jackson, Malcolm Robinson, Speedy, Steve Withnall, for help way beyond the call of duty, Thanks! plus John WitchardWitchard, John: Berri has one of his 22hp engines, much praised for its reliability. See also Tractor., Simon Blundell, John Blundell, Marc Robinson, suppliers of technology and always on hand with advice. The RORCRoyal Ocean Racing Club, located in London team, Janet and Ian in particular, Crosshaven RNLIRoyal National Lifeboat Institution (UK & Ireland). Run mostly by volunteers, heroes all., Peter Bruce – the NASA people, LeroyLeroy ChiaoLeroy Chiao: International Space Station Commander, Expedition 10, at time Berrimilla first made contact. Bio here.: International Space Station Commander, Expedition 10, at time Berrimilla first made contact. Bio here. Chiao whose name should be writ in diamonds, Pascal Lee the great mapmaker, Carla Guzzardo, Keith Cowing and the Everest Dag – the whole lot of you out there reading this stuff and talking to us, kicking the Iridium tin and all, without whom this would not have been remotely possible. Lists are so dicey! I'm sure there are many more who should be included and my apologies. There were Yacht Clubs, met people, the Patagonian Cruise netA radio link between boats operating in Antarctica, in the Pacific, South Atlantic and the Chilean Channels run by - it seems - any one of several boats that may be more or less central and can talk to others., Falkland islanders, Malcom for sea surface altimetry when we needed it and I'll keep remembering more and more.

Plus a very special personal thank you to Corrie McQueen who jumped aboard at the last minute for the drag up the Pacific and the NW Passage and Kimbra Lindus who came too and both of whom suffered my moods during some of the really tricky bits.

And our extended families, IzzAlex's sister'n 'G and the rest, for putting up with all this nonsense.

The notion of an unasssisted circumnavigation is an interesting one! Were all of you not there? We did the boat bit but not in any sense without assistance. Thanks everyone, especially those who are not listed but were there when we needed you.

And we ain't home yet so please all of you stick around.

Position 0630 2nd 3845 02932 trip 128 DMGDistance Made Good; More here 118 and we're poddling along with the full small headsail poled out, no main. Conservative but it looked modestly hairy earlier and it was time for the breakfast con and this report. We have put 3 reefs in the main so it's a piecrust to get it up if it stays soft. TGS soft today, WSW backing NW then a front and SW for another day. All good.

In the last post, I was having idle thoughts about 'assistance' in the context of circumnavigations. Most 'unassisted' circumnavigators today are supported by a small army of routers, meteorologists, motivators, sleep pattern experts, medical advisors, talk you through changing a channel on the radio experts and all the rest. Not too many true Corinthians still around but I was reminded of Les Powles who we met in Lymington 5 years ago. He's the only true Corinthian I've ever met,
the only man I've heard of in recent times who in my opinion has done it all on his own and he's done it three times in an old battered boat under extreme conditions, no radio and no intention of seeking help. He had almost no money and he did it all without telling anyone although he did write a book (great title as well – 'Two Hands Open' I think, as in surrendering to the indifference of the sea)to try to make some money for repairs. I think he was made yachtsman of the year after someone found out about the second one and he nearly died of starvation on the third. When we met him in Lymington he was planning his 4th. Daft old fart. I don't know whether he actually set off but I'm inclined to doubt it – he seemed to have lost the enthusiasm for it and I'm not surprised. But a real nice guy and a true successor to SlocumSlocum, Joshua: Nova Scotia-born sailor who departed Boston in 1895 aged 51, to sail around the world alone in his sloop Spray. He returned, successful, in 1898. He is a kind of patron saint of small boat voyagers and navigators and inspiration to many who have followed him; see this log. and Dumas. Buy his book if you can find it. Send him money if you can find him.

Carol G – Kerguelen has very interesting history – discovered by French explorer Kerguelen who went home and made some exaggerated claims, was sent back to finish the job, wimped out and was gaoled on return for various interesting reasons and was then freed by the revolutionary committee as a victim of the aristocracy. He was one of the lucky ones. The islands were visited by CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. a few years later, same spot as Kerguelen's ship's boat landed, then succession of expeditions including Ross and Crozier in Erebus & Terror in 1840 before joining FranklinSir John Franklin, arctic explorer who died with all his men in 1847 while seeking the Northwest Passage. for NW Passage disaster and whaling, coal mining attempt, sheep farming etc. Now has French scientific base and satellite tracking station. As part of the history, if you can get it, there's a book by Raymond Rallier du Baty called '15000 miles in a ketch' which is, I think, the English translation of his French original called 'Aventure sur Kerguelen' or something similar. Written in 1909ish. Long out of print. Heard about it in Cape Town and have read more in the stuff Doug sent me. The SW peninsula of Kerguelen is named after him.

Val and Jill – glad you like this stuff – makes it all worth while somehow. I hope that we will not need to call in to Freo on the way home but you will certainly know if we do – come and visit the boat. Several Berri crew members from times past live close to you. You can put comments on the blog at the end of each post but you can only send us emails via the berriilla2@gmail address and they get forwarded to us – this is to keep spammers away from our radio inbox.

Deb and Andrew – HNY to you too! Make sure you anchor that rock properly – I want to be able to find it again. The bastards allowed NZ to drift last time we were over there and we had to start a square search. The secret was to listen for sheep bleating in the night.

More feralsInteresting biological colonies that grow and fester in seaboots. There are left foot ferals and right foot ferals and occasionally they get to cross breed and create fierce hybrids. – there are a couple of Prions displaying around us – small shining white greyish speckled and gracefully acrobatic. And a glimpse of a Storm Petrel, small one. In case anyone is interested in seeing what I'm seeing, the book I'm using to try to put names on them all is Onley, Derek and Paul Scofield, Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World, Princeton Field Guides, Princeton U.P., Princeton, N.J., 2007 sent to me by Carla via Amazon – thanks C! Wonderful book.

Sue – just checking that all those wind speeds are kmh not knots. If so, manageable. Have chart will travel. If we can anchor in Baie de l'Oiseau, which CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. named Christmas Harbour, and follow in the wake of Ross and Crozier and all the the rest, my year will be made. They all had to warp up the bay – square riggers don't point – but we might even sail in. Does ambition have no fetters?

Becalmed at nearly 40 S – not expected! Still in the clutches of the current and going north at 2.5 knots. Frustratious but a glorious night.
no-footer.

Posted by I & G in the UK.

Hot, grey-blue hazy day. The sea has changed colour from deep iridescent blue to glassy jade green – not the deep bottle green of the Bering sea but almost milky as the light reflects off the tiny organisms that live here. I wonder whether cold water, generally, is greener than warm. The temperature is now 21 deg, way down from not too long ago.

Soft line of cloud low all along the western horizon – puffy and gentle, still reflecting sunlight. When the sun gets behind it, it will have real menace – black lowering and almost solid. It's the beginning of the frontal system – perhaps 8 hours away, so when most of you in Australia read this, it will be with us and past. But for us, it's always the waiting that gets under the skin and corrodes the shiny bits (three highly polished and overused neurons…).

As it approaches, we will put in the second and third reefs (I've just done the first, to balance the boat and help KevvoStainless steel self steering device, built by Kevin Fleming, used on Berrimilla and countless others keep her straight) and eventually drop the main, lash it to the boom, preventers either side to lock it all in place, slightly to leeward and sloping downwards towards the stern to let the water run off and out of it. Then we'll roll in the headsail progressively and maybe even end up bare poledExplanation here. Experience says double the forecast GRIBWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. wind speed to get an accurate fix on the likely maximum gust speeds. We're looking at 60+.

So there ya go.

Position 0600 4th 3849 03225 trip 96 DMGDistance Made Good; More here 77. Looks as if we will have to zigzag our way along the 39th parallel and suss out the dive to Kerguelen when we get a bit further across. Tedious. We really need a 5 day gap between lows when they are this nasty to get down there safely and it's not looking too good.

Been bare polingExplanation here all night and I've just climbed out of zoot suit after unrolling a bit of headsail and bringing Berri around from tracking NE to roughly E. The great circleSee here (Wikipedia) to Hobart via Kerguelen would be about 150 deg T. Thr rhumb lineSee wikipedia (Wikipedia). See also Great CircleSee here (Wikipedia). with zigzags will be about 600 miles further. SPBF.

3 neurons too tired to indulge in fancy stuff – but bottle green sea, bright and luminous in the patches of sunlight, several Yellow Noses soaring around the boat – wonderful to watch the aerodynamics of those wings and the use of the body as a counterweight – sometimes the feet extend as airbrakes. And a couple or four smaller Prions, I think. Fione, yep, I know about the other sort.

Bloody hell – still some big waves – often happens as a storm is abating.

First Macca, now perhaps Sailing Anarchy. Can this be fame? Notoriety? Just the result of being seen as freaks? Ho hum. Happy New Year to all you anarchists out there if you do get to read this nonsense.

This is a savage bit of ocean, even in summer. The early Portuguese explorers called it the graveyard of ships and no bloody wonder. There’s a lot of them still here including Bartholomeu Diaz, one of my heroes. It seems to have even more bite that last time we were here. Hoping that once we get clear of the influence of the african continent, it will come to its senses.

SteveJ asked what happens after a big knockdownWhen the boat is severely rolled or knocked over sideways, normally when beam on to big rolling breakers. – does Berri just spring back as if it was always intended to have a bit of fun. Yep – that’s what happens – well, it is what has always happened so far! – her angle of vanishing stability is 146 degrees – she will roll to 146 degrees and still have righting moment so is immensely stiff by modern standards and she just flips back once the wave has past. Different story if the mast goes into the water though as we found when we were rolled right over and dismasted off Gabo Island 3 years ago this week. There’s a 2mb pdf of that story here: Dismasted pdf (SJ, if it’s gone, could you pse add one to the blog? Ta! ed: link to pdf added

Udo – my apologies – I made a mistake with one of the posts and left the footer on the message, dozy old fart that I am. I don’t actually send these from the berrimilla2 address but from our sailmailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service. address. The B2 address is put on the post to stop people just hitting the reply button and sending 10 pages of message strings, caveats and other garbage with their 3 line note and also, the idea is to keep the spammers at arms length and to keep their crap out of our inbox. We’re off the air immediately if that happens – this is a radio link and very tenuous. Thanks for your NY message!

Malcom, thanks for advice – if we do make the dive, we will head for Christmas Harbour (Baie de L’Oiseau, NE corner) first and then go the northern route to Port au Francais. However, given yesterday’s little drama, the dive is looking iffy. We’ll monitor the conditions but no point in risking the boat and ourselves if it stays savage.

Posted by I & G in the UK.

It's bloody 'orrible. Big SW swell, N wind @ 25-30, blowing for several hours to build 3m wind waves against swell. Tiny bit of headsail unrolled, almost bare poledExplanation here and wind on stbd. qtr to try to keep the boat from getting airborne. 5 knots. Bleeeah! I want my mummy. Sadly, out here in the southern ocean there's no Scotty to beam us up, no MarvinThe manically depressed robot with a “brain the size of a planet” from HHGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here to take over the controls as the spacecraft dives into the sun. Not even a Tardis. It's lump it or lump it. Chocolate fix called for. GribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. says another 12 hours or so. The systems seem to be more compacted and variable than last time and the whole lot further north. Not the gentle ride the brochures promised.

Neurons battered and recalcitrant. Poesy unforthcoming – perhaps with position report later. Boot feralsInteresting biological colonies that grow and fester in seaboots. There are left foot ferals and right foot ferals and occasionally they get to cross breed and create fierce hybrids.Interesting biological colonies that grow and fester in seaboots. There are left foot feralsInteresting biological colonies that grow and fester in seaboots. There are left foot ferals and right foot ferals and occasionally they get to cross breed and create fierce hybrids. and right foot feralsInteresting biological colonies that grow and fester in seaboots. There are left foot ferals and right foot ferals and occasionally they get to cross breed and create fierce hybrids. and occasionally they get to cross breed and create fierce hybrids. excited.

Sue, thanks in advance for data. Y'all enjoy the Amazon!
Deborah, thanks for John Grunsfeld news. I was wondering what he was going to do for an encore.
Chris H in Eden, thanks for kind words. I think the loo is an entirely appropriate place for this stuff! And yes, I do know your boat – watched her being built over the years…You got a good one, I think. And thanks for kind offer – there is a digit missing from the mobile number you sent us but we will certainly be in touch next time we are in town.

Happy Christmas HilaryAlex’s partner and Katherine’s mother 3000 miles to the north. We're waving and we shall breakfast in your direction.

Talking of breakfast – Marcus, are you still out there in the restaurant? I had hoped to visit and have a Berri breakfast with you but never quite happened. Sorry!

———-
radio email processed by SailMailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service.
for information see: http://www.sailmailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service..com

Position 0630 8th. 3934 04106 trip 95, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 91, Day 17 from CT, about 1300 miles to Baie de L'Oiseau.
Pete has done some analysis of the wind data – we know average wind for Port au Francais is 35kph, which agrees with data we have received. Pattern seems to be 3 days around 50 – 60 kmh with two or three softer days in between. 50kmh = 27 knots. Manageable. The plan is to keep heading that way and park or bale out if it gets really pearshaped on the way. We'll get there if we can – too special to pass by from this close. Will need to clear the debris from the anchors and make sure all is accessible.

Baie de L'Oiseau was named by Kerguelen after his frigate Oiseau commanded by Lt. Charles de Rosnevet whose boat, under Lt. Rochegude first landed there on Jan 6th 1774 and took possession for France. This was in fact the second time it had been claimed as Kerguelen had already done so two years earlier on the southern coast of the island. They left a bottle suspended by wire with a latin message which CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia.'s men found in 1776 and CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. added to the message and returned the bottle. CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. named the place Christmas Harbour, not at the time knowing of the earlier name. It now appears on the chart as Baie de L'Oiseau.

Sue – hope you got to Gatwick. I'm old enough to remember 1947, when there was snow 4 ft deep on the sea front at Lee on Solent. No stress if updates difficult and expensive. We're now close enough to do it from the GribsWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail.. Pinkaraj tenterhooky. Have a Piranha free ball, y'all and report on return.
Carol – missed your 75th – but a grand total. Belated happys.
Thanks to Heggie, Tom and Philip for funnies.

Tooling along this afternoon watching the barometer fall and thinking 'odd, that's all a bit quick – gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. says much less better watch it' Closed the stern tube valve as a precaution – a good move. Seemed we were much closer to the centre of the system than the gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. predicts and so it turned out. Just finished dinner, Black clouds, menacing and grim, already 2 reefed, and wham – 35 – 40 Berri surfing downwind wildly, up to 50, far too much sail – no time to get into party gearFull wet weather gear, just a lifejacket and harness and out there. Roll in the headsail still on its pole, bring her up beam on and drop the main – thrashing around but controllable, just. KevvoStainless steel self steering device, built by Kevin Fleming, used on Berrimilla and countless others kept his head and looked after us, as usual. Spray blasting across Pete at the mast, me in the cockpit, all ghostly in the spreader lightsLights mounted half way up the mast which shine onto the foredeck to facilitate work at night below; good for the person doing the work but can ruin night vision in the cockpit, so only used when essential, the spray cascading diamonds, Berri rolling wildly but now sorted, everything made fast and back inside – absobloodylutely soaked. the howl has subsided, Berri steady on her feet again, from tracking SE before, now barepoled on NE @ 4 kts wind 35 and dropping. A lot of effort but essential. We'll stay like this until daylight in about 8 hours then sort the rather messy deck we left behind. Barometer up 2hp already. Now to do the washing up.

Posted by I & G in the UK.

At this rate, we are about 9 days from Kerguelen which equates to about 3 major changes in the weather system. There's no stability in it – the wind goes from north to south via west on a daily basis with little localised nasties arriving unannounced by the gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail.. Tricky. The plan: we will work our way SE to 45 S – about the same latitude as Tasman Island and with broadly similar conditions and have a look over our shoulders to see what's coming and make a decision to continue or bale out. Kerguelen starts at 48 south. It's all manageable but we do need to be careful. Would be a huge shame to go past but the boat comes before tourism!

It's been a slow day. rolling and pirouetting violently – water warm again and blue – what's happening? We crossed 40 S this afternoon – the Roaring FortiesA region of westerly winds in south temperate latitudes. These are most developed south of 40°S.

I've just started to read, for the severalth time, Gerald Durrell's 'My Family and Other Animals'- lovely book that works for me but perhaps not for everyone. His opening quotation from 'As You Like It':

It is a melancholy of mine own, compounded
of many simples, extracted from many objects,
and indeed the sundry contemplation of my
travels, which, by often rumination wraps
me in a most humorous sadness.

Mmm!

The tatty old albatross is still with us. Caught up with it earlier sitting on the water working at a big semi submerged plastic bag and not having much luck. It lumbered into the air and quite by luck I got it on video. Couldn't see the screen and no idea where the thing was pointing. But probably out of focus. They look so dumpy on the water and almost lopsided with their huge beaks and much smaller than in their soaring magnificence.

Thinking about some kind of gunsight viewfinder for the video cam. Screen absolutely useless in daylight – do the people who design these things ever actually use them?

Carol G – remind me – I've got a little artifact from B1 for your collection.

Position 0630 10th 4036 04501 trip 106, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 105 Yay – another ton at last. I think we might be finally clear of Africa. It's been a bleak and very uncomfortable few days and still is but we are moving again.

SW – welcome back!

Malcom, yep! The Nik is a D70s digital SLR with a long lens but it's no way waterproof or salt proof so I can only really get it out of its wrapper when the sun is shining. Then it's fantastic. The vid is a Sanyo Xacti waterproof digital and works fine – except that I can't tell what I'm filming most of the time when outside in daylight – either reflection or not enough backlight in the viewfinder screen.

Sue, fingers crossed for you – no need for further wxShort for ‘weather’ updates thanks – enjoy the trip!

All seems very quite out there. Fingers too cold to prod keyboards in England perhaps and all down at the beach or the pub in Oz.

Position 0630 11th 4104 04720, trip 106, dmgDistance Made Good; More here 106 – efficiency at last! 984 to Kerguelen, 4365 by rhumb lineSee wikipedia (Wikipedia). See also Great CircleSee here (Wikipedia). to Maatsuyker, less if we go further south towards the great circleSee here (Wikipedia) – ugly front due tonight then soft high pressure systems for a few days. Won't be comfortable.

Day 19 from Cape Town. A Golgafrinchan day today – we'll sanitise the telephones, dispense fragrance throughout the office, facilitate meetings, fold a pointy end into the bogBrolga Owners Group roll, ask everyone how their day is going. And I will shave.

The 2 Amsterdams are still with us, as well as the orange necked 'southern'. Indian Ocean Yellow Noses abundant, Various Prions in flocks mingled with White Chinned and other petrels. Swirling masses of birds, thousands, sometimes albatrosses slow and serene – scornfully imperial – in their midst. Wish I could send you photos. Breathtaking is an overused word – there's laziness in Golgafrincham today – like people always 'crashing' out of the tennis, there always being 'gobbets' of fat in the soup, sloppy stuff. But sometimes it really does take the breath – elemental, transfixing and seared into the polished surfaces of all 3 neurons never to be erased. Paradise but for the weather!

