0900hrs 17 Oct 2005 UTC 40’09”S 004’18”E Ref 448
DB 118, 6366 gps 124 58/52
Not pleasant out here. We’ve been bare poling in 45+ -nothing serious except for savage short breaking seas -had to slow right down. Now have storm jib back up – 35kt. We’ve been cooped up inside for over three days – wet nasty ‘orrible. No real prospect of let up either. I’ve just spent my sleeping watch dismantling half the inside stowage to get at the two earth fittings for the radio at Justice’s suggestion – cleaned them but seems to have made no difference. Just cant raise Africa and we don’t know why. And the usb as crashed 8 times so far while I’ve been trying to talk to him so I’m not a happy little black duck. If I cant get Chile later, this may never get sent.
Seabirds everywhere in the storm – big black petrels, I think, and an albatross to soothe my battered psyche.
Now have to wait till 0930 to try to talk to Juri in his boat Lunatic, 800 miles astern. He sounds a bit like us.
The logs ramblings can be cryptic, so we have added: