FROM 1-23. Next landfall Tasmania

Oct 10,2005 - 2130hrs UTC

2130hrs 10 Oct 2005 UTC 36’00”S 011’16”W Ref 430

We’ve just passed Tristan da Cunha 80 miles to the SE. The wind has dropped from 40+ to 20+ and we’re just rolling around in the residual swell. I mean rolling with attitude – have you ever tried putting on a sock one handed whilst the vehicle is in motion? Hornswogglingly difficult. Still storm jib and tri – will probably leave till morning when there should be a lot less wind and we will be just ahead of the following high – I hope far enough down to get the benefit of the westerly flow off its base. We’ll see. Then the wind will back to the north and, with a bit of luck, we’ll be on the slide to the barn door south of Cape Agulhas. The barn door is about 4 degrees wide – about 240 miles – between 38 and 42 south and we must pick the spot to pass through – same principle, we must be under the high and just in the top of the lows. There may be a particularly rough bit to the SE of Africa where the Agulhas current flowing down the east coast meets the westerly flow across the bottom of the world.

Now that we can ‘see’ Tasmania, I will change the contents of the Daily Bull. I will continue to give you the previous day’s run and instead of my estimated distance to SE Cape (7495 this morning),I will give you the rhumb line distance taken from the SoB software – as I write, 7295, so my daily estimates were reasonable. As a matter of interest, the rhumb line distance to the Fastnet from here is 5248 miles but we have sailed about 6200 miles to get here, snaking down the Atlantic.  All you ace predictors can get out your calculators and try and beat my estimate (made as we left Falmouth) of Dec 11th at the Iron Pot (at the mouth of the Derwent River 11 miles south of Hobart for the geographically challenged) or Gabo (SE corner of OZ mainland)if we go via Bass Strait. Half way on the Dec 11th schedule is on Friday 14th, and we will be pretty close on distance to go as well. It’s still do-able. We’d better have another prize for the closest predicted ETA – perhaps Berrimilla’s round the world kettle or some other artefact? Not very exciting. Another signed shirt? Suggestions please.

Trudi or Martin, if you’re still out there – how is your single hander getting on? We haven’t been able to pick up your network or the Patagonian Cruise net (on 8164, not a ham net) based in Ushuaia so propagation is still bad. Sailmail works for us here through Africa and Chile but nowhere else.

[ed: more fame!….]

Alex & Pete,

As you passed the volcanic island of Tristao da Cunha yesterday, news of your voyage hit the headlines of the Tristan Times, the local online newspaper. The Island’s volcano last blew its top in the early 1960’s.

Barry Duncan.

and

Alex, Pete, Stephen, and Mal,

Link to the double page TIMES article if you haven’t seen it: Times Online [note: this link is only for subscribers]

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