Greetings from a still wintry Hobart. A couple of the jobs we have had to do have taken a lot longer than we expected and we have now decided not to leave until Monday. We will clear Customs at 10.00 and plod down the Derwent later that day.
Huge heap of sails, spares, food, clothing – and the bicycle, now attached to its stand and generator – all to be squeezed and coaxed into Berrimilla’s very uncavernous interior. A bit like getting an entire shipping container into a Tarago. We hope to get most of it in today. The windvane is back on – thanks for the Christmas present, Kevin – and we will test it tomorrow. We have also insulated the inside with closed cell foam to help prevent condensation when it gets cold further south.
We will head for a waypoint south of New Zealand at 47.50S 167.50E near the Snares Islands and then see what the weather brings. The southern ocean shelves from about 6000m to about 100 down there and it is generally one of the nastier bits of the passage according to the stories. The plan after that is to stay close to or north of 45S for most of the way across the South Pacific and then head south at about 100.00W to round the Horn at 56.04S 67.15W and up to the Falklands.
We’ll keep you posted. Thanks for all your messages in the last few days. Sorry we can’t reply to everyone individually.
The logs ramblings can be cryptic, so we have added: