1546hrs 16 Jan 2005. (Sydney Time)
We are in fog and heavy rain with distant thunder. Sux knots. Nav lights on and someone poking a head up every few minutes to check for fishos and errant sheep in wetsuits. 140 miles to Stewart I. P has just made breakfast – for the foodies, last night’s pasta salad stir fried with egg, bacon and tabasco and a draught from the home brew cellar to help it settle. Cordon Berri 5 star.
Todays bird came slicing out of the gloom low over the water rocking through the waves – at first just a white disc with eye dots and beak and a half circle pencil line for its wings. Massive dihedral, body about one tenth of the arc. Wings absolutely motionless, tips just off the surface and an image full of purpose. Then it banked away and its underside was white but with black lines along both edges of the wings. Brownish black on top with white stripe from base of wings across the tail so front half of tail white. Couldnt judge beak. span about 2.5 metres. Also black Petrels (?) ta H & K, with diamond shaped tails rather than the usual squareish with slightly rounded trailing edges.
later. Now 117 miles to S I. Dank and clammy but no fog, no rain. Right above the NZ continental shelf where the depth goes from around 6000 metres in places to about 100 at SI. About to cross the Solander Trough – some interesting people have been here before us. Pete snoring happily and I’ve just spent a couple of hours on deck planning how on earth I’m going to be able to keep these updates interesting for the next six weeks or so till the Horn. That’s about 84 episodes of soap – The Bill or Blue Hills. How do people do it?
Some Hi’s: to Olivia – great to hear from you and keep em coming, Kev Pavlich g’day, likewise Ron C. Conor, where the hell have you been and how did you find us? Hi Helen. John, Alex and Jane – we’re on to the last curry and the smoked trout was from heaven with pepper, lemon, tomato and a guinness. Bill R – i assume your email address means you’re still gainfully employed – who’s mad?. Hilary, thanks re xantic, Hi Katherine, hang in there. Malcolm and Sarau good luck and we’ll have a beer at the Horn….
The logs ramblings can be cryptic, so we have added: