Oct 31, 2005 - 1745hrs UTC

1745hrs 31 Oct 2005 UTC 39’39”S 030’00”E Ref 506

Pete was reading some more Shackleton. There’s hope for us yet – when things were tough on Elephant Island, ‘the Men’, scientists, tradesmen, officers, were given a tablespoon of methylated spirit in a pint of warm water flavoured with sugar and ginger for their Christmas drink. MMMM! A Con with a difference when desperation really sets in. We haven’t any seal blubber, but I’ve been eying off the feralsInteresting biological colonies that grow and fester in seaboots. There are left foot ferals and right foot ferals and occasionally they get to cross breed and create fierce hybrids. and they are getting nervous.

And Shackleton talked of a ‘presence’ that both he and Wilde felt during the boat trip and on their trek across S. Georgia, that helped them make the right decisions. I’ve often wondered about that – is it simply an artifice of the godfearing mind to enable it to cope with superhuman obstacles? I’ve never felt presences out here, although I don’t really think one can compare experiences like that, but I have sometimes reached what I think Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – cult book when I was at Uni) meant when he described ‘the high country of the mind’ – an intensely heightened awareness of self and surroundings induced by circumstance rather than drugs and alcohol. But, of course, I’m sure that the Albatross in the storm was TommyMelville, Tommy: IsabellaAlex's sister asked Alex who Tommy was after seeing his name in the log. She received this (edited) answer:“Tommy was the owner of Jacqui, the boat I first set out in for Cape Horn in 1982. Great guy, rough as they come, magnificent seaman, not into bullshit of any sort and someone I really liked and trusted. He left the boat with me when we got back, so I had this lovely boat to play with for a few months as well. He died a few years ago and I didn't know, sadly, until recently. He owned a shipyard and tugboat in Brisbane. ... He'd have loved this.”’s ghost! Far too knowing an eye for anyone else’s presence!

We’re still rolling along, storm jibA very small jib, usually made from bright orange material, used in storm conditions. and triA tiny storm sail that is set on the mast instead of the mainsail. Full explanation here, although the wind has abated a bit. I pulled in the latest gribWeather files. Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. after sending my last and there is a very tight little low forming directly behind us with attendant nastiness. More exercise for the freckle, I fear, so we are not rushing to change sail – might even see the night out.

Somewhere back in the blur of all this, I wrote about things starting to wear out – my boots, I think. My hands too – they have started to wrinkle and the nails are going white. NoiceAlexism for quite a lot of things which taste good or are going especially well. Insufficient Medicinal Compound – where’s Lily? And my searug – worn almost skinless before we left, is now gossamer thin and mildewed as well. Still works though.