0923hrs 27 Jan 2005.(SYD time) 46’15”S 171’19”E. Map Ref 28 1157nm
Not really the sort of soft start we were hoping for. Still in fog and no wind and using some precious diesel to trickle south to where the wind should be. Otherwise, it looks as if we’d be stuck here for about a week. Difficult equation – how much to use and when to call it off if there isn’t any improvement.
Everything we put in in Dunedin seems to be working and the boat is much easier to live in. I don’t think we could have achieved the turn-around in Dunedin any faster that we did and it would have been really easy to have hung around, particularly at the Alehouse. And it would have taken much longer without the very generous help from Kevin Martin, Bert Youngman and Bob Watt and the many other people who gave us a hand from time to time. Thanks everyone.
There’s another boat on its way to the Horn from Hobart. It’s called Sarau, a Dickson 55 and it is also crewed two handed, by the owner and his son. We met them before the Lord Howe race and set up a radio sked and we are talking to them every day. Bigger and much faster than us and although they left 13 days behind us, our week’s stop and relative plod means that they are about to overtake us. I have just spoken to them, they are at 4710 16541 and there’s a smidgin of a chance that we may meet up about 60 miles south of our present position if the wind dies for them and we can keep moving. We will talk to them again this evening.
For Chris P – I like the acronym BOG – and Speights must have improved since you last tried it. We were so impressed we have some cans of their dark brew to comfort us when the Doctor is awol. And Bert, we hope you get down to the island…