All y'all – is there anyone out there who would like to acquire a folder (unedited) of hundreds of bird photos? Some pretty good, though mostly telephoto so some distortion and loss of sharpness. Images in both raw and .jpg basic. Freebie, but perhaps donation to Albatross Conservation Fund or Berri iridium tin? Will have to wait until we get home, if that ever happens. We may have been diverted like the Golgafrinchans. Let me know and I'll make as many copies as needed.

SJ – with glitch in Africa station, did you get my reply to Speedy query? Separate note to follow re other stuff but losing propagationIn the logs, this refers to the radiation of signal energy and is customarily qualified by the words abysmal, ratshit or lousy with Africa as range increases so may do via iridium in next day or so.

Another quickie from OF1 as OF2 has burst into print
Position 0630 12th, 4152 04942, trip 107, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 118 !! We must be down in the south circumpolar current at last. VoANot the Voice of America, but the Viscosity of Anusol. Sophisticated and innovative system of onboard temperature assessment. Full explanation here rising and the water really starting to feel cold when applied to the nethers.

Seems my Pilgrim in Despond post stirred a pot or two. I was trying to put into words the sorts of weirdness and insidious despair that one sometimes has to overcome to pursue silly gigs like this. The final line was supposed to soften it but obviously didn't! I can remember when it was not acceptable to admit to emotion, when to tell it like it sometimes is was seen to be a sign of weakness – C.S.Forester's Hornblower books weave it beautifully. A reflected example, though I have a sneaking feeling that I've used the story somewhere else in these blogs but it bears repeating and does the stiff upper lip rather well – Imagine the Duke of Wellington on his horse surveying the battlefield at Waterloo during the most desperate moments of the battle, surrounded by his staff, Generals in full uniform, aides, runners, the full retinue. Shouting, screams, cannons, smoke, stinging eyes, choking breath, death and blood everywhere. One of Wellington's senior commanders had his leg taken off by a cannon ball as he sat on his horse next to Wellington – 'By Gad, my lord' he said 'I've lost me leg!' By Gad, Sir' said Wellington 'so you have!' Just about sums it up really.

Back on Iridium. PropagationIn the logs, this refers to the radiation of signal energy and is customarily qualified by the words abysmal, ratshit or lousy and range to Africa station now makes daytime HFHigh Frequency – usually refers to HF radio which is long range digital radio that Berrimilla used to send all but a few of the logs on both circumnavigations. The radio was connected via a Pactor 3 digital modem to Alex’s laptop and used the Sailmail software application called Airmail to send emails and pull in emails, weather and GRIB files. Airmail also supports Iridium satellite telephone messaging and Alex used this as backup when the HF radio died approaching England. impractical.

The French, CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. and the later navigators wrote extensively about fog down here – lots of it, arrives suddenly. CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. in Resolution sailed 300 leagues (how long was a league – my hazy memory says about 3 miles?)in it in company with Discovery without losing contact – amazing! We were in thick misty drizzle this morning, visibility half a mile max – I think it's the mid latitude convergence zoneInter Tropical Convergence Zone, also known as The Doldrums standard murk, at least out here. We were in it for days out of NZ last time. If we get to Kerguelen, it may be different.

Alan B in Xhaven – your beanieKnitted hat performing mighty service cosseting the noggin. Other toys work with TPS dry suits. NoiceAlexism for quite a lot of things which taste good or are going especially well – tks.

Norm, the best we can do is observe that each of your words is symmetrical after the first letter so can be 'wrapped' and read backwards by end for ending that letter. Is there something deeper and more mysterious?

A couple of notes from Malcom to round it off:
Last October, Japanese scientists reported that they had put small
forward-looking video cameras on albatrosses to monitor the birds'
behaviour. The results showed that the albatrosses followed pods of killer
whales and that they fed or scavenged on the detritus of whatever the whales
were killing and feeding on. Whether this behaviour evolved from the birds,
over the ages, following boats, or whether boat – following evolved from
following whales one may never know.

malcom again

AW, BTW Biggle's flew into the Kerguelens after the war in search of German
treasure in "Biggle's Second Case". As you will recall he also beat you to
Tierra del Fuego.

Blimey! Is there no end to this white anting? What was he flying? Were Algy and Ginger with him? And where did he land??

Position 0630 13th 4239 05130 – about level with Bicheno in Tasmania and about 200 north of the Crozets. Trip 99, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 92 and Kerguelen 774 (in case anyone is actually following us on a chart, I’m using a waypointA fixed location with specified latitude and longtitude co-ordinates maintained by GPS about 90 miles north of Baie de l’Oiseau as my DMGDistance Made Good; More here marker so your numbers may not equate exactly to mine. I’ll change it as we get closer).

Tomorrow – the gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. says – will be pearshaped with 35 knot-- Speed: definition of speed at sea. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. The nautical mile is about 1.15 % longer than the "statute" mile used on land. A knot is about half a metre per second. -- A knot is also the result of winding a rope around itself or another rope to make a join or a loop . (read 50+) northerlies blasting down a big front behind the current high and 40 kts forecast for the Kerguelens. We should be about mid way down and we’ll do our best to deal with whatever we get. Iff we get really lucky, it will then soften gradually and we might get a reasonably clear window for landfall. Pace the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks., of course, and the Great Statistician, Mr Murphy1- The inventor of Murphy’s Law which states (in various ways) that if something can go wrong, it will. 2- Irish beer.

I forgot to announce that we have a new Medical Person aboard – she comes from Windhoek and her advice and her medications so far have been excellent. Something other than an Irish accent at the ConsultationA regular engagement with alcohol. One might say this whole epic is a Consultation with a bit of a sail round it. See also Conservation Mode; Linear and Parallel Methods of Consultation for a change. I have a drop of her elixir to hand as I write and I’ve just demolished a bacon buttie. Life is good.

More unoriginal silliness inspired by Brian Greene – as we seem to be (to the universe and our surroundings) relatively low entropy clumpy collections of hydrogen atoms with interstellar distances between them on a quantum scale – what is a thought? What’s it made of? What is the nature of consciousness? How is it that the clumpy collection that prods this keyboard can create and process and transmit to you lot the concept of a superciliously superior albatross laughing at out dopey inadequacies as it soars and glides around us? And why and how would I ascribe supercilious superiority to an albatross anyway? There must be a lot of people out there working on the answers.

What an interesting bit of spacetime this is. And in a few billion years, physicists think it will be gone, not a wrack left behind, just hydrogen atoms. Eventually – perhaps – just a cold and dark void with about 5 hydrogen atoms to the cubic metre. Rather fewer than the magic 42 in HGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here. Enjoy it while you can and help others to do the same!

Antarctic Prions in full flit – small,lovely, graceful birds, grey/blue feathers on top, white undersides, wonderfully aerobatic – I have a photo of one half way through an Immelmann. White chinned Petrels in and out of the mizzle – wet, clank and dammy but good breeze taking us SE. Another brief glimpse of the big black bird that looks and acts like an albatross. I think parts of the belly are white. It doesn’t hang around – one fly past and it’s gone for the day.

Position 0630 14th 4313 05359, trip 125, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 115. The usual – lumpy, changeable, damp, sunny it's all happening. Now brilliant sunshine, still blowing white crests off deep iridescent blue sea. Cold enough to notice. I have resurrected my arctic sleeping bag, bought in Cambridge Bay in the NW Passage. Pete has his old down bag and bivvy bag from the original gig. Have to keep them really dry – neither designed for boats but lovely and toasty and difficult to get out of.

We have learned that most of Kerguelen is closed to visitors because of various research projects, so we are now heading for Port au Francais. We are trying to establish some sort of contact, to get permission to enter the harbour and I'll keep you posted on that one.

There's someone else out here – apparently Alessandro di Benedetto is just south of the Crozets, about 250 miles away, trying to break the round the world record solo unassisted in a 6.5 metre boat. That's all I know so far – sounds like a mini-transat. If so, I dips me lid! We are trying to contact him as well. Apparently he has a website.

I've been asked to explain Golgafrincham. It's a joke from HGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here – Arthur found himself on a planet populated by telephone sanitisers, management consultants, motivators, colonic irrigators, bogBrolga Owners Group roll pointers – all the people that Douglas Adams seemed to think the world could quite happily do without. They had been part of the population of a doomed galaxy, embarked in special space ships to find another home in the universe. What they did not know was that they had been deliberately separated from the rest of the (Useful!) population of their original galaxy in their own space ship and diverted to a small blue planet on the outer edge of an insignificant galaxy – and so became the early citizens of Earth. You really have to read the book…

Position 0630 15th 4355 05614 Trip (corrected for reset)109 DMGDistance Made Good; More here 107. Sparkling, glorious day, Prions in full flit, delicate grey patterns against the icy blue water.

No contact yet with Port aux Francais so I'll keep this short.

Norm, Pete would like numbers please.

We are now south of Tasmania. I've gone on enough about the night sky – tonight Mars actually looks red – much redder than Betelgueuse, which is just dull orange. Luminous ocean again. Wearing my arctic balaclava in the cockpit to keep the uninsulated shiny bits warm.

Yesterday – or was it today? Neurons in decline – an aircraft contrail crossed above us – heading west, perhaps on the great circleSee here (Wikipedia) from Sydney or Perth to S. Africa. A bit of a surprise. Must be a wonderful view of Kerguelen and the other islands from 6 miles up but unusual to have a really clear day to see them.

No contact with Kerguelen yet. We are assuming that if we do arrive, they won't tell us to go away. We've exchanged SMS messages by satphone with Alessandro, now nearly 500 miles SE of us and we have spoken on the radio to the skipper of the NZ research vessel Kaharoa, about 400 miles NW, engaged in laying Argos buoys out here in the extreme boonies. A real Kiwi voice and we've established a schedule to talk each day. Nice.

And so far, suspiciously easy. Softish day, brilliant sunshine, a couple of new albatrosses. One was a Black Browed, medium sized, breeds in the Falklands where we saw lots in 2005. The other, I can't identify. A big one, grey head, white collar and seemed to have grey underparts, pinkish white bill which might have had a dark spot towards the end. Dark on top with the usual white patch between the wings and mottled shoulders. White flecks on or close to the primaries. While it was with us there was also a tiny storm petrel frolicking around us, so we had both extremes of the albatross family (the big one weighing in at 10 kilos or so, the Stormy at a few hundred grammes – sparrow sized). The usual graceful Prions and big gaggle of white chinned petrels.

Now windless and wallowing, expecting a NW change later and a bit of a blast tomorrow sometime.

KelpTypes of brown algae, which hold on to the rocky sea bottom with root-like structures. Floats in huge mats close to land and potentially capable of fouling a propeller or a rudder. More here (Wikipedia)! Big floating patch – impenetrable. About 400 miles out but a sure sign we are getting closer

First recognisable Sooty Albatross – glimpse only – big dark bird, very similar to the bigger petrels but acts like an albatross and has the longer wings. Also black beak.

A pair of the big gold collared birds still with us – trying to get really good sharp photos but the damn things won't stay still.

More on Golgafrincham. That was the name of the original planet so Arthur called them Golgafrinchans. I have a feeling all the lawyers were with them too and they spent a lot of time arguing, forming committees and getting nowhere. My golgafrinchan day was filled doing useless odd jobs. Just a silly joke for the HGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here tragics.

John S in Hobart – thanks re Kiwiprop and Albatross man. I would be really interested to go through the photos with him if he has time. I think I'll make a calendar of the best photos and see whether we can make a quid for CanTeen or some other charity.

Norm – the real challenge is finding all the extra words. I'll let you know if I find any!

Carol, tks for ISSInternational Space Station.

Chris N and the mob in Canberra – g'day and HNY. If you are interested enough, there's a good computer program called Stellarium – comes as an add on to our Winastro celestial nav program but probably accessible separately.

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radio email processed by SailMailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service.
for information see: http://www.sailmailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service..com

That is South Africa in the top left corner, Antarctica is the white bit at the bottom, and Australia just peaking in on the right edge. Kerguelen is dead centre of the bottom map.
Click on the maps to enlarge.

Position 0630 18th 4720 06301 trip 136, DMGDistance Made Good; More here 105. For the next report I will use as the DMGDistance Made Good; More here waypointA fixed location with specified latitude and longtitude co-ordinates maintained by GPS a lump of rock named Ilot de la Reunion by Kerguelen (Rendezvous Islet, where he arranged to meet Rosnevet in L'Oiseau after they had landed) and which CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. named BlighWilliam Bligh – Sailed with Cook and later given command of HMS Bounty. Most famous for his 1200 mile open boat voyage after his crew mutinied.'s Cap without knowing of the original name. It's about 20 miles north of Baie de L'Oiseau.
Quick as a flash from Steve Jackson:
SEND + MORE = MONEY
9567 + 1085 = 10652
no computer needed!
I'm envious – wish I could do those things and I bet it only took him a few minutes. Pooo! So a bottle of Pete's home brew if the kids haven't found it all or whatever works shall be despatched in due course. Onya Steve! Steve has an advantage in the timing as he can email us direct so if there's a correct answer in the next Berrimilla2 download from the other Steve, there will be a second despatch. Pete is checking his workings! I wonder what Father McCormack would be thinking if he knew that more than half a century after he chalked it on the board at least one of his pupils actually remembered and inveigled a solution. Cunning succeeds in the end!
When I send this, I will also pull in a gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. which should give us a feel for how the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks. will test us. Violent rolling, 20 knots, but not too bad at the mo. Breakfast ConsultationA regular engagement with alcohol. One might say this whole epic is a Consultation with a bit of a sail round it. See also Conservation Mode; Linear and Parallel Methods of Consultation appropriately conducted – Liffey Water – and thinking about lunch.

SEND + MORE etc: I meant to ask in the last one whether there are any more solutions. Seems there are – Pete reckons there are at least 8 – any advance?

As the most diaphanously tentative perhaps, it seems the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks. has slipped, at least as far as the little stink bomb to the north is concerned. The latest gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. shows us south of the nasties and with a reasonably clear run to BlighWilliam Bligh – Sailed with Cook and later given command of HMS Bounty. Most famous for his 1200 mile open boat voyage after his crew mutinied.'s Cap in about 2 days. Keep em firmly crossed please. The seas are breaking around us with the most vivid powdery blue translucent crests. Worth all the bother just to watch them. I'll try to get photos but never quite the same. Big, gold collared Albatross back briefly this morning, now lots of prions and the usual white chins.

Huge sign of progress – I was able to connect to the NSWNew South Wales. State in the East of Australia. New South Wales' capital city is Sydney. sailmailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service. station to try to send this – very long range and rather slow, so I'll revert to Iridium but – Hi Derek! Yay! We are at 4729 6333, range 3968 miles.

Pallid silvery sky, delicately textured in darker fluffs. Occasional loom of the sun in halo of luminous cloud – TurnerTurner, John Mallord William (1775 - 1851); one of the founders of English watercolour painting renowned for his studies of sea and sky in every weather would have exaggerated it to get the effect. Sea deep almost milky blue – odd when it seems it ought to be grey too. Prions, slightly darker but their shaded greys in between the blue of the sea and the angels' wings in the cloud. Lumpy, vicious sea – big swells from the north with spiky dragon skin surface from the local wind. Brilliant breaking crests with flying cascades of pearls and diamonds. Violent rolling passage, moving around inside a continual blind trapeze act. Easier on deck because there's a horizon and so a frame of reference.

Excitement and some apprehension at the approach of an unfamiliar, alien coastline with beartraps everywhere for the unwary. The same shiver as we approached AmchitkaAmchitka Pass:a strait in the Aleutian Islands, between the Rat Islands group to the west and the Delarof Islands to the east. Amchitka Island was the site of the Cannikin nuclear test – the biggest underground explosion ever conducted by the USA (as far as we know). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amchitka in the Aleutians and Cape Horn and the Falklands and the Greenland fiords – and especially Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on wikipedia and our first ice and then at the other end, the M'Clintock Channel. Trying to think of all the possibilities – lee shore, rocks, kelpTypes of brown algae, which hold on to the rocky sea bottom with root-like structures. Floats in huge mats close to land and potentially capable of fouling a propeller or a rudder. More here (Wikipedia), surge, how to anchor with Berri's various bits of gear, bolt holes, magnetic anomalies, instant williwaws…it all churns around and won't rest till we get there and can have a look. I remember a conversation in Falmouth with a venerable and hugely respected sailor about age, experience and the increments in apprehension each time you prepare do something out of the ordinary – extending even to things that are normally easy. Maybe it's a characteristic of the cautious. Or the geriatric! Helps me to wonder how CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. would have dealt with it – with extreme caution and minimal risk, I think. He stood off rather than risk going between the islands in poor visibility.

About 200 miles till we can expect to see the islands to the NW of Cap d'Estaing. I see from the Admiralty chart that BlighWilliam Bligh – Sailed with Cook and later given command of HMS Bounty. Most famous for his 1200 mile open boat voyage after his crew mutinied.'s Cap is actually called Ilot du Rendez-Vous not Reunion as I wrote yesterday. All of you will be able to see more – and almost certainly more detail – on google earth than we will on the spot. You may be able to see the huge kelpTypes of brown algae, which hold on to the rocky sea bottom with root-like structures. Floats in huge mats close to land and potentially capable of fouling a propeller or a rudder. More here (Wikipedia) patches all along the north and east coasts.

Malcom, can you see a jetty at P o F? I seem to remember something like a concrete quay. And a big SW swell running into the little bay by the church.

Position 0630 19th 4751 06510 trip 94 DMGDistance Made Good; More here 93 and Kerguelen 150. A day and a bit AGW.

Much earlier:
Fogg! Thick, wet and dank. This isn't just convergence zoneInter Tropical Convergence Zone, also known as The Doldrums mist, it has clammy coils and glutinous texture. It's dark, woolly dark and out in the cockpit, in the red beam of my head torch, I can see the droplets streaming past like paint going on brick. We are directly south of the centre of the tight little low I thought the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks. had put here to bash us and 189 miles from the nearest rock. I hope! If it persists, we will have to stay a safe distance out to sea. Different tactics, perhaps, from the desk of the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks.. There's just enough wind to fill the sails, except for the lumpy sea, as per my last, so we have the engine idling to give us steerage way and we are trickling forwards, still rolling horribly.

This post will sit here and expand as the night goes on. Time now for a dig into the can of lychees followed by toothpaste – yuk! – and the sack for 3 hours and then the middle watch. Oh joy! Maybe more then.

On the subject of head torches and toothpaste – I use specially fluoridated bright blue goo for my straggly gnashers but in the red light of the torch, it looks inky black. I'll know I'm back in civilisation, or just as different time zone when it turns blue again. Perhaps there's a measure of longitude in there somewhere – the chromatic variation of toothpaste, CVT, maybe? Would go nicely with the VoANot the Voice of America, but the Viscosity of Anusol. Sophisticated and innovative system of onboard temperature assessment. Full explanation here.

Dozy old git. That WAS the middle watch. Head seriously out of phase. Now daylight and still in thick fog, vis about 500 metres. If it hangs around as it did for CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia., we've got a problem as we get in really close. The warning on the chart says don't assume that GPS positions and the chart agree. As for the weather, on our current gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail., I think we just might crack it lucky – the fog should have gone and we should be in a 20+ NWerly which would be perfect for a look at Baie de L'Oiseau and its collapsed arch. In three days, though, things can change radically down here!

Half an hour after I wrote that, the fog lifted – one minute it was thick around us, next it was 100 ft above and I had a horizon. Then the wind came back and we're away again. The next gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. will be interesting.

On that money puzzle, if there really are the 8 solutions that Pete thinks he's found but got bored checking, we have an interesting statistic. Everyone except Malcom came in with the same solution, which must be somewhere out on the extreme end of the probabilities. Malcom gets away with his because I was a bit sloppy with my original statement of the problem.

It will be close. We are about 14 – 18 hours from Baie de LOiseau on present progress but the wind is dying. That would put us there in the dark – tricky in a gale. There certainly won't be any moonlight. There's a nasty front coming in from the west with 30+ knots in it – not clear (never is!) exactly what path it will take. Options, therefore are first, slow down and let it go through (the dying wind might enforce this one anyway). I don't have a good enough digital chart to get in close at night and doing it on a paper chart in the black dark is not feasible. Option 2, if the wind holds, get in as close as we can in daylight and have a look. Then, if it seems ok, get behind the peninsula and either shelter or try for the Baie. If not ok, stand off to the north, cop the blast and either try again for the Baie tomoz when/if it's gone through or, if our stand off has taken us too far down wind, head for Port aux Francais.

Malcom, no need to copy to B2 if you send direct.

As I write, the 'slow down' option firms by the moment but things change so fast that – well, who knows? We'll play it back to the bowler. Watch this space.

Time for a bit of description. 2 magnificent albatrosses – Snowy, NZ or Tristan – huge, and as they scythe towards you all you see is the razor slash of the dihedral curve of their wings, speckled leading edges, yellow dot of a beak, two tiny eyes all set in a circle of white in the middle of that huge curve. They rock slightly when it it really windy, then bank away – white underparts, fine black edges. Sometimes they bank the other way – black wings, white splashes on the inners, white, mottled shoulders and back, black tail – exhilarating.

Plus a couple of much smaller black browed and another slightly bigger, very similar but with a grey head. White chins and prions in crowds.

And diving petrels – lovely – little heads bobbing around ahead of the boat, they peer at us and there's a blur, instant glimpse of upended rump, widening circle of ripples and they surface 20 metres away and look at us again. Fun.

The sun a pale glow through the fogbanks – occasional patches of blue, rolling fog all around, filtered light. Deep greenish blue icy sea. Berri placid, gentle rolling, whizzer moaning at the back as it harnesses the gentle breeze and fires wiggly amps at the batteries.

Wouldn't be in the big smoke for quids…

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Click on piccie to enlarge….

position 0630 21st 4832 06907 trip 57 DMGDistance Made Good; More here 35 after heave to and bare polingExplanation here. Cap D'E visible 9 miles ahead – too busy for description – North Head with muscle for the Sydneysiders. 3rd reerf, tiny heady, trying to work to windward in 25 kts. Bumpy, wet orrible. Fogbanks all around hope it stays clear for us – 2 hours or so to go. Likely to be a bit tricky getting in but if CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. and the rest could do it in square riggers even tiny Berri should manage. Will try to report later from inside DV & WP.

earlier
0315 21st sighted Blighs Cap – rolling fog, 25 knots and it was there – a solid wraith if such can be rearing vertically out of the ocean.

Other uncanny reflections of the past – Doug Morrison sent me a sheaf of papers from his research into the French and other explorers, amongst which were James Clark Ross' chart and soundings for the Baie, possibly compiled by Francis Crozier. I used this to find the spot to anchor. There were also detailed drawings from out to sea of the entrance and the arch, now collapsed, by R Benard (I think – can't read Doug's writing) published in 1784. Benard was with CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia.. I used them to identify the entrance from 5 miles out. I could not read the photocopy of his soundings chart so I used Ross'.

There was also an engraving of the harbour in Ross' account, showing Erebus and Terror at anchor, one of them almost in the same position as we are now. They too went to the NW passage with FranklinSir John Franklin, arctic explorer who died with all his men in 1847 while seeking the Northwest Passage. ten years or so later and they are still there, somewhere off King William Island with the bones of their crews. We felt the presence of their ghosts up there, particularly in Simpson Strait. I never imagined we'd meet them again, let alone here, almost at the opposite end of the planet.

Wonderful to have it all with us, Doug. Thanks!

When we set off from Cape Town, I thought that Kerguelen might be a bridge too far. Boneheadedness sometimes wins out. So, a Talisker this evening, courtesy of Pete Goss.

More tomorrow.

Departed Baie de L'Oiseau 0215 utc heading for Port aux Francais. Alternative was to wait for the next big blow with 40 kts in it and perhaps stuck there indefinitely.

Major problem with kelpTypes of brown algae, which hold on to the rocky sea bottom with root-like structures. Floats in huge mats close to land and potentially capable of fouling a propeller or a rudder. More here (Wikipedia) everywhere – trying to stay in deep water. Half an hour of furious work with chart, plotter and pencil transferring a string of waypoints to the computer – CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. had the same problem but he did not have a chart and sent Discovery ahead to find a way through.

Bright sunlight again – snow on Presqu'ile de la Societe de Geographie and CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. Glacier just visible behind it. We could not have picked a better day – so far!

Could be a long day – we both have to stay awake but opportunities between waypoints for one or other to grab half an hour if we get lucky.

click on graphic to enlarge….

Arrived around 0800 UTC – Berri on a mooring 50 metres from the jetty and we are up in the settlement being rather well lokked after. Settlement just like an Austalian mining camp – demountable buildings for acommodation, communal eating, movies – the works. The Postmaster – selected for his knowledge of philately as well as general soundness of mind – is going to do a special edition envelope commemorating our visit – if you want one posted to you with Kerguelen TAAF stamp, I need snail mail addresses urgently. No promises but I'll do my best.
Norml internet access almost impossible so will go outside into the cold cold wind with the laptop and the satphone and try to send this.
After whch, totally knackered and gong to bed. Saha! Seals and penguins not far from window.

What an interesting place – physically, environmentally, culturally, historically. Thanks to Doug's papers, I know about as much of the history as the locals. They spend one year here – two month handover overlap between 'missions' a bit like the ISSInternational Space Station crews – research projects continue but personnel change. There is a tracking facility for satellites with a telemetry download process and a meteorological station with the usual internet access and an atmospheric balloon launch every day to monitor the upper atmosphere.

A tomb outside the non denominational church with the tombstone written in arabic. Also a plain wooden cross, weathered and grey – in memory of someone who died at sea – memorial plaques to people from many countries inside – poignant indicators of the international and cosmopolitan tide of the place.

