EASTERN MERIDIEN

Hi Everyone,

Welcome to day 22 of our voyage. Early this morning we crossed into the eastern meridian and for some of us we now feel after nearly 11 months away that little closer to home.

The wind has remained at a constant 20-25kts throughout the day which has provided some enjoyable sailing but we are still having to battle with a large following sea which continually makes us roll heavily and makes life extremely challenging in the galley for Chef Jenko and his trusty assistants.

Originally we had planed to do some demonstrational tacks today but that was made impossible due the large swell so our guest Sail Masters organised a game of twister at midships and have also commenced a round of ‘Ships Assassin’ which should prove to be very interesting as now you don’t know who you can trust?

The highlight of the day was the sighting of a pod of Humpback Whales who took it upon themselves to breach relatively close to ship giving everyone a close look at these wonderful creatures. Interestingly we haven’t seen that many whales during this passage but the majority may have already migrated back to the Antarctic Waters.

Currently we are located 790nm WSW of Cape Town sailing downwind and experiencing strong SW winds. Given the latest forecast the weather should moderate slightly tomorrow and Saturday before freshening again on Sunday so hopefully we will continue to enjoy good sailing all the way to Cape Town.

Writing tonight’s Captains Log is ‘Which Watch’ who have done a great job of expressing how they feel during this passage across the South Atlantic.

Until tomorrow, take care

Yours Aye
Captain Gav

Captain’s Log

Hello from a sunny evening in the middle of the no where which is somewhere in the eastern half of the South Atlantic.. Which Watch are on the bridge, while the tantalising smells drifting up the companionway suggest that the rest of the crew are pretty happy down below. We’ve had such a wonderful few days sailing, the wind on our tail, the swell on our quarter, zooming us forward directly on our course for Cape Town. We’re all in the rhythm of it now and it feels cruisy.. Crossing the Prime Meridian overnight has brought us officially into the Eastern Hemisphere and another time change has lengthened our days even further.

It feels really different, sailing with the wind.. It’s easy, we make good time and it feels more peaceful, less windy for those of us lazing on deck. But it also feels less powerful, the boat feels ungainly and lolling, left behind by rolling swells and darting breezes that race smoothly past us and around us. We’re visitors here, not of here. Like a foreigner awkwardly trying to join the flow and rhythm of another culture, another dance.. flailing about and looking around to see if we’re doing it right. We can’t match this grace and power.. but I guess we add to it, honour it and feel it in little snatches, in moments of symmetry and momentum.

It’s been very spring like today, patches of showers and bright blue. It feels fresh and brisk and alive.. this morning saw a pod of humpbacks breaching spectacularly as we neared, passed and left them behind. Flocks of Broad-billed Prions have been appearing in the last day… a new species for the list and a suggestion that land is again approaching. Nathan and Emily in their roles as joint Sailmasters today have kept us organised and entertained and there are whispers of the possibility of a swim tomorrow or the next day that are making our little hearts hope!!! I am filled with both excitement and terror at the prospect of dangling my toes over such an endless unknown, so much aching depth, the possibility of so much magic and so many shadowy creatures..! All of us are hoping desperately the weather gods supply us with a friendly swell so we can fling ourselves over the side..

With the reality of our arrival in Cape Town suddenly imminent, eyes and thoughts are turning to Africa and to home… Tristan da Cunha feels a hundred years ago. Days blur, time is measured in hours, which sometimes take weeks and which often float in isolation, not responsible for a before or an after. This morning was last week, the entire past three weeks a blink, the next fifteen minutes an eternity…. Time has never been so stretchy! We’re poised between now and next, anticipating yet wary of the end.

There is much excitement aboard for our various African adventures. I am excited for Cape Town, for dancing, for wearing dresses and drinking actual coffee. For hot chips and beer! For contacting my people. But now that it’s a very real sort of reality, we’re also beginning to feel that the details of our lives here that have slipped from novelty to the realm of everyday routine should be consciously noted and treasured.. that what is taken for granted will soon be remembered with wonder and should be appreciated with fresh eyes. For now it is all so normal.. the constant movement, the space, my spaces, the faces, the rhythms and routines. But it’s a normal not connected to any of my other normals.. And I wonder how this isolated little world will fit into my remembering.

We have an amazing few days planned in Cape Town and an amazing few days of ocean yet to feel, taste, hear and feast our eyes on before we get there. We’re lucky ones!

Which Watch out

Shout outs:

Big shout out to family and friends back home. See you in Cape Town. Love from Raighne

Hi family, lots of love from Oscar! I am doing great! HAMISH, I CAN’T WAIT TO PLAY SOME HALO. NOT TOO MUCH THOUGH AYE! QUALITY OVER QUANTITY