Dec 14, 2005 – 2215hrs EDT

2215hrs 14 Dec 2005 EDT 43’01”S 148’08”E Ref 651

We are heading north east towards a full moon – our new track is the moon’s reflected light – it’s calm and almost windless and the trusty DonkThe engine – a donkey is a beast of burden that does all the work and engines driving winches and other labour saving devices are known as donkey engines. is pushing us along at 5 knots with the main sheeted amidships. A layer of broken cumulus at about 3000 feet is crossing the face of the moon and alternating light and silvery dark. At Cape Raoul, earlier, there were dolphins – big ones, and lots of them – racing around the boat and two of them did two huge jumps in formation, vertically out of the water close together almost as if they were wrapped around eachother – a dolphin double helix – astonishing, wonderful to see and I had just put the video camera away. As if they were celebrating with us.

On which -I just can’t begin to describe the growing sense of uplift and relief after weeks of multi-faceted tension. We have Gabo Island in the GPS at 330 miles, diesel in the tank, beer in the fridge and 4 days in hand to make Sydney. I can see the silhouette of Maria Island ahead to port and we are abeam Eaglehawk Neck. There are lights on the horizon to starboard – probably fishing boats. We are on the way home, no longer isolated, with time to spare. It will happen, we’ve almost done it – but not quite – so only a teeny wooohoooa primitive, exultant, gibbon-like call given out by an old geezerDictionaries define a geezer as an old person, generally an eccentric old man. Its origin likely in the word masquerader (colloquially, guiser) from Middle English gysar. Go figure, as the Americans say.; many variations as listed, in order of emphasis: Woohoo Woooohooo WOOOHOOO WOOOHOOO! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOa primitive, exultant, gibbon-like call given out by an old geezerDictionaries define a geezer as an old person, generally an eccentric old man. Its origin likely in the word masquerader (colloquially, guiser) from Middle English gysar. Go figure, as the Americans say.; many variations as listed, in order of emphasis: Woohoo Woooohooo WOOOHOOO WOOOHOOO! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!!. Next time we are here – who knows – we’ll be racing and Tasman Island or its light will be the target.

We turned Berri around in Hobart in 24 hours – massive thanks and appreciation to David and Graham especially for toiling away at the barnaclesExplanation here (Wikipedia) , the Bosun and his team at RYCTRoyal Yacht Club of Tasmania, Anne for the food, RYCTRoyal Yacht Club of Tasmania for their help, untold numbers of people for other help and encouragement and – as ever – John and Alex and Jane Sutherland for their hospitality and generosity. Thank you all – we could not have done it without you and if we achieve, you will all have a part in it.

Thanks too to all y’all out there for hundreds of messages of congratulations, personal feelings, encouragement and good wishes – we seem to have the entire retired population of the USA on board with us for the ride – welcome yez all and enjoy the ride – it gets better from here, no matter what the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks. has in store. And we have a race to win.