1115hrs 20 Oct 2005 UTC 39’32”S 010’13”E Ref 464
We’re in mega-wallow with no wind and huge SW swell with the others across it. Seemed a good time to use a litre of precious diesel to charge the battery fully and move us forward a few miles. Expect some wind this afternoon from the NW.
It is about to be Trafalgar Day in Tonga, NZ Oz and points west as the day progresses. At some time we will dust off Nelson’s portrait, now getting a bit tatty at the edges – and broach the rum bottle in his memory and of all those who died that day.
Will try to give Cape Town Radio a courtesy call later as well – we are about 500 miles SW of them. Still 450 to the barn door, but the next few days’ westerlies should fix that. The satcom forecast for the area says 25 – 45 so we’re on again, as expected.
We have just witnessed a Convocation of Albatrosses – there are about 10 of them around us, medium sized, dark grey on top of the wings white tails and heads, lighter grey under wings, white belly. Yellow beaks, I think, with a line back from the eyes. The bigger ones have a light brown chinstrap. They all decided to settle on the water 30 metres astern – I tried to film them but without much success – there’s too much wallow going on. But they are superb to watch and they hoon in just over the stern telling us to chuck them some fish.
The logs ramblings can be cryptic, so we have added: