Thursday 21st March 2013
7am Gybed the mains'l over to port side - back onto starb'd tack with stays'l off pole - becoming a bit of a routine!! SW wind of 20 kt or so. Nice sunshine , some cumulus.. Seas well up still at 4-5m/15ft ... Rolling about a lot...
Cloud increased over morning while I got some more sleep for a time - clearly not getting enough overnight, with having had to see to sail trim several times.
Very poor radio contact with S.A.M.M. Net - getting to limit of range from S.Africa now.
Heading more ENE for a time - not too far, but just to increase chance of less big swell tomorrow from deep Low passing to south now - might not be needed - but who knows? Since wind should be more as well, better to be in less big seas if possible.
6pm Went on deck to check weather conditions - three magnificent Wandering albatross soaring around on fixed wings - two mostly white with black outer wings and tail but the third clearly younger - still with brown mottling on back and a light brown breast band. Stopped to watch them for a time - wonderful!
Back up again to adjust Fred a little - they'd gone but there was an all-dark, good-sized bird with fairly slender wings & pale, dark-tipped bill soaring & circling - very possibly a Flesh-footed shearwater but I didn't see its feet!
Seems as though the skua around over last two days was an Antarctic Skua - appropriate for this area!
Magnetic variation has been dropping dramatically - down to 21W tonight.
Really being rolled & tossed around a lot with wind having dropped down - struggling to make 4-5kt - often far less... Good download of weatherfaxes today, confirming nice westerlies expected for several more days,with reasonable wind strength - nothing over 30kt forecast for this latitude - looking good still!
DMG at 1100 GMT: 132 n.ml. C. Leeuwin: 684 n.ml.; WP due S of C. Leeuwin : 433 n.ml: King Island (entrance to Bass Strait): 1727 n.ml. ; SE Cape of Tasmania: 1798 n.ml.
..............................................................................
For my positions, see:
www.svnereida.com - 'Travels' - "Where is 'Nereida'?"
and/or:
http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-ship-tracks/tracking-nereida/