Perhaps it's typically French and a spin off from the extreme professionalism and respect between the people here but you handshake when you meet someone anywhere for the first time during the day if he's male, double cheek kiss for female – it's expected and a sort of formal ritual. There's a lot of it going on at breakfast! And there's a genuine Boulanger – yay! Fresh bread, chocolate cake par excellence, croissants, palmiers, the lot. French wine if required.

Tomorrow, we hope to be allowed to sail on MV Aventure around the islands of the Baie du Morbihan doing the weekly delivery run to the many outposts and research sites. Requires permission from the Chef du Mission, who is in the field till tomorrow.

1800 or so sheep on the island left over from one of the farming projects – we had one for lunch yesterday! And there are rainbow trout in the rivers – wild after an aborted attempt to farm them in the 1920's – Anne-Claire, one of the Doctors, leaves on Wednesday for Reunion at the end of her year here and she has gone trout fishing up there in the hills with the scientist who runs the toothfish project – and who was at Macquarie University in Australia studying Lungfish. But he should know how to catch a trout!

There's a wonderful documentary lurking out here – the place, the history, the wildlife, the people, the projects – I'd love to do it! There is a lovely uncluttered thread from the past that lives and breathes and evolves here – just like the settlements in the North West PassageThe Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. More here., particularly Cambridge Bay which is strikingly similar.

More if I can – these posts depend on my sitting outside with the laptop and the satphone – local internet is way too clunky and we don't get much chance to use it anyway.

Must have all snailmail addresses in by Monday evening local so that I have time to catch the outgoing ship on Wednesday with the letters. Again, no promises but I'll do my best.

Ivan, lots of photos of Baie de L-Oiseau. We did not land – decided to leave in the weather window. There's still a scattered pile of stones on the little headland where the bottle was left – the remains of CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia.' cairn perhaps? And I bet de Rochegude's buried bottle is still there somewhere. I know how it might be possible to find it too.

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Have we ever been lucky – so far – we got in at just the right time – glorious weather for three days including Baie de L’Oiseau and tomorrow it blows – 60 knots forecast. Poor Berri tied by long, heavy plaited lint to mooring buoy with the line looped round both foredeck cleats and on to itself, bridle strops back to main winches, eerything tied down, 2 lashings on the furled headsail and we cross the fingere it will be ok. Not a lot we can do if not, so we’re going off around the Baie for the trip of a lifetime from 0600, returning about 11 hours later when the wind is forecast to come in.

A seal wobbled past my window today – 300 metres up the hill from the water. I have video to prove it. Smashing day all round.

Amazing place – I wish I could spend a year here with a laptop and a couple of cameras.

Doug, I’ve given all your papers and the Dagelet article to Renaud Huez – long story – who will understand them and make them available here. He will contact you but please send me your email address asap if you read this.

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Muggins aka Dozy Old Fart got it wrong – my French is way far from perfect. The next ship arrives here in March, (mars, not mardi…) so the envelopes will not leave until then and you won't get them until April. Also, I do not want to impose on the generosity of Son Eminence le Maitre de Poste so no more addresses after today please. I have two more envelopes above the list already received so first come…

Wonderful day today shuttling researchers in and out of the remote outpost stations around the hundred or so islands in the Baie du Morbihan. We called at Haute, St.Malo, Mayes, Guillou and Verte and on the way back to Port aux Francais, passed the wreck of a previous ship, which is actually marked on my chart. At Guillou, we were about 15 miles from Mt Ross, the highest point on the island. Lots of photos. Stark volcanic landscape, eroded by water freezing in the cracks and breaking off the outer layers, exposing the strata and blurring the crystalline rock forms down the millions of years. Also huge runoffs after the rain and occasional snow. Penguins, seals and dolphins (type to follow – I will ask later, but blunt nosed with white sides). My Gold Collared albatross was probably an immature Snowy and I am extremely doubtful that my 'Amsterdam' was indeed such – more likely a juvenile Snowy, NZ or Tristan. There are people here who really know about these things. Projects today – the effect of introduced species, rabbits, cats, rats and sheep; Blue Petrels and their environment and reproductive cycles; invasive species – aphids and other insects, which are all vectors for viruses; the effects of atmospheric pollution – several others but that's the sort of thing. They stay out in the field for three to ten days in insulated cabins, but they are all rigged and equipped to walk and to survive for longer if the weather changes. L'Adventure is an 80 ton barge about the size of one a half tennis courts with two big diesels and hydraulic propellors on stocks that can be turned so no need for rudders, and they can be raised out of the water. The barge just drives up to a beach or a rocky headland. parks its square flat nose against the solid earth and Frank, the skipper, holds it there with his engines as the teams transfer their equipment and themselves. No fuss, all done with cool competence and flair. The people – carefully selected volunteers – all with personality, verve, knowledge and dedication. Some students doing field projects – what an opportunity!

Wind gradually rising all day – averaging 45 kt on the way back. Now seems to be abating. The wind and the defined static lenticular clouds and the flying cascades of spray added to the stark landscape but I will never be able to see these islands as the desolate spot the early explorers and pioneers described – it has life, bleak beauty, rapid change from glorious to menacing in minutes. A character of its very own. A real privilege to be here and to see it all and to take part.

When we arrived back in Port aux Francais, we were greeted by Mme Deschamps, the Chef du District. She came down to the quay in the wind and rain specially to meet us and then took us to her house for coffee. Tomorrow she will stamp our passports.

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Doing envelopes most of today.
For those who asked for one on the blog and for my family, this is what they will look like – suggest you print this because they won't arrive until the end of April. I hope we beat them back to Oz!
FRONT: Photo of Berrimilla with bow of L'Aventure in the background. Photo and envelopes courtesy M. Renaud Huez, interesting man of many parts, now the Postmaster here for a year, who set all this up for us.
Personal rubber stamp of Renaud Huez,
Two postage stamps – one of de Rochegude (as an Admiral) who first landed, with great difficulty, at Baie de L'Oiseau. The other of Charles Rouillon – much later but very eminent explorer – google him – just to keep a historical perspective. Stamps cancelled with special postmark.
Pete's and my signatures.
BACK: Official (rubber) stamps for L'Aventure, CNES – the Centre National des Explorations Spatiales and Meteo France, the French Bureau of Meteorology. CNES and MF provide most of the funding for this District. The CNES stamp was badly worn and the image is a bit indistinct.

Pete's envelopes are for his family and friends. They may be different. The choice of postage and rubber stamps is bewildering!

Sue, you got in by special dispensation. Too difficult to take pic of El Pinkathingykerg – huge wind and just too busy surviving to set it up. Will try tomoz when wind abates.

64 knots last night – elephant seals crashing earthwards all over the place, rather like the HGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here whale, poor thing.

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