Topic: Ghosts

1-11. South Atlantic-26°S

Apr 05, 2005 - 2214hrs UTC

We finally cracked part of the rendezvous – we saw the ISS high and clear about 10 minutes ago for the first time since all this started – huge thrill – but we’d already decided it was too chancy with cloud moving over to risk wasting a flare so … Continue reading

1-14. Nearly to Falmouth

May 13, 2005 - 0935hrs UTC

0935hrs 13 May 2005 UTC 17’29”N 035’24”W Map Ref 215 4929nm (2442nm to Falmouth)

A bit over an hour ago, (now much more at send time…) we crossed 1640N. Why is this worth mentioning? – just another number except that it is exactly 1000 miles north of the equator. … Continue reading

1-14. Nearly to Falmouth

May 13, 2005 - 1500hrs UTC

1500hrs 13 May 2005 UTC 18’00”N 035’21”W Map Ref 216 4960nm (2414nm to Falmouth)

Breakfast – Friday 13 May – the usual cardboard muesli activated by our composted dried fruit but this time washed down – no, washed has too much attitude – stroked down perhaps? by a snort … Continue reading

1-14. Nearly to Falmouth

May 30, 2005 - 0615hrs UTC

0615hrs 30 May 2005 UTC Map Ref 260

i think i may have been in this bit of ocean before – i recognised a bit of it this morning – and i’m sure my father, who spent most of his life at sea, would have crossed this stretch many times. … Continue reading

1-14. Nearly to Falmouth

May 30, 2005 - 2215hrs UTC │Blow The Wind Southerly

the gap is closing. astonishing to see the number of wrecks marked on the large scale digital chart between here and fmth – so many tragedies, so many people waiting and watching – we grew up with kathleen ferrier singing ‘blow the wind southerly’ – have the same record with me in the boat – hauntingly beautiful and the chart gives it a poignancy that i had never felt so strongly. so many ghosts. … Continue reading

1-19. Senegal and Pete's Birthday

Sep 08, 2005 – 0400hrs UTC

0400hrs 08 Sep 2005 UTC 17’30”N 025’55”W Ref 340

Santo Antao is 41 miles away on the port bow and, for the first time since we left Falmouth, we are moving back Eastwards towards Oz. Woohooa primitive, exultant, gibbon-like call given out by an old geezerDictionaries define a geezer as … Continue reading

1-22. Still heading south south east

Sep 30, 2005 - 1400hrs UTC

First, a quiz question for the geniuses at Belmore South. I expect you all know that the sun sets in the west. This means that if you stand on a beach anywhere except in one place on the entire east coast of Australia, you will see the sun setting over land. It goes down behind trees or sand dunes or houses or cliffs. … Continue reading